September Blues?

     It was interesting to see the various reactions online to the 10th anniversary celebrations of the 9-11 attacks. They sure run the gamut - some, like Ezra Levant, were upset that political correctness stopped leaders from speaking truthfully about Islamic terrorism; others lamented the lack of spiritual/religious participation (yet Barak Obama recited Psalm 46); people like Tony Jones felt the observances were just given way too much importance; militants want to "never forget" and some Christian leaders remind us of the message of forgiveness (that last one sure doesn't go over well I'm sure). I put a bit of a pointed message on my Facebook page bringing up the (greater) tragedy of 30 000 (actually I think it's closer to 25 000) children who die each day of preventable diseases. It was really a reaction to the U.S.-centric media and how they put so much emphasis/coverage on this kind of thing. I think of the much greater loss of life in things like the Indian Ocean tsunami that killed over 200,000 or the Haiti earthquake where more than 300,000 died - yet they received minimal coverage after the first few weeks. People talk about where they were when the planes hit - I happened to be at church practising for the funeral service for Pastor Ed Winker who had died tragically in a motorcycle accident the weekend before. So 9-11 really didn't impact me as much as some people it seems, as I was already deep into grieving for someone quite close to me. We had an interesting discussion about some of this stuff last night at supper, and Josh made the important point that most Muslim people have nothing to do with this kind of terrorism. Then later I saw a good article by Jim Wallis (10 years after 9-11) about how many have used the 9/11 remembrance day to help build bridges with Isamic communities.
     Last weekend we attended the Westheights BIC Corn Roast at a small farm near St. Clements. It was a great event and we got to know some people from church who we hadn't had a chance to meet yet. Beth even found someone who grew up in Zurich (Ontario) as well.
     This week Beth had to had some medical tests (scope of the digestive tract, top to bottom, if you know what I mean). The preparation ended up being more stressful than the test itself - 24 hours of only fluids and 3 doses of medicine to clear the digestive system. It was kind of a drastic way to lose weight but Beth was pretty amazed when she got on the scale;)

     The first week of school has been typical - busy, tiring and good. It definitely takes some time for students to get used to classroom routines and expectations, along with patience and consistency needed on my part. I appreciate getting back into a routine as well - more regular workouts at Good Life, meditation times. I finished re-reading Philip Yancey's "Disappointment with God" which is an excellent and honest look at some tough questions dealing with God's seeming silence/absence.

     Saw a couple of movies in September: "Captain America" was entertaining comic fare, but "Contagion" was pretty disappointing - it's being promoted as a 'thriller' so I thought Beth shouldn't attend, but it was pretty slow moving with next to no real tension (someone compared it to 'Jaws' but there was never that huge sense of dread they played up so well in that old movie).
     Over the last couple of weeks I've mainly been listening to new music from Sara Groves - "Invisible Empires", Proto~Kaw (Kerry Livgren) "Forth", Ben Shive "The Crashing Cymbal Clouds", The Hawk in Paris (with Dan Hasseltine from Jars of Clay) "His + Hers". However I still have fit in some older stuff (to check off my listening list) like The Choir - Kisses and Killers, Circle Slide, Free Flying Soul and The Police - Synchronicity.

Two Special Trips

     Last Tuesday Beth and I travelled up to Hanover and I got to revisit some of the areas that were important to me when I was growing up. I was born there and like to call it my hometown even though we moved to Kitchener when I was 4 or so. However because both sets of grandparents lived there, we visited many weekends - it seems to me it was about every other weekend but Mom says it wouldn't have been that much. At any rate Hanover has a special place in my heart and memory since there's nothing like the unconditional acceptance of grandparents to make you feel loved. Plus on my Mom's side I was the first grandchild so I was probably spoiled from early on (at least that's what Aunt Marilyn claims about my Grandpa Bieman's relationship with me). Sometimes when I can't sleep at night I'll try visualizing their houses and find a peaceful, happy place.
     We visited the cemetery on the edge of town and when we got into Hanover we parked at the church which is across the street from Grandma & Grandpa Bieman's house (I remember going there often, including Sunday School). We walked from their house to Grandma & Grandpa Kreutzkamp's house which is a few blocks away, and it was a stretch of road I can remember walking along many times as a boy. Then we doubled back down the Main Street which still has a few famous landmarks (Norm's Restaurant, the movie theatre) but has also seen lots of changes - brought back many memories. Of course we had to visit Shultz's bakery and pick up a coffee cake (my mom used to work there many years ago). Then we met up with Mom & Dad and mom's two sisters and the brothers-in-law who were in town for a mini-reunion. We had a nice time with them for lunch at Cravings Restaurant, a favourite place of Grandma Bieman's in her later years.
     This past Labour Day weekend was our 3rd annual canoeing trip into the Frost Lake area with my sons and friends. We paddle for under 2 hours, with only 1 portage, so it's not an arduous trip by any means, and then we camp for the weekend on an island. First, on Friday night we headed for the Wiseman cottage outside of Huntsville and I was surprised with a nice ice cream cake and 14 people singing Happy Birthday to me (along with over 30 Facebook birthday greetings I felt very blessed). After a Tim Horton's stop Saturday morning, we put in at Raven Lake. It was a beautiful, sunny, and hot day, and somehow David and I ended up well in front of the other canoeists so when we arrived at the site we quickly jumped in the water to refresh and greet the rest of the travellers. On the portage in I have set myself the challenge (as the oldest guy on the trip) the last couple of years to carry our (heavy) Coleman canoe by myself, and I was happy that I was able to (barely) accomplish it. We had a super weekend together - it was great that my 3 boys could make it, along with my good friends Bruce and Steve (Daryl couldn't swing it this year) and sons Adam, Ben and Jesse.

     We had wonderful weather on Saturday but about 4:30 Sunday morning a terrific thunderstorm passed through (as in it seemed to pass right through our campsite). Steve said he timed it as lasting only 10 minutes but it sure felt longer - the lightning was almost relentless and the thunder was shaking the ground. Fortunately there wasn't much rain left by the time we got up in the morning, but we did put up 2 large tarps just in case. Each family took care of a meal so we (as in David) made steaks over the fire for supper on Sunday. It was pretty cold getting up Monday morning so I got the stove going with hot water for oatmeal and hot chocolate and started up the campfire for warmth (and burning the last of our garbage). We were packed up and away from the site before 10 o'clock and arrived back in Kitchener by four. Then we headed over to Mom & Dad's for a meal to celebrate my birthday, Alison's birthday and our 30th anniversary. My family got me a new digital camera which I really need as my last one is having a few issues. When we got back to our house I snuck over to the school for a bit to make final preparations for the first day of classes. So it was a pretty full, but obviously wonderful, weekend!

Panda-monium!

     Last weekend we had friends over to play our new favourite card game (Wizard) and then on Saturday I went to the Waterloo Air Show with dad. It was a nice day and the highlight was getting to hear David do the announcing for the demonstration by the T33 Mako Shark that he has been involved with through volunteering at the Jet Aircraft Museum. He did a great job!
     Monday night we had a canoeing meeting for the guys who are going on our Labour Day interior camping trip into the Frost Centre region (east of Huntsville). This will include a bunch of friends and David, Josh and Joel are all able to be there. We're looking forward to a great time - hopefully the weather is a lot better than last year, which was very cold and rainy.
     Wednesday afternoon I went golfing with the Vanwyck boys and Josh at Beaverdale golf course. In preparation for that I finally broke down and bought a set of golf clubs, which I've been thinking about for a few years now. It will be good to have a decent set around for the boys to borrow too, whenever they need them (as long as I'm not using them, that is). However, I began to doubt the wisdom of investing in the clubs after losing about 8 or 9 balls while playing on Wednesday. Kind of frustrating, although I was actually able to par one hole!
     A fair bit of time this week (at least a few hours each evening anyway) was spent helping out at Westheight's Kid's Camp program. I worked as a small group leader (with 4 children) and Beth was in charge of the snack time. We were both very impressed with the high quality of all aspects of this event. Many people invested a lot of time and energy in reaching out to our community - there were about 80 volunteers and 120 children had registered. We were reminded again that there are many great people at our church and I was glad to get to know, and become friends with, my assistant leader Jared.
     Our nephew Ashton came out to the kid's camp for most of the week and ended up staying at our place a couple of nights. It was neat to have a 7 year old in the house - he has a great sense of humour and can entertain himself very well. Ashton came over to help me at the school for a bit (I got over there a few times this week) but didn't last very long at the job I gave him. He and I had fun swimming together on Thursday at Harry Class pool, where Alison works.
     This week I downloaded (from Chapters) and read Mark Steyn's new book "After America". He has an interesting take on how our social/political world works and is a very creative writer. However his vision of the future sure is pretty bleak. I also read through Brennan Manning's "The Ragamuffin Gospel" which I thought might be on my list of 20 books I should read every year but now I've decided it just doesn't rate (repeating 'live by grace' over and over just doesn't cut it, even though it's great advice).
     Music listening: Lost Dogs - Old Angel (awesome!), Kerosene Halo, Kerry Livgren - Collector's Sedition, Prime Mover (bears relistening with lyric sheet); Bill Mallonee (one of the most prolific songwriters) - WPA Renderings, Cabin Songs, Dear Life, Dear Outtakes EP, Fetal Position, The Who - Tommy (Movie) Soundtrack
     Went to see Conan 3D, desperate for some entertainment/escape I guess, because I don't really like going to 3D movies. Beth and I went to see The Help with Ali on Thursday - now that's a great movie! I used Josh's Netflix account to watch the original Planet of the Apes and District B13.

Up with People!

     We've had a very full week, spending time with lots of folks up North. I ended up being able to visit all of my cousins from my mom's side of the family, except for Martha who lives in Texas (and who we saw in March). Beth had another week of holidays that ended up being extended because of her switch over to shift work (13 days off altogether!). Before we left though we did spend a couple of days cleaning and organizing around the house, focussing on the shed in the backyard and the fruit cellar storage area downstairs.
     On Wednesday we headed up to North Bay to my Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Don's where they arranged and hosted a great supper with my cousins Grant (and his wife Cathy) and Mary (and her husband Peter). Later in the evening a number of us (including Grant and Cathy's children Graham and Courtnery [and her husband Cody]) went over to the Northgate Mall to help Uncle Gordie Love take down his sauna display - that was a 3 hour job!

     Thursday we drove up (with Don & Marilyn) to the Cobalt area for a visit with my cousin Pam and her family at the house they've recently had built on a lake outside of town. We love this area of Ontario, especially as I spent many summers up here as a teenager at the Love cottage on Fairy Lake (15 minutes outside of New Liskeard). Pam & Dave have a beautiful new home (all wood inside) and we enjoyed chatting with them (interesting discussions about world finances). On the trip up I was surprised to see that the old Hiway Book Shop had closed - this was a place we often stopped at on our trips north. On the way home we stopped in Temagami for awesome ice cream cones. In the evening we played a couple of games of Aggravation - that's a game we played lots of in Hanover growing up, and Beth and I played many games of it with my grandparents when we'd visit them back in the '80's.
     Friday we went exercising at the Y with Don & Marilyn, enjoyed a pizza lunch and then drove back down to Huntsville to hang out with our friends Steve and Rachel at the Harp Lake cottage. Steve cooked chicken over the fire and we played some rousing games of Wizard and Dutch Blitz in the evening.
     On Saturday we headed over to the nearby cottage of my cousin Pattisu (and David) for a visit with them, which included a couple of saunas and swims (well, the guys did that, not Beth). Then we picked up Swiss Chalet for a quick supper with Aunt Shirley and Uncle Gordie before driving to the MBC camp for a concert by Michael Card. I've been listening to his music for decades now and have seen him perform a number of times. He's really a bible scholar who uses music to teach in a very creative, deep manner. Michael has a wonderful stage presence but he plays a right-handed guitar left-handed (meaning the guitar is upside down!) making it nearly impossible to emulate his playing (though I have learned a few of his songs [right side up!] over the years).

     Sunday we went to church with Gordie and Shirley and then had lunch at the Wendy's in Huntsville before travelling 30 minutes up the road to Camp Kahquah, near Magnetawan. We'd been encouraged to check out this church camp run by our denomination (BIC = Brethren in Christ) by some folks in our Friday night small group who have come up to the family camp time for many years. And we're glad we took their advice because we had a wonderful time! We decided to keep it simple by staying in a room in the lodge for 3 nights and getting the meal plan provided by the camp kitchen. It was a great opportunity to get to spend more time getting to know families from our church (there were actually 4 Westheights families there, but we spent more time with the Cobers and Wiens from our small group). We even got invited out for supper a couple of times! We contributed fresh baked pies from the nearby Cornball General Store. One day Karl rented the pontoon boat which we took to a small island for a swim and into Magnetawan for ice cream cones. Another day Kevin took us around the lake in his powerful fishing boat and Beth even went water skiing behind it! I enjoyed leading some songs around the campfire each night, we had quite a few fun games of Wizard, and we got to connect with a number of other campers, especially at meal times. Kitchener MP Harold Albrecht is a regular camper at Kahquah and he baptized his niece in the lake one morning. We introduced ourselves to him, as Mom & Dad are big supporters of his work and we had a really nice conversation with him (he's lost his wife suddenly this year so we ended up sharing about excellent books on grief). We also got to know and appreciate the worship leader, Andrew Thompson and his family who were from the Welland area. I recorded a couple of the sessions on my computer so I can learn a few of the excellent songs he introduced. He also showed me how he uses his iPad as a song stand, which is pretty cool. A young lifeguard at the camp played an electric cello during the music and it was an awesome addition (probably my favourite instrument).
     I finally finished the huge science fiction book Anathem, which took me almost 2 weeks to complete. The sad part is that it really wasn't that enjoyable! Way too much philosophical discussion and invented vocabulary to try to keep track of, and the story actually moved so slowly that it didn't get really interesting until about page 750.
     Lots of travelling music as we drove around this week: Jars of Clay, Lamb III, Mark Heard - Eye of the Storm, Victims of the Age, Dry Bones Dance, Second Hand; Michael Card - Present Reality, Hymns; Switchfoot - The Beautiful Letdown, Undercover - God Rules, Boys and Girls; Supertramp - Crime of the Century, Moulin Rouge soundtrack.

Stalling?

     Last Monday was Josh's 23rd birthday but Beth had to work a 12 hour day shift. She's back doing bedside nursing after 2.5 years of being resource nurse at the desk - it's a shared position now so she'll rotate with another nurse every 3 months. But it also means she's back to shift work - 2 twelve hour days, then 2 twelve hour nights, then 4 days off. So for Josh's birthday I arranged a golf day at Rockway - Dad, myself, Josh and his friend Adam made it a foursome. We went out for brunch first at Cora's then headed to the course for our 12:08 tee-off. The young guys opted for an electric cart. We all had fun but everyone except Dad shot pretty inconsistently, though we improved over the 18 holes. It was pretty sweltering hot on the front nine but seemed more temperate as the afternoon wore on. Five (!) hours later we headed home for a quick freshening up and then Josh and I met Mom & Dad at Swiss Chalet for supper. Later I went to the club for my regular workout but it was super challenging as my body was exhausted!

     It ended up being a pretty unproductive week - couldn't seem to find the motivation to get much accomplished. I did get into the school one day but not much done around the house. The continuing oppressive heat also is a factor I think. Did do lots of walking and exercising though (but the scale is being somewhat stubborn about moving down). Feeling a bit guilty that I somehow managed to fit in 4 movies this week - Crazy Stupid Love (lots of great twists in this, and fine acting), Cowboys and Aliens (kinda dragged at times - too many scenes of just riding horses through the wilderness), Bridesmaids (wasn't as offended as I thought I might be), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (interesting story, neat how it sets up the other, much older, series).
     On Wednesday Beth and I went to have our wills updated as things have changed since we did them originally 18 years ago. It seemed expensive but we're glad to have that taken care of.
     I read through an older book (actually 3 books in one) by P.G. Wodehouse. He wrote these classic British stories about a rich guy named Wooster and his brilliant butler Jeeves who helps him solve problems that arise in his aristocratic life. They're pretty funny but I don't think I'll read the whole series.

     Saturday was a Hugill (Beth's maiden name) family gathering in Grand Bend. Everyone was able to make it (except for her nephew Scott and family who live in Calgary, and our son Joel who had to work), including her niece Kim and family who were visiting from Edmonton. It's great to reconnect with folks we sometimes don't get to see very often. Sharon provided a nice lunch and some of us headed to the beach in the afternoon. We had lots of fun watching the kids (ages ranging from 3 to 25) interact and play [in the attached photo our great-niece Jenna is crying because Josh tipped her off of the air mattress]. We treated the kids to Denny's (a popular local hamburger joint) at supper and then Beth & I walked downtown Grand Bend, picking up a sweater and shirt (for Beth) along the way.
     On Sunday we celebrated Josh's birthday with family and friends (only 6 days late, which often happens with birthdays in our family [especially those around long weekends - which includes everyone's birthday except Joel's] as we try to coordinate schedules with everyone). In the evening Beth and I went over to Mom & Dad's to try to help him with computer issues and to play a game of Hand & Foot.
     Another week with lots of music (listening while walking or driving): Klaatu, Noel Paul Stookey - Something New and Fresh, The Statler Brothers (I loved listening to these guys when I was about 13 years old) - Oh Happy Day, Old Testament, Greatest Hits; John Mehler - Bow & Arrow, Fireworks - Sightseeing at Night, Burlap to Cashmere, Derek Webb & Sandra McCracken - TN EP, Paul Simon - So Beautiful or So What, Glenn Kaiser - Cardboard Box, Various Artists - Making God Smile (Brian Wilson Tribute), Surfonic Water Revival (these last 2 are our favourite beach music CDs - they're great tunes!), Josh Garrels - Love and War and the Sea In Between, Kerry Livgren/A.D. - Time Line

Staycation #1?

     Beth and I went to see "Horrible Bosses" last Sunday, which was definitely hilarious in many parts but also obscenely vulgar in others - why do film-makers seems so willing to lower the bar? I keep saying that I'm really not a prude, but flicks like this do make me feel that maybe I am, as I find some of it pretty offensive.
     Beth was off this week and she helped "inspire" me to get a few more jobs done: repairing & repainting Josie's gate in the kitchen. fixing a doorknob, cleaning up & organizing my workroom (bought a cool label maker for nail/screw/etc. drawers & shelves), and washing the kitchen floor.
     On Tuesday we travelled to Oakville for Beth's appointment with the surgeon who will fix up the veins in her leg in September. In talking to him she discovered that he trained/worked with the doctor who did my heart surgery back in 2005 (Dr. Ashe - he's still at St. Mary's, we thought he was wonderful, and I think he's considered one of the top heart surgeons in Canada). We met Josh for lunch at Turtle Jack's as he works nearby. We were really hungry so ordered some garlic bread as an appetizer, but because things weren't explained clearly we ended up with 12 pieces!

     Wednesday afternoon we visited our friends Daryl and Sue at a cottage they were staying at near St. Josephs, on Lake Huron. This is very close to Beth's home town of Zurich, so we stopped at the cemetery there and also at the bakery where Beth's mom used to work. Multiculturalism seems to have finally hit this village as the bakery has been taken over by a Chinese lady - but they still bake traditional Bismarck donuts. After a rousing game of Up and Down the River with our friends (which Beth won, she would like to note) we headed over to Grand Bend for a nice visit with some of Beth's family (her sister Sharon, and Ted - who live in Grand Bend, and her brother Gary, and Cathy - who are nearby in Exeter)
     On Friday we served a meal again at Ray of Hope in downtown Kitchener. We barbecued sausages and served these on a bun, along with a variety of salads and cake. It turned out very well, though we were told to prepare for 190 people but only about 95 showed up, so there was lots of food left (which they simply use in the next day or 2). I had a good conversation with a young man who comes to the Centre pretty regularly - he seems to be managing quite well on his disability cheque by wisely using many of the support services that are available in the city.
     On Saturday we were thrilled to get an invitation to friends from our Friday night study group, Suzanne and Frank, to come for dinner and games at their place. We had a great meal and a wonderful time - the ladies won in Sequence and then we played a very entertaining game of Wizard (where you just weren't sure what would happen in a round).
     Remember that 20 pounds I said I lost earlier this year (20 Pounds)? Well I found it again! And I've even kept up my regular exercise routine at the club 3 times a week. So in the last couple of weeks I've gotten a bit more serious about watching what I eat, especially cutting down on the snacks. The scale is starting to slowly move back down again - I've added in trying to take a walk on days I don't go to the club and a short ab workout DVD I stole from Alison.
     I read a very interesting book this week called "The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction" by Alan Jacobs. I had read his excellent biography of C.S. Lewis ("The Narnian") a few years ago and heard him speak at the Calvin Festival of Faith and Writing in 2008. His lecture at the festival was wonderful - it made me think it may have been something like hearing Lewis speak to one of his classes many years ago. Anyway, Jacobs' new book got me doing some thinking about the reading I do. I average about 50 books a year but sometimes I think I might read too fast or can't recall enough of the book after I'm finished. Jacobs got me to consider doing more rereading of good books I own - there are probably a number of great/important books that I should reread on a regular basis and I'm going to try to  compile a list and add them into my annual reading regimen.
     Lots of listening this week as I worked, walked or drove: Sweet Comfort Band - Hearts on Fire & Perfect Timing, Be Bop Deluxe - Modern Music, Josh Ritter - So Runs the World Away & Historical Conquests, Petra - Washes Whiter Than, Phil Keaggy - Emerging (I'd forgotten what great rock guitar he plays on this) & Play Thru Me, Imperials - Very Best of, Prodigal - Electric Eye & Just Like Real Life, Allies, Bruce Cockburn - Life Short Call Now, Janny - He Made Me Worthy & Think on These Things (her stuff sounds pretty dated)

Music and Life

     Something my friend Dan said a few years ago has continued to trouble me - he's a fellow music fan and says that because of his age and the amount of music he owns he won't be able to live long enough to listen to it all (and no he's not sick and dying, it's just that he has so much music). It really got me thinking (if that idea could actually be true for me as well). And that's one reason that I've been tracking my listening on this blog, so that I can get a better sense of how much and what I listen to. This week I decided to take it to another level - I created a list of the core of my music collection (not including much instrumental or worship music) and printed this list out in booklet form. It wasn't too difficult - copied folder names from my iTunes backup - but it still took a couple of hours. There ended up being just over 1000 albums I think (the booklet is 7 pages of fine print with 2 columns per page). Then I went back over my 2011 blog entries and wrote in the month and year beside each album I listened to. I've already checked off 137 for this year so far. So I figure at that rate it may take up to 5 years to complete the booklet. But it's nice to have a goal and it feels good to be able to check off each step along the way. And yes I'm sure there will need to be additions as I continue to purchase new music (I did leave a bit of space, but I'm really trying to just enjoy all the music I have instead of buying much more). I also continue to try to eliminate albums from my iTunes program by burning them onto CDs and adding them to my collection kept mainly in binders.
     We went to see Tree of Life this week and had some great (and extended - it's a film you can talk about for a long time) discussions about it. Also read a couple of helpful articles online that gave further insights. I found it to be quite moving, bringing back images from my own childhood/life as I watched. It's a beautiful, deep and meaningful movie, a piece of art actually, that I think is probably Terence Mallick's masterpiece. I feel I should really try to see it again.
     It was scorching hot this week but I was able to get a few minor jobs done around the house. The wheel for our clothesline became so imbedded in the back maple tree (the tree had grown right around it) that the wheel no longer could turn, so I had to chisel part of the tree away from it. One of the flagstone walls in the backyard has been in need of repair for a few years now so I finally got that fixed. And I cleaned up the barbecue, replacing the bricks and scrubbing the various parts (I'm thankful for SOS pads).
     I often retreated into the air conditioned kitchen/family room area and read a couple of captivating books over the course of the week. I whipped through Josh Ritter's "Bright's Passage" pretty quickly. He's a songwriter I'm appreciating lately and this is his first novel. It was very interesting and creative, including an angel who communicates with the main character through a horse (yes it sound pretty weird but it works). Stephen King's massive "Under the Dome" is a wild story but it's also very bleak and disturbing (and the vulgarity is not appreciated). I doubt that I'll read any more of his work.

     We had some invitations for several nice visits this week as well. We went to Mom and Dad's for supper on Wednesday and it ended up that none of the kids could make it so it was just the 4 of us, which was just fine but seemed a bit weird (feels like about 25 years since we've done that!). We played a game of Hand & Foot and the ladies were very proud of their win. On Friday we were at our friends' Carla & Dave and enjoyed a nice meal along with great conversation. Saturday we picked up Olu & Tracy and headed up to Walkerton to visit with our friend Krista and her family. It was wonderful to be able to connect with everyone there and especially to see how beautifully the children are growing up.

     I'm really appreciating our church, feeling like we know lots more people there and enjoying connecting briefly with folks on Sunday morning - it's beginning to feel more like our church as of late. We ended up helping lead some children's songs for their program at the last minute and it was lots of fun to do that again.
     Music listening: Yes - Relayer (awesome 70's prog rock), Beatles - Abbey Road (classic), Bob Bennett - First Things First (also classic in my opinion), U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind, Josh Ritter - So Runs the World Away, Paul Simon - So Beautiful or So What (really appreciate this now that I've read along with the lyrics, plus the musicianship is fantastic), Burlap to Cashmere - new self-titled release (a bit disappointed on first listen, but it's growing on me as I give it more time/attention), Bon Iver - For Emma Forever Ago