to be continued....
So we went to Strawn for the Halloween carnival that happens the weekend before Halloween every year. Apparently they figure that if they do all the festivities on a weekend, the kids will be able to stay up later. To us, it was just a chance to tag along with other people's children and eat their candy. The carnival was basically a bouncy house and a couple games, but everyone enjoyed it, and then we went over to Jason's house where Jesse was introduced to Diablo. Jason is very good at introducing Jesse to video games. I followed them around for a little whole and was very happy to hand the controller off to Ashley very quickly.
Anyway, eventually it got darkish, and the kids put on their costumes and we met the rest of the family at Mandy's parents' house.
The day before Emily told Jesse to guess what she was going to be for Halloween. "I'll give you a hint; it has 'bat' in it.". "bat man?" "what would bat man be if he was a little girl?" "bat boy?" "noo!! Bat GIRL!"
Just Jason's family (extended in many branches, mind you, but still family...everyone except us, of course) filled two pickups, and we joined the train of pickups with beds full of children making their way through the town. Unfortunately, it was short lived. It started pouring rain and lightninging so everyone in the bed decided it was time to go home and watch football. We hung out there, watching football, eating some sort of casserole, and playing basketball in the hallway until 11:00 when I rounded up my child and made him drive me home. I always feel bad that I have tone the party pooper, but he would play with those children (and Jason) all night, and it's not exactly a hop skip and a jump to get back home.
Besides, we couldn't skip church the next morning because we had plans to have lunch with Jimmy Moreno, the associate pastor, and his family, and he was very persistent. The first time I saw him, I had a feeling that he and ny father would get along nicely. Jesse and I wondered from across the sanctuary whether the kids in both the front two rows were his, or just the first one. He plays the guitar, quoted Yoda from the pulpet, and has just the beginnings of a deeply spiritual haircut. Turns out only the front pew was his, but he had another in the nursery, which brought them up to 5. Hannah, Rebecca, Josiah, Sarah, and Lydia. He said there would be a test. There never was, but I studied anyway. Yes, four girls and one boy. They are homeschooled, never watch football (don't have tv, so they can't) his wife was a music major, she has a midwife, she always buys him Pixar movies for christmas, as a family they dressed up as Narnians last Halloween, and his text alert is "bee do bee do bee do!". I do believe we have found the closest thing to Texans who will understand me.
The strangest thing was this concept of talking to your pastor. I have never really had a pastor. I had pastor Tim, but even then, our "group" was pretty unconventional, and I have never felt like anyone in my life held that role. Pastors that I know are always friends of my dad, dads of my friends, or husbands of my friends. They always hold another role besides pastor, and interact with me accordingly. I've never had a pastor and his wife sit me down and ask what my story is, when I came to know the Lord, or if I am right with God. I guess those are questions that pastors ask. Jesse wasn't surprised by it a bit, but the pastors in my life have always known those things, and I was never one of their new little sheep that they wanted to learn more about and hold onto. In that way, Jimmy and Anna were the furthest thing from pushy, and seemed laughingly embarrassed when I described the week before as "set the hook Sunday". They didn't act like we were a statistic, or a "prospect", which was nice.
Honestly, it's probably good for me to have someone in that role. Don't get me wrong, I love being in ny father's church. I always know that I agree with him, I usually know the end of the illustration before he has finished the opening line, and I know my place. I guess that's what it is that makes people comfortable anywhere they go. We all want to know what our place is, and what role we are expected to play, even if it is just innocent bystander. But I digress. I have said many times that it would be good for me to go someplace else and be challenged a little and actually think in church (it's amazing the different things you think about when you hear a sermon come from someone you aren't used to talking with every day), but as often as I have tried, it was going to take me a very long time to get away from Colton Community Church. It's home, like it or not. Thankfully, God made that decision for us. 2000 miles is a heck of a commute, even if it's just once a week. I would have to get up waaaay too early for that!
Well. This has drifted a long way from Halloween and Strawn. Suffice it to say, we also went trick or treating here in Breckenridge with the Figuroas and the Leon Guereros (Jody and Kian) last night as well, and they got a good deal more candy because it didn't rain.
Also, I was walking through WalMart and saw all the Christmas stuff and smelled all the candles, and now I wish I had some way to decorate for Christmas, but A. it feels dumb to decorate a house when I am the only one who will appreciate it, B. I would have to buy all new decorations, and that's just lame, and C. it's really hard to decorate around skulls and crap like that. Tin walls are not very aesthetically pleasing, and would just seem out of place with anything but cowboy paraphernalia adorning it. I could do some candles though...(see picture below)
This is getting too long. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!
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