bellies

For those of you interested in how the growing is going...

big appetites...

...call for big veggies.  but this is ridiculous.

we were gifted this zucchini last night from our new friends who have a garden.  

notice we only received half.  and ours was the smaller half.

Papaya and Storytelling

I promised not to overkill on the "fruit by week" images... so here you go: Month #5. (For those that need help with gestational math, that leaves 4 more to go.) From what I have heard and felt, it has been a fun start. Our little girl has been kicking her momma quite ferociously and I can just imagine those little one+ inch feet one day being in her mouth, sinking in the sand, kicking her first soccer ball...or kicking the teeth out of the boy who thinks he can get too fresh.

My last four classes have begun and I am eager to share them with you:

• Narrative preaching,
• Jewish world in the New Testament,
• Theology of the Pentateuch,
• Exegesis of Hebrew Poetry

I'm most excited about becoming a better narrative preacher, that is, a storyteller of the biblical stories. For those who know me well, you know that I can sometimes tell a story well and then sometimes...not so much. My brain is wired in this odd way that comes out when I write or speak. Some things are blurted out that shouldn't be - words that don't exist, things that happened differently in the replay of my memory, or forgetting crucial details of the story. ("Did you see Dark Knight? There was this scene on a building where he was pulled out by a plane!" = "WHAT?!!") The victims of this predicament have been jokes, anecdotes...and now sermons.

Part of the problem is that my brain is simply attracted to the wrong details. I can't tell you how many times I have had a full conversation with someone, then tried recounting it to Holly and she says, "so wait, you didn't ask if she got the job?" or "what did they decide to name him?" This is where yours truly establishes a goofy posture and a blank stare begins as if the moment might pass without causing either party embarrassment. (Never such luck.) This, sadly, no longer surprises Holly...only to make my new/old friends suffer until my wife notices the trainwreck coming and then reaches for her fork to poke into my thigh. So far this has been moderately helpful, but I'm hoping that a class in "narrative preaching" will cause some of these tendencies to reverse, or at least slow to a general awareness.

This of course reminds me of my favorite comedian Brian Regan, who you might find on Comedy Central with the following bit that embodies this moment precisely. As such I leave you in his two-dimensional company.

don't drink the water...

Last Friday night, we were out to dinner with friends when Justin's phone started ringing. He didn't recognize the number so he didn't pick up. Then, our friend Michael realized his phone was ringing too. We quickly noticed it was the same number ringing at exactly the same time. How odd is that?

We checked voicemail and it was an automated emergency alert from GCTS. "The Hamilton Town water supply has tested high for levels of perchlorate. Do not drink tap water or wash vegetables and fruits. It is safe to bathe. We will notify you when the water is safe to drink."

What??? Well, what does that mean? Are we going to die? Can I wash dishes? What about my dogs? Brushing my teeth? Argh.

Keep in mind, it's 8:30 on Friday night of a holiday weekend.

After a little internet research, we discovered that high levels of perchlorate can be harmful to humans, especially pregnant ones. Boiling water or using a Brita doesn't help. So, I called the doctor who said she'd never heard of it, but I could get a thyroid test since that's apparently what the perchlorate affects. Other than that, drink bottled water.

Yesterday, the phone rang with another automated message stating that the water was now fine. Apparently, 6 consecutive days of testing has shown normal levels. But, I think I'll stick with my overabundance of Poland Spring for now...