April Column and Camping and SMBI Choir

Today's column is about the guilt-ridden lives of moms like me (but not of those super-confident sort of moms who know what they're doing.)

You can read it here.

One blessing that came out of our cancelled Kenya trip was three days at the coast in our pop-up tent trailer on what must have been the nicest days of the year--actually, the last time I remember it being this nice out there was about ten years ago. As always, I packed socks and leggings and hooded sweatshirts. Instead, we were out on the beach in short sleeves, getting sunburned. Lovely and relaxing. Emily made a movie.

Hearing the SMBI (Sharon Mennonite Bible Institute) Choir on the West Coast is as rare a treat as a warm day at the Oregon beach, so having them in church this morning was absolutely awesome. They had the entire 2-hour service and I could have listened a lot longer, especially to the selections from the Hallelujah Chorus. It was fun meeting a few of them--Matt's old BMA Bible School roommate Peter Byler who recently produced an excellent collection of his music on cd, Hannah S. who was at the Borderland Ladies Retreat in September, and even the famous Hans Mast, whom I met on the internet several years ago but never before in person. (He looks exactly like his picture.) (Not everyone does, you know.)

Quote of the Day:
"Bismuth?? Isn't that atomic number 83??"
--Ben, when he saw me packing meds for Kenya last week