Tag: travel

Precipitation

James HoganLeave a comment

I have been procrastinating writing all day. It is truly tragic, is it not? One has time to write and write finally for the first time in a long time and then for some perverse reason the will decides to keep choosing other things to do instead. It is maddening, truly. So now the afternoon winds on and I had almost decided it was time to do some dinner prep but then I told myself no that it would not do and that I would write something, even if the output turns out to be quite execrable.

I really wish I could go for a nice walk. It’s been a few days since I’ve stretched my legs properly and it irks me that I feel oh so sedentary in this moment. Yet the rain has been pouring and pouring and though now it seems it’s stopped, I do not trust the sky and I shall not risk the walk, quite certain that more storms shall be rolling o’er head shortly. So. I write! What shall I write? It’s been a long week, what with me and Dani being properly sick and miserable. It’s a garden variety cold/cough for me, but Dani’s been hit much harder. Right now I’m just grateful if she’s able to keep any food or liquids down. Praying for her recovery – oh please Lord, heal her. I suppose it’s normal after a vacation for the body to finally collapse upon arriving home again, mm? Definitely our bodies have been through a lot these past few weeks, what with traveling to Italy (Rome & Positano!) and Greece (Santorini!) and I am quite a terrible chronicler in that I really should detail some of our adventures in the aforesaid, yet I can’t quite bring myself to open the spigot. Instead, I’ll close this little post and then ponder if my creative self can decide to write anything more poetic and dreamy than the dreary prose that has trickled forth thus far.

I really am in a mood, aren’t I? Yet I do long to write something beautiful. I am not quite certain if I can. Yet even if I can’t, it is good to sit here at home, dry and warm on a day when outside is damp and stormy. I will perhaps do some dinner prep now – classic burritos with tomato/avocado salad! – and then see if any writing is to be. Peace and love, my friends. Peace and love.

Consummation of the Ages

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Good morning friends!! A blitz of a post here before I begin working! I’m sipping on my Friday peppermint mocha even though it’s not really Friday because…this is the last day of the work week for me! Fly off to Vancouver tomorrow for a weekend in Canada with Robbie, Ryan and friends! It’s going to be awesomeness, not least of which because I haven’t seen Robbie in a couple years now so really looking forward to catching up with him and having some quality chats(which we always always do). And of course – first time in Canada, so there’s that! I think we might also drop down to Seattle for a day, as well. So anyway, I’m in a pretty good mood now, looking forward to a sweet holiday time with friends. Shall be wonderful, I so decree!

And just as awesome as this coming weekend is going to be, last weekend was. Another super busy weekend, mostly because Mikaela came down from Dallas and spent the whole weekend in Houston and so naturally we spent very much time together(as is good and proper!). Went to Bethel on Friday night and heard John Piper speak on his new book A Peculiar Glory – about how the Word of God reveals its utter truthfulness to mankind. His talk was absolutely wonderful – he marries intellectual vigor and wisdom with the sweet passion that can only be granted by knowing God so closely and intimately. Oh how my eyes were lifted up to heaven as we pondered the glories of God!

Saturday night(after many fun adventures during the day, of course), me and Mikaela went on a double date with Earnie and Mandy to the symphony! After a quality dinner of steak and mashed potatoes at Truluck’s, we four enjoyed the Houston Symphony and Choir’s fine performance of Faure’s Requiem. Very very beautiful, indeed. And Sunday, following church, Mikaela and I had a most yummy Cajun-filled lunch at BB’s where I had my standard jalapeno mac’n’cheese and she ate many delicious looking crawfish. But…apart from the food and fun we enjoyed over the weekend, the best part was just being with Mikaela and talking with her and enjoying our time together…such sweet times indeed, may God be praised.

And now that I’ve written a bit more than I had planned, it is off to work with me. Be joyful this day, my friends – and think on the beauty of Jesus Christ our Lord. Peace, y’all – peace and love.

The City

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Hey friends – happy Monday!!! As I sit here at work, slowly waking up and preparing to start a new work week…I wrap my hands around my delicious pumpkin spice mocha, just enjoying this morning. What a beautiful day!! And though I am a bit tired as well, I suppose a weekend in New York City will do that to you!! I wish I had time to write about all the awesome things that me and Maryanne got up to(what adventures were had!!), alas – you may have to wait a bit, sadly. Just know that wonderful times were had…from walking around and exploring the city(lots of walking time in Brooklyn! Central Park! Navigating the masses of humanity in Times Square! Looking out over the city at twilight from the Rockefeller Center!) to attending some epic events(Wicked!!! I cannot express in words how awesome this is. Been listening to the soundtrack from Wicked since high school…and getting to see and hear this in person was simply unbelievable. Defying gravity, indeed!! I can see why it’s such a popular musical…me and Maryanne saw this at the end of a very very long day, but it was one of the highlights, FOR SURE. Oh and we also may or may not have been at the taping of The Tonight Show, with Jimmy Fallon!. Surreal. After seeing this on TV – not often, but occasionally! – seeing it in person with Maryanne was just SO COOL. One of the guests was Olivia Wilde(actress on House) and it was sweet seeing her interact with Jimmy(and play this ridiculous watermelon game, that ended with Olivia just picking up the watermelon and throwing it on the stage. Hilarious). Anyways, the whole show – not to mention high-fiving Jimmy at the end as he ran up and down the aisles – was a time to remember. And totally worth waking up before one in the morning to stand in line for.)

Now I’m thinking I need to start getting work done here, so no time to write too much more…(we also had a day in Philadelphia!), but just thinking back on this weekend now, with all the fun times and quality conversation I had with Maryanne…my heart smiles. It was truly, truly special being with Maryanne and doing so many incredible things together. Cannot put in words. And being in such a great city and witnessing all the many people living their varied crazy lives…I just think on their need for Christ. And I pray for the city of New York. May God bless that city and the people that call it their home. And of course, I thank God for the good care He took of Maryanne and myself. His hand was upon us, not one single doubt there.

And now, my friends, I really must be off. Peace and love – may your week be full of awesomeness!

Streets of New York

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Hey friends – happy Saturday!!! I am very wisely making use of the wi-fi here at Starbucks and hence you all get a small update. I do apologise that my literary(or not so literary??) output has been so drastically reduced ever since I moved to my new place. My new apartment is rather fine, if I say so myself…but I don’t think I’ve yet written an entry from there. Alas.

Anyways – it’s a fine September day here in Houston and I’ve already gotten quite a few things done(the most important – obviously – being the crafting of my newest mix CD. I’m not sure if it’s perfect yet, but figure I’ll take it to NYC this weekend and let Maryanne trial it out(and if it proves acceptable, I may post the track list here eventually…)) Oh have I not mentioned that yet? Yep – me and Maryanne are going on a city adventure this weekend – I fly out Thursday morning and then me and Maryanne have a glorious four days to explore NYC(and Philly! – on Saturday). I’ve never visited NYC(to my shame?) and I’m pretty psyched. Of course, mostly because me and Maryanne get some quality hang-out time. Who cares about the city anyway, eh?

Also – got some fun news today – two people I haven’t seen in quite some time messaged me and asked if we could hang out when they’re in town. I was definitely confused(but elated!) to get messages from both in one morning! Joe Patz is going to be back in October and Mark Neish(wow I haven’t seen him since…I left Scotland!!) will be here in November for a week of training. So long-missed-friend-reunion times…coming up. God is good. Indeed, I get reminded now how much I’ve been blessed with FAR TOO MANY amazing friends in my life. These are just a few of them…always remember the good things that God has done for me, indeed.

Any other news of late? I’m sure I could think of some random tidbits, but really nothing else crazy in my life right now. Hopefully this post makes up for my long absence. Peace, my friends – peace and love.

Connections

James HoganLeave a comment

Advantages to missing my flight to Aberdeen:
1) I get to sit in glamorous Schiphol for five hours.
2) I get to leisurely enjoy my mocha from Starbucks.
3) Phone is now fully charged!
4) A shocking mid-trip LJ entry!!
5) Indulging my love of people watching.

Disadvantages:
1) I get to spend far too much time in Amsterdam(I am seriously considering a souvenir here at Schiphol to commemorate my many hours spent here thus far…)
2) I miss my long-anticipated Lairhillock dinner with John.
3) I don’t get to Aberdeen until 10pm tonight!
4) I now won’t see Chris and Jo until Saturday!!
5) Starbucks for dinner? (Not sure what this is, advantage or disadvantage)

And a little more seriously – writing this on my phone is excruciatingly slow, so not many more words. Except, as I sit here in Amsterdam and reflect on my adventures so far – Anna and Balazs are now married – all glory to God!! What a wondrously beautiful wedding!!! – I can only think on how blessed am I to be granted this gift to see so many of my dear friends. Truly I am blessed. And so how can I complain or fret over silly travel delays? Truly am I blessed.

And now, the journey continues.

Joyful

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And now – I sit here awaiting my dinner to come to its completion. Spaghetti sauce(with onions, peppers, sausage…) merrily bubbling away on the stove and with the aroma wafting through the apartment…it’s feeling like dinnertime. Thought that while I wait for the sauce and sausage flavours to marry, I could write a few words here. Not much to say of note, really. Had a nice time at church this morning(Pastor Wayne finished up 2 Timothy – such a great book!) and then afterwards went out with friends for a BBQ lunch where I enjoyed a brisket sandwich with potato salad. Only in Texas.

This afternoon, got a bunch of random things done around the flat – yet still made time for my quiet time on the couch with my coffee, etc. Finally I decided to make dinner(even though still being a bit full from lunch!) to the lovely sounds of Beethoven on my TV(my favorite part of this TV I think – I can connect to youtube through it and play any kind of music I want for ambiance. My TV speakers are *far* superior to this old laptop’s speakers and it’s very nice hearing the music throughout my place).

With all that said, I do want to mention something briefly that I’m not sure I’ve said before – I’ve been planning my grand return to Europe for a while now…and so this week, on Thursday, I fly out! I’m going to first arrive in Budapest and pop up to Miskolc for the weekend…for Anna’s wedding. Yes, dear Anna is getting married – oh joy of joys! And so I’ll be there to celebrate with her and her family and friends. It will indeed be awesome to see her and her family again – been a while since I’ve seen any of them! Me and Noemi have been keeping in touch fairly well – and now we finally get to chat in person! (So much better, eh?) And of course..Steven will be at the wedding too. So – a true and most excellent reunion will be had. God is good. Always.

And of course, once I leave Hungary a week Monday, where will I end up? Aberdeen of course. A week in Scotland with my dearest friends awaits. I’m not going to detail my itinerary…but it will be most glorious. And I cannot wait. God is good and His lovingkindness is everlasting. Always. Always.

Now as Beethoven’s ninth comes to its climax, I think it is a good time for me to get my dinner. Peace, my friends – have a most lovely Sunday evening.

Fingal’s Cave

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So, sitting in Books and Beans, halfway through my mocha at the moment. Pretty soon, Graham’s going to turn up, so I can’t write too long! But for now, just thought I’d let my fingers dance over the keyboard for a few minutes and get a small update in!! Am still a bit sleepy this morning, even with my coffee. But that’s probably due to the fact that I did not get home until a ridiculous hour of the morning last night. My bad! Last night was my work leaving do – yes, the end is upon me! So was out with the gang at Revolution for dinner and drinks and good quality fun!! We were there for hours, and obviously since it was my party, I couldn’t just leave early. Yes, excuses, but a good excuse I say! Eventually Caroline came and met me at Rev, and we hung out for a bit before it was home time…at some hour of the morning I will not specify. Good times were had though!! I’m going to miss my work friends…they’re a good group. And we actually have fun together too, shock! And Caroline…I’ve only known her for some four months, but definitely going to miss her a lot! Oh why do we have to leave friends behind? But again, I can only bless the Lord my God for giving me such precious friends. And that’s all I can say.

And now, this update is turning from an actual update into an emotional musing! Ah well.

And Thursday night – ever so lovely! Me and Chris and Jo hit up Cosmo’s – where lots of yummy food was ingested and lots of delightful chat was had. Oh such good times!! And then afterwards, when I suggested we have coffee, Jo had a much better idea – rather than pay for coffee at Cosmo’s…we could have it at their place! So we drove over to their house, where delicious late-night coffee was enjoyed to the tune of a couple episodes of Spaced. Ridiculous. Hilarious. Such such a good night. As with Chris and Jo, it always is. Y’know. Any tiredness the next day was so totally worth it.

Anyways, Graham is going to be here any minute, so going to close this out. Maybe write more later!!

Peace.

Lord of the Sabbath

James HoganLeave a comment

One of my favorite passages recently…witness the grace and compassion and fierce anger of our Lord Jesus – marvel at His love and almighty power!

He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. He said to the main with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And He said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?”

But they kept silent. After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.” – Mark 3:1-5

Don’t have too many comments to add…just wanted to say how much I love reading about Jesus. I hope y’all feel the same!!

And now I guess I can write a few more words – chilling at Books and Beans(literally, instead of going from out in the cold to the warmth of this coffeeshop, I came from out of the heat to the coolness and shade here. Yay summer!!). I’m enjoying the remnants of my mocha(yeah, it’s definitely not hot anymore) and trying to persuaded myself to budge from my chair here. I shall soon enough, because it is a marvelously hot and sunny day outside and I need to soak it in. But for now, I want to finish writing this and then maybe write a couple letters while I have my lunch.

Anyways – I’ve had quite a busy week both at work and with people, so suppose I’ll share a few highlights! Working backwards…last night was most lovely and awesome – went over to Chris and Jo’s for a most fun evening involving delicious lasagna and salad and some yummy Tokaji as well! Besides just hanging out and eating and talking, we also watched “Princess Mononoke”, a delightful Miyazaki film. Oh gosh, how I’m going to miss these guys.

Thursday night – me and John and Rosemary went to cinema to see “Now You See Me”, a fun magic/heist/action movie. Morgan Freeman and Jesse Eisenberg and other fine actors made for a good movie, and of course being with cool people didn’t hurt. Wednesday night was bible study! Still studying Elisha, and as always, Dominic spoke with power and our prayer/chat time was oh so encouraging!!

Tuesday night! Hm, trying to remember what I did this night…did I just stay at home and have a quiet night? I think I must have, hah, seeing as I can’t recall what else I did. Monday night though, me and Mike and Chris and Phil went and saw “Pacific Rim”, which was ridiculous and gorgeous and crazy and really really fun. It was basically a movie about the end of the world and giant alien sea-monsters and mechs and really really amazing battles. Coolest scene – a mech riding a sea-alien into outer space and then pulling out a sword and slicing it in two. I think that sums up the movie. Anyway, we loved it. SO MUCH FUN.

And working backwards a bit more, while I don’t think I can do it justice at all(and this entry is already far too long), last weekend I was not here in Aberdeen, but with Joel and Graham, rafting the River Tay and enjoying the countryside in full summer bloom. We spent most of a day building our raft(felt a bit like Huck Finn!! Our raft – so much better) and then sailed a bit down the river…had a few adventures(like swamping our raft and almost losing all our stuff to the bottom of the river) and eventually we finally set up camp along the riverbank. Took us a few hours to properly set up and get the fire going. Finally, we were watching the sunset over the river and enjoying the first few bites of roast lamb…when we got an angry estate-keeper who kicked us off “his” land. Sad day! It was pretty late, but thankfully the cavalry(in the form of John, Duncan and Russell) arrived pretty much at the same time. After we delivered the sad news, we broke down camp and headed off to Graham’s house in their cars. Not quite the camping we had planned, but hey. An epic weekend was had.

Now, it’s really time to get going! Don’t know how much of my planned letters I’ll get written, but I’m really hungry for lunch. I’m in a soup mood – carrot and coriander today, methinks. Peace my friends!!

Girl Named Tennessee

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And this sleepy Tuesday night, I am greatly looking forward to my dinner and my bed! But firstly, I must earn these rewards by at least a bit of writing this night! My dinner is quite an epic salad(lettuce, spinach, red peppers, yellow peppers, green peppers, black olives, green olives, cheese, green onions, spices, balsamic vinegar, etc, etc…delicious much? Oh and side note – as much as I enjoy being able to put a whole can of black olives on the salad and eating as many of them as I want, I sort of miss being able to fight with the sisters for the olives. Just saying). Anyway! Enough about my salad! Soon enough I will eat it, but now just a few words about my weekend of loveliness in the great land of Hungary…

And it’s something I said to Anna yesterday, but just to say again, there are some things that just can’t be expressed in words. My heart is full of joy and love and wonder and yet my lips cannot say words enough to echo the depths of my soul. And still I try. So here we go…

On Friday evening, flew late from Aberdeen through Frankfurt(where I had to run, but I did catch my flight, hurrah!) before arriving in Budapest! And breezed through the terminal to the welcoming hall to see Anna standing there! After more than a year, it felt like it’d been no time at all as we spent the drive back to her hometown of Miskolc talking almost nonstop(as tired as I was!!). And now to attempt to paint a picture of the wonderfulness of the weekend…woke up Saturday morning to an amazing breakfast(toast with cheese, scrambled eggs, gorgeous coffee sweetened with honey and milk…) shared with Anna, Boroka and their dad before Anna and I explored Miskolc together! Seeing her church and her old school, wandering through ancient castles and eating way too much delicious ice cream and cakes, walking through a lovely park in the gently fading sunlight of an autumn evening…enjoying a massive dinner of goulash and pancakes and laughter with the family…watching a TV show with classic traditional Hungarian dancing and music with Anna and Boroka and their grandparents and loving every second! And yes, still on the first day! I really can’t properly get my thoughts across, but oh well! A few more fond memories…dipping popcorn in melted chocolate while sleepily watching Bourne Identity(I think Anna only fell asleep twice! Me and Boroka resisted)…worshiping our great God in their church Avasi Reformatus Sunday morning, and while not knowing most of the words(but Anna was a great translator!), still soaking in the love and joy that was oh so present..oh what a joy it is to sing praises to the Lord, no matter what tongue we speak! And I really desire dinner now…but a few more words, I swear!

Sunday lunch was a grand affair(even though I did no work…Anna and I were able to walk Daisy their dog and talk and talk and talk as Boroka and her mother did most of the cooking!) And finally we all(Anna, Boroka, the grandparents and the parents and me!) sat down and enjoyed a dinner of roast chicken and potatoes and sweet pudding…but far better than the food was sitting and enjoying each other. And afterwards, Anna and I eventually got on the train(I think we missed the first few train times, but that was no matter…more time with the family!) to Budapest! And Budapest, oh I wish I had more words to describe it! But Anna and I walked its broad streets that next day and as I marveled at the grand palaces and churches and bridges and structures that man had so proudly constructed, I couldn’t help but pray for the great city of Budapest. Oh so lovely. Oh so needing of our Savior! And as Anna and I walked and talked and ate and laughed and prayed and rejoiced in the knowledge of knowing our Lord…I cannot help but thank God for giving me such a gorgeous weekend. Maybe one short on sleep! But one full of the peace that comes from the Spirit of God…I just think back to my thoughts as I sat in Miskolc Sunday afternoon, piano playing sweetly, as I pondered how much my God and Father has blessed me in this life… Oh what joy is mine!!!

And now it is truly time for dinner…I hope you didn’t mind this slightly rambling post, but I just had to at least try and translate some of my heart to page. A futile effort, alas. But to be blessed so greatly by our God…oh what bliss is ours in abundance, my friends!

Grace and peace and love be with you all. Always.

Hello there!

James HoganLeave a comment

For some strange reason, I’ve got a weird desire to watch Star Wars – Revenge of the Sith right now…so imagine the subject line as said by Obi-wan to Grievous.

And wow, what an odd opener to this entry! Maybe I haven’t gotten enough sleep yet? See my update last night for more details on that…

Anyways though, I’m sitting in Starbucks now, enjoying my deliciously crafted peppermint mocha as I sit in peace, some chill big band music playing in the background. Saw Steph when I came in this morning – she and the family finally got back from Portugal last week – someday I must visit there! Anyway, finally everyone is coming back from their holidays – John is back from the States, but I haven’t seen him yet – he’s been recovering from jet lag with his parents in Montrose. Hopefully he comes back to the flat tonight or tomorrow!

Last night was…interesting. I was hoping to see a movie or something with people, but thankfully pretty much everyone was already busy, because then I ended up having to work late. Not fun, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Cameron, you owe me one.

And this feels like a really random entry – caffeine fueled madness, perhaps? I really only am writing this because I wanted to at least write a few words about last weekend! Like I mentioned earlier, yes – I was in London. Olympics, y’all!!

I think it was a couple weeks ago at evening church when me and Joel were talking about how sweet it would be just to go down to London for the Olympics. We said it half-jokingly. Then looked at each other…”Wait, why *don’t* we?” So we bought airplane tickets without even having any Olympic tickets, figuring we’d find some! Joel eventually found some marathon(10k) swimming tickets before we headed off to London…

So last Thursday night, we made our way down to London. After dashing through Heathrow, picking up our bags, taking the tube, then getting detoured onto a bus(with a small side-trip into a pub to watch Usain Bolt’s 200m domination!)…we finally, finally got to Joel’s friend’s house. A couple frozen pizzas later, we collapsed into bed. Friday morning dawned bright(Seriously, it was amazing weather my whole time in London…sunny and warm. I have never seen it rain in London. Due to this, I have concluded it never does) and we made our way to Hyde Park for marathon swimming!

We had sweet seats in the grandstand, so after picking up some souvenirs(shirt for me, hat for Joel), we settled down to watch the action on the Serpentine. Our seats were definitely prime – we had the Aussie Olympic swim team in the rows right in front of us. Anyways, as the sun beat down on us, we enjoyed our packed sandwiches as we watched some beast athletes swim 10k. A guy from Tunisia won, sadly no one from USA or GB got on the medal stand. One of the swimmers was about 15 minutes behind everyone else, but Joel and I couldn’t really poke fun at him, seeing as neither of us probably could have swum even one kilometer.

And wow, I better quicken up the pace here…or this is going to be one mammoth entry!! So after the swimming, we wandered over to a large public area in Hyde Park where they’d placed giant TV screens showing all the Olympics action. There were thousands – no, TENS of thousands – of people there, just soaking in the atmosphere and enjoying the sweet sport of the Games! We watched Team GB win the bronze medal in woman’s hockey and finally decided to make our way to a more secluded area of the park…where we just lay back on the grass, watching the clouds float through the gorgeous blue sky as the oak trees stood sentinel over us. Oh what a lovely time did our Father give us!! I think relaxing with Joel in that quiet corner of Hyde Park was probably one of my favorite times of the whole weekend…

Anyways, to try and speed this along – we eventually met up with a friend of Joel’s for some curry, enjoying eating outside in the oh so lovely weather!

Now – next day, Saturday! Woke up, had toast and coffee…and since I’d brought my laptop, me and Joel checked for available tickets online, since we had none for the day. Every time we checked, there was nothing, so our hopes were low and our expectations nil. Finally, about ready to leave the house and head to the tube station, but we decided “One more time.” Checked online…and wait. Volleyball tickets? I told Joel, “DO IT.” And he bought us a pair! We had no idea who was playing, but it didn’t matter, we had tickets!

As we sat in the tube, merrily speeding to Earl’s Court to pick up our tickets, we perused one of the London dailies and found the match we’d bought tickets for – women’s hardcourt vball finals. Gold medal match! USA v. Brasil, winner take all!! PSYCHED.

And so with that happy news, we set out to enjoy the rest of the day. Went back to Hyde Park to watch some Olympics action with the masses(truly, there were so many people…people from all around the world, all excited to watch the best athletes of the world) then relaxed a bit more in the Park. He called Laura(his gf) to chat while I talked to Maryanne for a while. Oh I miss my fam sometimes.

Anyway, eventually we decided it was time to head over to Earl’s Court to catch the vball game! We made it to our seats and settled in. There were far more Brasilian fans than Americans…and they were much louder too. I don’t want to say that was a contributing factor, but I’m sure it didn’t hurt. Our girls took the first set in fine style, but after that…all Brasil. They played with passion and fire and our American ladies just could not stop them. Alas. Still, viva Brasil! A great match and just to be able to watch it in person with Joel…awesomeness. After the game, it was great watching the Brasilian women clown around, enjoying their victory. The American ladies stood there disconsolately…I felt bad for them.

Anyways, me and Joel finally made it back to the house, and then on Sunday, back to Aberdeen! For some reason I decided to come to church that night, even though I was feeling exhausted. Ah well, always good to worship with my friends!

And wow, I think it’s time for this entry to come to a close, but I just wanted to chronicle this Olympics adventure before the memory began to fade…truly, such a sweet gift our God gave me, to have this chance and to be able to enjoy it so! And truly, the best part was just being able to hang with Joel and adventure through London with him…and enjoy ever so much the friendship our God has given us.

And thinking again upon the Olympics – why do I enjoy them so? Well, I do so love seeing the power of men and women plunging through the waters…the fastest men in the world speeding down the homestretch…the utter grace as gymnasts soar high above the earth…citius, altius, fortius. It is a joy. But why? I think partly just because the beauty of the human form and ability is so apparent. The human form that was made in the image of God. Tarnished, yes. But that glory can still be partly seen…and so to see what God had made, I cannot help but rejoice in Him, our Saviour, our God! Oh but would all see it so!! One day. One day.

And now, time for me to exit Starbucks into the bright sunlit day above. Think I’m gonna pick up a birthday book for a friend and then figure out what I want for dinner. Meatloaf or beef stew, y’all? I can’t decide. Or maybe just hamburgers and potatoes? We’ll see. All I know – I desire a restful remainder of my day. And I think my Lord is granting that to me.

Have a sweet day and pardon the length of this over-wrought entry. I’m out!

Peace upon the cobblestones,
clouds play the music of the sky-
A wreath bestowed to victors,
Delirious with joy I sigh!