Garlic breath, tomato plants, cicadas and other relevant issues...

Memorial Day weekend and the first week of June have come and gone. Over the last few weeks we have stayed busy, and the days have flown past.

On Tuesday after Memorial Day we took a spontaneous camping trip to Defeated Creek campground, on Cordell Hull. Dan had to work most of the weekend before, so we thoroughly enjoyed a little change of pace...even if it was less than 24 hours. We pitched our tent, sat in our camping chairs on our "porch" (the hill overlooking the lake), and made friends with the cicadas. Wednesday morning we got up, ate a yummy camping breakfast, and spent a couple of hours in our kayaks out on the lake. We are finding that in the midst of so much transition these past several months, we are having to be intentional about getting away from the projects and stuff, to just spend time together and with the Lord. And when we do...it's always worth it.

Sunset on Cordell Hull...

On our camping trip we were dive-bombed several times by these little critters - cicadas. They are everywhere in Tennessee right now. Having them around for the last several weeks means we've built up some tolerance for them...but that doesn't make them any less creepy-crawly-ish.

Cicada...one of the many that made their home on our tent for the night...

Dan is still working in Sparta, TN, at the Auto Zone there, which is simultaneously boring and time consuming for him. We are praying hard for direction in that area. Today was my first day actually "working" since our move. I had plans to work from home, but God in His goodness has changed those plans in the last few weeks. I have been blessed to become part of the Peachtree Learning Center community here in Cookeville, and will be co-teaching in their music program in the 2011/2012 school year. It blesses me beyond belief to see their vision and their heart, and share in it, in whatever capacity I am able. This week is their June summer day camp, and I can already see, just by being there for camp, what an exciting year is ahead!

Other projects for us include Dan's garage... This past week he has re-roofed the storage shed in our backyard so that he can move some stuff from the main garage (which is bursting at the seams) and have more room to organize. He has done such a great job with the shed roof...I am so thankful for a handy, capable husband - with a crazy strong work ethic to go with those capabilities!

My garden has been one of my at-home priorities. Yesterday a strong windstorm came through and blew my tomatoes to the ground. When I went out to the garden after the storm passed, my heart sank...but thankfully, it looks as if the plants were not actually broken, just bent. So after a few metal fence posts in the ground and some baler twine to tie them up, and they should be good to go!

Practical marriage lesson for anyone interested: Don't eat a dinner involving garlic when your spouse is not home to eat it, as well. They will not appreciate it. If you can't have shared garlic breath, don't have garlic breath at all.

I think that's a pretty solid update. So much more is happening in the spiritual realm, which is a whole 'nother post. When we moved here we prayed for a shaking, and we are getting one. God, Jesus and Holy Spirit are real, alive, and doing amazing things...sometimes all I can do is sit back and shake my head and smile.

-HK