We’ve been taking it really slow and have mostly kept to ourselves so far. We really want to see everyone, so please don’t be offended if you haven’t heard from us yet. We’ll get around to everyone eventually and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’re going to be in our neighborhood!

Not as grand as his first view of it, I’m sure. But I love that it looks like the little rainbows you get all over a room when you have a prism in the window. I felt, looking at it, just like I did as a kid trying to catch those rainbows. Good for the soul, if you ask me.

This weekend was the Festival of Flight here in Newcastle. Mark met friends in town among a throng of thousands and thousands of people to watch the Red Arrows acrobatic pilots (I have no idea what the right term is, here). I wasn’t up for that much walking (after a bit too much physical activity last week that has left me bent-over when I try to stand – oops!), but watched the show from the sewing room upstairs and snapped these pics.

I was bummed to miss watching the show from the beach (or just across the road). The atmosphere in Newcastle is always so fun with loads of people in for a visit. Oh, well…

We’re getting the house ready tonight for Mark’s folks coming tomorrow. Can you say “excited”? That’s what we are! We don’t have any big plans, but I’m sure the 10 days we get together will be packed with goodness. They’ll probably introduce us to some new things here, too. You’d think we’d be the only ones doing that after living here for 2 years, but these 2 always have something great up their sleeves!

I’m still growing, which is to be expected, but still kind of shocking. I put on pyjama pants today that a friend loaned me. The first time I tried them on they just fell off. And today, they fit. It’s strange, and I love it. And there’s the pregnancy update for today.

Hope you all have a beautiful Monday!

I’ve also been spending a good amount of time nesting, which is about the best thing ever. Have I mentioned that I’m loving getting ready to meet Beaker? I thought so… Well, my mom’s making a beautiful proper quilt, so I thought I’d make a little crib quilt. What do you think? Does it work for a boy or girl?

Mark and I got some wonderful news today, as well. We’re one big step closer to getting our visa renewed. (I’m happy to go into details if you email and ask, but I don’t want to do all the long-winded explaining here.) After a few months of trying to get things moving, both on our and our sponsors’ parts, things are in motion. So we’re celebrating!

Mark’s parents are going to be here for a visit next week. We’re really looking forward to getting some good time with them. His dad has been in Jordan working on an archaeological dig and I’m sure we’re going to get some amazing stories.

Hope you’re all having a wonderful week! What are you spending your “last” days of summer doing?

It was also exciting to see God’s provision in their lives – the large new house he’s supplied for their ministry of hospitality plus the gift of kitchen basics.

Mark is very disciplined in working his job on the computer every afternoon. I think it would be hard with people around who are doing fun things. Ange and I did ‘projects’ – made a diaper bag, jewelry, meals and such. Lloyd walked and walked every day. He always power walked up that last steep stretch to Ange’s house. After hearing more and more daring tales of where he wandered around the mountains, we got so we were afraid to let him out of the house by himself!  Finally, on our last day, Lloyd and Mark climbed to the top of Slieve Donnard, the highest mountain in N. Ireland.

We travelled to Cork over Memorial Day weekend and played the tourist role for a bit. Happened on a festival of sea chanties in Waterford. A night at Waterford Castle was so cool. Check out hotels.com for great rates.

Some observations: Mark is amazing on the bodhran (drum); 10 pm is hardly even dusk, but between 10:15 & 10:30, it gets dark for about 5 hours; even on sunny days it’s rarely very warm; it costs $80 to fill the car with gas; Mark is an excellent Bible teacher; Ireland is too far away.

Sometimes it’s just nice to hang out with people who call french fries french fries and spell color without a ‘u’, you know?

Walking on the promenade with the Kristiansens.

Bridge over the Shimna

Lars, Maria and the boys at Tollymore Forest Park.

This look captures about how I felt watching the video of my acting...

It’s been a quiet week for us.  Campbell and Kristi left for a month-long trip to visit her family in Thailand on Monday, which always leaves a bit of a vacuum socially.  The upside is that you know you have good friends when you miss them.  We’ve needed a quiet week though, since the ones before were pretty manic.

Tuesday night the local theatre group I was part of had a barbecue and a showing of the DVD of our performance.  It was really fun to see everyone again.  It’s always really weird to see yourself on video though.  At this point, I’m pretty used to hearing myself speak and sing so that’s not awkward anymore, but seeing is a whole ‘nother deal…

Anyway, since there’s not a lot of news, here are some fun photos.

An authentic Irish BBQ - rain and all (this is from a gettogether at Campbell's a few months ago)

The Irish version of a coffee house church...

If you want to pray with us about those things, you can join us in asking for “John 4 encounters” (the woman at the well) with people.  I am hoping to sit down soon and write a lengthier post about that one, but it’s come to be one of the guiding passages for how we want to do things.

I think we’re also hitting another little wave of culture shock (which, I’m told would be more aptly named “creeping cultural disorientation”).  We’ve been here six months next week so that is about right.

It’s one of the great beauties of the Christian life that we can say “I am in the right place.  God is good and on the throne.  I really want to be with Pat and Lezlie or Jay and Jess (or whoever).  I’m really sad that I’m missing the early years of their kids.  It hurts like crazy.”  And there’s no incongruity in that statement.  It’s just the tension of life and trusting God in that tension is one of the most glorifying things we can do.

Sorry we haven’t had a lot to say recently.  We really are doing pretty well and getting adjusted.  We love you all and miss you (well…most of you).

Mark and Ange

One of my closest friends, Lezlie, had her first baby last October.  And about 8 months before she had him, we decided to make a quilt together so I could share the process of her pregnancy with her.  (She lives an hour away, so without good planning, we don’t see each other at all!)  Great idea.  Trouble is, we still haven’t finished the quilt and I’m leaving the country in 11 short days.  So last week, I traveled up to the old stomping ground to finish the quilt.  Or so I thought.  We only have the binding left to do, and how hard can that be?  Pretty hard, or at least time consuming when you DON’T HAVE A SEWING MACHINE!  I think Lezlie planned it, though there’s no proof.  We ended up borrowing a very old and somewhat persnickety Singer.  And we had almost no luck.  There is proof of that.  And here are the pictures.  We’ve got one last chance to finish it, as we only overlap being in the same state and without prior commitments for 1 day!  Good luck, girls.

the culprit machine and the crumpled quilt

going to town

old friends

I’ll be back later today with more good stuff.  Just you wait…

Plus, last night we got to go to a minor league baseball game – the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Always a good time.

Mark