Joe and Laurie- with Gabriel...

This is Joe and Laurie.  Joe is our oldest son and Laurie is his lovely wife.  I'll tackle describing them separately.  Joe is a rock.  Very cool and collected.  Very thoughtful. He's determined to do things the right way- whether it's making a baked potato or giving a Bible lesson. He has a wonderful smile. Great sense of humor. Too smart for his own good.  He's a problem solver.  He has single-handedly revamped our chore routine into a much more equitable situation.  In case you haven't guessed it, he's a new daddy.  He's flourishing in the role. He said, "You just never realize how much you can love another person, do you?" Laurie is a sweetheart.  She is also a very good mommy. She's made being a mommy and washing laundry a full time job and Gabriel couldn't be happier about that scenario.  She's also very smart.  Competitive in the realm of games. She's agreeable. Generous. Easy to share a space with.  They live with us in the guest quarters.  Joe keeps threatening to move out. Then I start crying and he relents.  They are such a blessing to all of us- I can't even tell you. They bring joy to everyone they know and are so very easy to love.

Dwarf feast...

Here's our sound track for the evening: 

Diggy diggy hole

You can listen to it as you're reading.  

What a total blast we all had!  Joe gave all of the guys a dwarf hat- complete with beards- kinda funny that all of the men seated at the table already have beards(except Abe, who is only 14y.)  Phil was shaking his head- sending the beard swaying from side to side and saying, "I'm livin' the dream!" The girls got helmet hats. These weren't "Hi-ho, hi-ho" kind of dwarves.  Think Tolkien. It certainly set a jolly mood.  They had black fabric hanging from the ceiling making the room look like a cave. The table clothes were earth toned with mushrooms on them- they grow in the ground.  And that was the recurring theme for the food. We had root beer and ginger ale to drink. The appetizer was stuffed mushrooms and french fries.  The main meal was baked potatoes- 'cause these also grow in the ground.  In case you think a baked potato isn't main dish fare, let me say, these were.  They were huge and you had your choice of toppings- butter, sour cream, bacon, and queso con carne. Most opted for all of the above.  Evabeth and I only had one potato and I'm pretty sure we're the only ones who cleaned our plates.  It was wonderful and everyone ate until they were as stuffed as those potatoes. Dessert was dirt cake- with gummy worms on top. They made enough to fill a turkey roaster.  Oh, it was wonderful.  


Bill read from 1 Timothy 5 About not trusting in riches but being rich in good works. Oh, we are all so rich.  Richly blessed.  Let's make sure we're using our physical and spiritual riches to glorify God.