10 Great Things about Fall

Katie Selden Photography Making Grandma's pumpkin muffin recipe and filling the house with the fragrance of cinnamon. Gray skies accented with gold, red, and black. Geese announcing that they are flying over our house every evening about 6:30. Feeling just a little bit chilly when I go out to my car in the morning and evening. Pumpkins and mums on my front porch. Needing the covers when I crawl into bed. Leaf dances in the woods behind the building where I work. Candy corn. The faint smell of smoke in the night air. Re-acquainting myself with my sweaters. Isn't this photo great? My daughter with hair the color of autumn leaves took it. You can see more of her photography here.

The Merry, Merry Month of May

Lately, I feel like I'm trapped in one of those revolving doors, and there's no getting out of it--at least until after the first weekend of June, when we'll finally put Katie's high school career to rest with her graduation open house. And while I'd like to pause and have a good look at what's going on, it's all passing by like a blur. It's a combination of end-of-the-year school activities and just some miscellaneous May madness.

This is what last week looked like:

*Monday: We had a minister friend from California over for dinner--one of two dinners we had at home last week. He was here in Grand Rapids to take a seminary course, so it was a good opportunity to get together. It was a delightful evening and good start to the week.

*Tuesday: Tuesday was actually a free night, with no planned activities. Honestly, I can't remember what happened.

*Wednesday: We attended a convocation service where seniors who were good students received various awards for their high school activities. Katie was acknowledged for her participation in drama, for the dean's scholarship she is receiving from Cornerstone University, for her good grades, and I think there was something else, but that was almost a week ago, and I'm having difficulty remembering things that were more than five minutes ago right now.

*Thursday: We attended a dinner for Westminster Seminary (CA). It was a nice evening, and we were seated at a table with good company. Dr. Godfrey, the president, was the speaker, and he's always interesting to listen to.

Friday: We attended the Playbills at South Christian. At the end of the school year, after the musical, seniors who have been active in drama during their high school careers have an opportunity to direct their own plays. Katie and her friend Sarah directed The Adventures of Molly Malloy. This meant that they chose the play, cast it, ran rehearsals, pulled together all the costumes, designed the set--basically everything the teacher-directors normally do. Katie has acted in Playbills before, but this was her first opportunity to direct, and she and Sarah and their cast did an excellent job. It was a great learning experience, and it left her ending her high school career on a definite high note. The other two plays were good as well. In fact, these were the best Playbills I've seen since Katie has been a student at South.

Saturday: Henry and I tried hard to get Katie and one of her friends to use the tickets we reserved for the Master Arts Theater production of The Screwtape Letters. But they had other things to do, and even though we were exhausted, we went ahead. But we were so glad we did. As usual, the script, the acting, the set were all excellent, and since both Henry and I are C. S. Lewis fans, we marvelled again at the creativity and insight of this great Christian author. One bonus was arriving and finding out that one of my co-workers was playing the role of Satan, which actually creeped me out a little.

Sunday: Besides all the usual church-related activities, Sunday night was the spring choir concert. It was two hours long since it ended up being the only concert of the year. The choir director had surgery at Christmas time, when there usually is another concert. As I sat and listened, I felt a little sad realizing that there would be no more high school choir concerts. Afterwards, I saw one of Katie's senior friends crying, and I asked Katie, "Aren't you just a little bit sad? I'm a little bit sad." "Not at all," she said. And I'm pretty sure that she wasn't.

And so this whole uncreative posting is a result of the fact that I've been way too busy to think. In the past I've had whole years when I haven't seen this much activity. This week shouldn't be quite so chaotic, and I'm hoping that the revolving door will stop long enough for me to enjoy Katie's graduation on Thursday night, when I will probably be a little bit sad and Katie will not.

A Blonde and a Redhead Went Shopping ...

It's been a long time since Katie and I have enjoyed an "incident" together, one of those moments when our antics become a LaVerne and Shirley wannabe episode. Part of that, unfortunately, is because we don't have many opportunities these days to do things together. Katie is growing into her own life, complete with play practices, Madrigals rehearsals, and the various social activities that high school seniors involve themselves in. And I now have Henry, an actual live-in date who is nearly always available for my own social needs.

And yet spring break found Katie and me doing one of our favorite mother/daughter activities: shopping together on State Street in Chicago. Guys and girls split up--with guys spending the day at the Museum of Science and Industry, exercising their brains, and girls shopping downtown, exercising their fashion skills. The car safely parked at the museum, Katie and I hopped CTA bus #10 in front of the museum and comfortably rode to the shopping area.

We had some early success and hit some of our favorites: H&M and Forever 21 for Katie and Nordstrom Rack, where I found the most amazing collection of size 5 shoes ever--something that is a rare find here in the home of larger feet, Grand Rapids. I dug through the Nordstrom rejects on one side of the rack while Katie checked out the other side until I uttered what Katie calls the "cute shoe gasp." There were the cutest pair of navy shoes that I could have ever hoped to own, the perfect accessory for the outfit I bought last spring.

And so the shopping went on. Katie made more purchases than I did and had more bags. Eventually, I had two--my shoes and a cute top I found at another shop. I stuffed the shoes into the shirt bag so that I was carrying only one. The afternoon wore on, and I became concerned about finding out where and what time we should catch the #10 bus back to the museum so that we could meet the guys at the designated time.

As we left the last shop, I remember placing my bag on the counter while I buttoned up my coat. We walked out, and I told Katie that at this point we needed to form our bus strategy. We approached a bus stop with a large map tracing the different routes. I really couldn't figure out what I needed to know from the map, but we were right in front of the State Street Macy's, and I remembered that Macy's had a tourist department and wondered if they might have some bus information.

Sure enough--the Macy's directory told us that the seventh floor had a tourist information department. And even better, there was an express elevator that would take us right to the seventh floor. We got on and pressed 7. Somewhere between that first floor and seven, I realized that I no longer had my bag. All I could think was that maybe I had left it in the last store when I had buttoned up my coat. Katie didn't think so. She thought it was more likely I set it down when I was looking at the map at the bus stop, in which case, I knew that the adorable blue shoes would now be dead to me.

As soon as we got to the seventh floor, the doors opened, and another guy got on and looked at us as though we were strange for not getting off. Apparently he had never thought he left a shopping bag with cute blue shoes somewhere. We immediately rode down, ran through the first floor, and started rushing off down the sidewalk toward the bus stop and the last store. I really had lost all hope at this point.

We were nearly at the store when Katie said, "Mom, look!" Breathless I turned to find . . . Katie holding my bag along with hers. To this day neither of us remember when I handed her my bag. But the blue shoes did look adorable with the outfit, which I fear may have met its demise, yet another tragic fashion story as of Easter Monday. Another time . . .

The good news: We did catch bus #10, made it back to the museum with time to spare, where we collected our men and then had pizza at Giordano's. All's well that ends well.

Craving La Crave

Even though Henry and I are an old married couple of eight months now, I'm happy to report that the romance is still very much alive. One of the things that we have carried over from our courtin' days--which I recommend highly to you all--is Friday date night. This is a tradition that goes back to the beginning of us. Every Friday night (for the most part) Henry would take me to a restaurant of his choosing. Even now, my co-workers will ask me on Friday where we are going for dinner. Most of the time, I answer, "I don't know. Henry didn't tell me yet." And honestly, this makes things more exciting for me. And I would say that about 99 percent of the time, he has chosen something good.

We would spend our evening enjoying great food and lively conversation. Over time, we have developed our list of favorite restaurants, but we like to try new things. We're rather adventurous with our food, and it's this sense of romance and adventure that has brought us to our most recent discovery: La Crave Restaurant.

(I will pause here to apologize to my nonlocal readers. What follows is an unabashed commercial for a wonderful local restaurant. I am going to beg my local readers to try this restaurant because Henry and I love it, and we don't want it to die. And you never know--you may find yourself vacationing in Grand Rapids someday because it is, of course, a tried and true vacation hot spot. Or maybe you'll end up here on business. So read on, because if you do, you will most certainly want to visit La Crave.)

Back to La Crave. For those of you familiar with Grand Rapids geography, it is located in a strip mall on 28th Street just west of the entrance to Woodland Mall on the north side of the street. La Crave features Mediterranean and Lebanese cuisine, and a visit there makes you think you've entered one of the tales of the Arabian nights. Thick, colorful tablecloths with Arabic patterns cover the tables, and the walls are decorated with paintings featuring scenes from the Middle East. You'll find yourself expecting camels, a genie in a bottle, or belly dancers to appear at your table at any moment. When we were there last Friday, Henry and I were casting our gorgeous Jordanian waitress, Ruba, in a biblical role like Ruth or maybe Esther.

But the best part is the food . For those of you unfamiliar with the cuisine of the Mediterranean, the menu features lots of fresh vegetables, chicken, beef, lamb, and rice with lots of interesting spices and lots of garlic. You'll learn a whole new food vocabulary of things like Fattuch, Tabbouli, Baba Ghanouge, Hommous, Shawarma, and Falafel. And for all of my Muslim readers (because I'm sure I have Muslim readers), the food is Halal, which means it is prepared in a way that allows Muslims to eat it (I think kind of like kosher is to Jews).

Since February, when Henry and I first discovered this magic kingdom of garlic delight, I have been there three times, and each time has been just as delicious as the last. One of my visits was with the women co-workers on my team, and most of them have been back, have sent a loved one, or are planning another visit very soon. It's that good! In the interest of small businesses everywhere, of ethnic diversity, and of the best hands-down hommous I have ever had, please go. The prices are reasonable, and they even have silliness like cheeseburgers on the menu so you can take your kids or that picky eater who is afraid to try new things.

You can visit the Website here. If you want to give it a try and there's no one courageous enough to go with you, you can contact Henry and/or me. One or both of us will be happy to accompany you to one of our favorite new restaurants. Give it a try. I promise you will not be sorry!

Christmas Past

Since Christmas is past, it seemed only right to re-visit a Christmas that is really, really past. This picture was taken probably about thirty-five Christmases ago, and it was clearly one of those last-minute, let's-get-a-shot-of-the-kids-quick-so-we-can-get-the-Christmas-cards-out Kodak moments. I'm thinking this was an impulse thing, because nobody who planned to take a picture for a Christmas card would have intentionally dressed us like this. Pictured here are, from left to right, myself at about 9, my younger sister Kristi (2), and my brother Tim (6).

Some observations:

1. The card, ironically, says "Greetings from our home to yours." This was not our home. We spent a lot of time here, and we loved being here--but this is Grandma Walborn's house. So now I'm wondering how many people who received this either thought it was our house or, if they recognized the setting, just thought--for some reason--we were living with my grandparents.

2. The piece of furniture we are sitting on is not a couch and it is not a sofa. It is a davenport. I really don't know how a davenport is different from a couch or sofa, but in all my life I don't remember Grandma saying the word "couch" or "sofa." This was a davenport.

3. Those drapes behind the davenport made a great hiding place in a pinch--when the person who was "it" was getting close to the designated number and you hadn't been able to think of someplace more creative.

4. Based on my outfit, you might think that I attended an all-girls' Catholic grade school, but this was my Bluebirds uniform, and the Bluebirds uniform was something we took very seriously. Bluebirds, of course, was the precursor to Campfire Girls. Other thoughts on my ensemble: You know--if you had glasses--yours looked just about like mine, so don't laugh. I've pretty much always been a short-hair girl; this is about the longest my hair has ever been. And this is my natural color, of course.

5. I really wish I could remember what we were having such a good time looking at. We three normally didn't get along that well, particularly if we were made to sit together in one place, so I'm sure we're not reflecting the joy of sibling togetherness here.

6. Why did the photographer not tell my brother to put his arms down for the shot?

Top Ten of 2008

It's that time of year: the top ten lists. Top ten books. Top ten movies. Top ten sports moments. Top ten rehab attempts by sleazy celebrity tarts. Top ten Obama gaffes. So what is left for someone who wants to create her own top ten list? While I've probably read more than ten books this year (it's my job), everybody does top ten books. I don't think I've seen ten new movies, and . . . sports moments . . . Was this an Olympics year? I'm definitely tired of tarts and politics. So that leaves me with only one natural choice: top ten personal surreal moments of 2008.

In a year filled with a middle-aged bride and groom, a bachelor (now married) merging with two teenagers, and a new house, there were more surreal moments than any one person deserves to dream about. So because I don't want you, dear readers, to be overwhelmed, I will give you five to start, and five more on Monday (hopefully). Here they are, as surreal moments should appear, in no particular order:

1. So many of my top ten surreal moments were, not surprisingly, wedding related. And so something that normally brings great joy--a shopping-type activity--ended up being not so pleasant. I had finally managed to convince my dear fiance to come with me to the mall to begin a gift registry. For some reason, I believed that Kohl's would be a good choice. It seems I always find things I want at Kohl's; in fact, I rarely walk out of that store without buying something. So we went to the counter and handed over my driver's license in exchange for a scanner. After a brief explanation about how to use the scanner, we headed over to housewares to decide just what we needed to make our new home complete. This was not such an easy task since we both had pretty much everything we needed to manage a household. We would look at an item like steak knives, discuss whether one of us had a sufficient set, and, if not, check them all out to decide which one was best, and then scan. (H is at the opposite end of the spectrum from impulse shopping, which is probably why he doesn't often go to malls. It's just too much work, and he needs something more to make a decision than just that something is a great color.)This was a rather lengthy process, and probably after an hour and a half of this, we headed back to the counter with a scanner filled with our hopes and dreams for kitchen utensils and small electronic devices. I handed the scanner off to a college-age young man, who carried it over to the kiosk and appeared to be doing what you have to do to transfer information from a scanner to a kiosk. However, the expression on his face lacked confidence as he looked at us and said, "You're not going to be happy about this." "Did you lose her license?" my ever-practical H asked. But it was far worse than that. A lost license would only require waiting several hours at the DMV on a Saturday morning and a replacement fee. He had somehow lost the gift registry list that had taken us so long to compile. He offered us nothing more than my license back and a mumbled sorry. The next day I called the store manager, hoping that there would be some sort of compensation for the incompetence of counter guy. After talking with a young lady from Kohl's IT who promised that this would not happen again if we came back and gave another piece of our life to the process, the manager offered us a whopping 15 percent off coupon. As a Most Valued Customer, I get better deals than that in the mail every week. Surreal. We registered at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, where we should have just gone in the first place.

2. We opened a gift registry because several generous friends and family members hosted showers for us. The first was from the women of the Gysen family: Henry's sister, nieces, mom, an aunt, several cousins, and my mom. It was my first time meeting most of them, and it was such a nice morning. My sister-in-law, Diane, had done a fantastic job. I noticed that as I began opening one gift in particular, one of the cousins made sure her camera was aimed and ready to fire. I opened the box to discover a very teeny crocheted lingerie set--perhaps only a little too large for a Barbie. It was hilarious, but a little surreal, to see my future mother-in-law carefully looking over my gift. Better yet was when H's cousin asked, "Want me to make you one, Aunt Sylvia?"

3. Katie passing her driver's test and getting her license. Enough said.

4. Jonathan's eighth-grade class trip in early June was to Cedar Point, and H and I (not married yet) decided to go along. I asked him if he liked amusement parks, and he said not particularly--something we shared in common. I'm not much of a ride person; a surreal Tilt-a-Whirl moment in high school where I lost my lunch on my friend sitting next to me kind of made me not so excited about rides. But--for Jonathan--we sucked it up and went. And what did I learn about my soon-to-be-husband that day? He is a roller coaster fiend. He'll ride any roller coaster any number of times and like it. And for those of you out there who are scratching your heads saying, "She's married to Henry Gysen, right?" all I can say is . . . it's surreal. And I do have Raptor video footage of H and J to prove all of this.

5. And now an explanation of the pictures, another surreal moment from this summer. In August, we decided a little family vacation to Mackinac Island was in order. When you think of Mackinac, you think of romance, lilacs, boats, quaint bed and breakfasts, horses and carriages, the majestic fort overlooking the lake, beautiful trails through the woods and onto the beach. Yet for our family, Mackinac has come to mean something even more: bats. As we started to enter the shop with the hand buzzers, trick dice, and funny sunglasses, we noticed this little black creature, who was not quite sure what to do. Maybe he'd had too much caffeine or couldn't find a spot beside one of his bat friends (also pictured, doing what bats should do in the daylight), or had too much to drink, but the lady working in the shop decided to rescue him and was carrying him around (ewwww!). And then the phone rang. That is a bat in her left hand. I do think in all my years I've never seen a person holding a bat in one hand and a phone in the other. This was worthy of a Poe short story. And interesting that her shirt says, "magic?" Photos by the talented Katie Selden.

Come back next week for part two of the top ten surreal moments of 2008.

Creative Blogger

My sweet friend Alicia at Gavin's Voice has passed along a creative blogger award. Thanks, Alicia! If I had gotten it first, I would have sent it to you. And if you haven't checked out Gavin's Voice, get ready for cuteness. Gavin is an adorable two-year-old with gorgeous red hair. His two years of life have not been easy ones; Gavin was born with Down Syndrome and has all kinds of serious health problems and surgeries. Alicia shares the ups and downs of her experience on her blog.

But the terms of the award are these:

1. I must pass the award along to my favorite blogs.
2. I must share six things about myself that people don't know.

And so here are those six riveting details that have you on the edge of your seat:

1. I have an unhealthy need to make the bed before I leave the house in the morning. I don't even want to think about what my day would be like if I left the house with the bed unmade. I'm trying to imagine even now what circumstance might occur that would make me leave the house, bed unmade. Maybe if Henry had a really high fever and just couldn't get up. But I could always just help him move to the couch . . .

2. My first trip by air was to New Orleans probably about 1985 or 1986 when I was a graduate student at the University of Dayton. The English Department sent me to a conference on teaching English. It was quite a heady experience for this small-town Ohio girl.

3. The greatest tragedy of my grade school career occurred in third grade, when we were required to tear a piece of black construction paper into the shape of a tree. An overachiever, I hated art in elementary school because I just plain wasn't good at it. And scissors were not allowed for this particular project. I cried through recess when everyone else who was finished was allowed to go outside, and I was not because my stupid tree wasn't done. I still think it was a silly assignment. Never in my adult life have I needed to rip a shape out of a piece of paper.

4. I fantasize about being Scarlett O'Hara (mainly for the dresses). In my fantasy, the Civil War never happens, and Tara stays as it is at the beginning of Gone with the Wind pretty much as long as I want it to.

5. I'm really tired of hearing people say, "Even though I'm disappointed in the election, I'm really proud of America for voting in an African American president." The Thirsty Theologian blogger finally said out loud what I've been thinking all along in response to this:

I am not the least bit excited that Obama is black. I couldn’t care less. I don’t think this is a wonderful day in American history because we have elected a black President. This in no way indicates any improvement in “race” relations. The very fact that people are making a big deal about it proves that. The fact that vast numbers of people, by their own admission, voted for Obama because of his color, and that others who could not vote for him wish that they could have because of his color tells me that color holds a place of significance that it should not. When the day comes when people no longer speak of “race” at all, especially as a factor in making choices between individuals, then I will recognize that something important has happened. I do not think of Obama as a black man. I think of him as an extraordinarily evil man. There’s nothing exciting about that.


It probably doesn't come as a great surprise to those who know me that I'm not an Obama fan, but since you didn't know I was thinking this particular thought, I think it qualifies here.

6. And, to go out on more of a lighthearted note, my favorite local restaurant is
Rose's . . . or maybe it's Great Lakes Shipping Company . . . and I really like Mangiamo.

7. Henry and I first kissed . . . Oops! I already gave you six. Never mind!

And my creative blog awards go out to:

Julia at Kingdom Jewels for her stunning photography, witty takes on family life, her cat Leo, and because she, like me, is from Ohio

Leah at Rondo Street for her intelligent, artsy, quirky--and often humorous--ability to create interesting blog posts about things as basic as an F key that doesn't work. And because, like me, she reads theology. (It's not just for guys!)

Congratulations, girlfriends! I'm looking forward to learning six new things about each of you!

Just a Nice Story

If you're at all like me (and some of you may be--just a little), you're tired of campaign '08 news. You've probably read enough stories about the failed economy, caused by the Republicans/Democrats/George Bush/global warming/Britney Spears/__________ (fill in the blank). Maybe you're sick of the shallowness of a culture that evaluates nearly everything on the surface, and if you hear the word "poll" one more time, you just might scream.

This is your lucky moment. If you just want to smile and feel good for a few minutes (I've actually smiled several times today as I've thought about this story), then read this story about Kristin Pass, a special homecoming queen in Dallas, Texas. Trust me--while I'm not normally a fan of the whole homecoming queen scene, this is good. I guarantee that you will smile, and some of you might just want to have a tissue handy to wipe away the happy tears. Thank you to Tim Challies at Challies dot com for linking to this story on his blog. It made my day!

May Happenings

This was just one of those weekends that was just jam packed with activity and excitement at the Selden house! The action began Friday night when Katie and friends attended South Christian's Junior-Senior Event [the nice word Christian schools use for prom]. Here she is all glammed up for the big night in her yellow Belle-like dress. She and several of her friends enjoyed sophisticated dining at TGIFriday's downtown and then attended the event at Grand Rapids Public Museum.


And while Katie was enjoying the South event, Henry and I were just around the corner at DeVos Hall in awe of the Grand Rapids Symphony and guest artist, pianist Andre Watts. It was quite an evening, with pieces by Ravel, a piano concerto by Grieg (featuring Watts), and a Tchaikovsky selection. What an evening of music, and Watts was excellent. From our seats in the mezzanine, we could actually watch him playing, and as someone who had piano lessons from third grade to college, I marveled at his technique and skill.

And it all peaked on Sunday with Mother's Day. Our little dining area was filled with mothers and the people who love them. Our celebration included the three of us, my parents, Henry, and his mom. It seemed appropriate that I, a mom, actually prepared a pretty good meal, something I know I'm capable of but rarely happens. We feasted on that great traditional Mother's Day favorite, lasagna, and for dessert we savored my best-ever homemade cheesecake.

And in the few down moments, I continued reading the sleeper surprise that is currently topping the Christian bestseller lists: The Shack. There will be a review when I've finished reading it--I promise! But this is probably enough excitement for now.

Butterflies Are Blooming

Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come (2 Corinthians 5:17).


This past Saturday Henry, Katie, Jonathan, and I visited the "Butterflies Are Blooming" exhibit at Meijer Gardens. I'm always amazed by the beauty of these creatures and at the creativity of the God who made them. So many colors, wing shapes, and sizes--and so much grace. It's fascinating watching them fly around and land to drink nectar, carefully balancing as they gradually fold their wings together. And you're never quite sure when one lands on you; it seems like something is there, but the sensation is so faint that you have to ask someone if there's a butterfly on your head.

It was a fantastic way to spend a cold but sunny Saturday afternoon, and the whole experience offered up the promise of spring and warmth after what has been a long cold winter. Although butterflies symbolize life and remind me of the verse above, they live only two weeks before they die. Caught up by the romance of it all, I theorized that since they don't get to live very long, their compensation is that they all get to be extremely beautiful. Henry the scientist reminded me that fruit flies don't get to live very long, either, but they don't get to be beautiful, and so my theory is flawed. I still like it.

Katie took over two hundred pictures while she was there, and this is one of her favorites.

For Julia, or How Dutch of Me

As busy working mothers, Julia and I find it difficult to line up our calendars so that we can get together. But when it finally works out, it's always a good--and long--time. We met for breakfast at Panera, but the lunch crowd was lining up when we finally dragged ourselves away. What could be so exciting, you wonder? Conversations like this one:

Annette: I'm really going to have to get going. I still have a lot to do today. I'm having company over tomorrow night, and I need to get groceries.
Julia: (remembering that Annette has a fairly strict view of the Sabbath) Oh, you can't just go out and get pizza, can you? What are you going to have?
Annette: I'm just going to make some soup and throw some bread, lunch meat, and cheese on the table. Just keeping it easy.
Julia: How Dutch of you, Annette! What kind of soup? Take pictures of it and blog about it. Post the recipe!

You can easily see how time can get away from two friends conversing about such riveting topics. In fact, it was probably another hour or so after this slice of conversation that I actually did go to the grocery store and get the ingredients for Italian sausage soup. And as Julia requested, here is the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. Italian sausage
1 clove garlic, minced
1 chopped onion
2 (14 oz.) cans of beef broth (I added 1 to 2 cups of chicken broth as well)
1 (14.5 oz.) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
1 cup sliced carrots
1 (14.5 oz.)can great Northern beans, undrained
1 zucchini, cubed
1 pkg. frozen spinach
1/2 cup raw orzo noodles
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
(I also added some Italian seasoning.)
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a stockpot or Dutch oven, brown sausage with garlic and onion. Stir in broth, tomatoes, carrots, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.

2. Stir in beans with liquid, zucchini, spinach, and orzo noodles. Cover and simmer another 15 minutes or until zucchini is tender and noodles are cooked.

Or make it really easy like I do. Brown meat, onions, and garlic. Throw it into a crockpot with everything else. Cook on low heat for several hours until it is hot, of course (5 will do).

And I must truly be Dutch, since this observation came from one whose last name is immediately recognizably Dutch, she graduated from Calvin, married a Calvin grad who now works for Calvin, was president of her children's Christian school mothers' club, lives in the heart of Cutlerville, and has a regular feature on her blog entitled "Netherlands Nuesday."

And now I'm looking for a good recipe for split pea soup. . .

Welcome 2008!

There are a few lingering days of 2007 to enjoy, but I'm taking this opportunity to wish all my readers a happy new year! Thanks for reading and commenting in 2007, which has been a remarkable year for so many reasons. There are many exciting things happening in 2008 as well, and these are some of the things I look forward to, God willing:

1. Marrying Henry sometime during the summer and getting a new last name. Stay tuned for an actual date. Who knew that finding one would be so complicated?

2. Establishing a new home with Henry.

3. Going on vacation--with Henry!

4. Beginning the college search process with Katie as she enters her senior year (small tear).

5. Eighth grade graduation for Jonathan and then high school (small shudder).

6. Continuing in my work at Discovery House and learning more and more about editing and book publishing from my editing hero, J.

7. Finding out which two candidates get their party's nomination and hopefully seeing a true Republican become president.

8. Standing next to Jonathan, looking in the mirror, and seeing that he is taller than I am.

9. Stepping on the scale in a few months and seeing that I weigh significantly less than I do now. (There--I put it on my blog. Now everyone must hold me to it.)

10. Significantly reducing the clutter that fills way too much space in my current home.

And, of course, continuing to publish riveting accounts of my personal life here on Head and Heart and looking back at this post next year on December 31 and realizing, yet again, how very much I have to be thankful for.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust" (Psalm 90:1).

May you enjoy God's richest blessings of life, love, and happiness as you celebrate this coming new year!

Happy Birthday, Henry!

Unbelievable--the new man in my life not only has one of those dreaded, close-to-Christmas birthdays, it is the day after my dad's. And I will spend the rest of my life making sure that it isn't forgotten in the Christmas rush. Henry's birthday is definitely a day of celebration. And so here it is--my first birthday tribute to my fiance. (I really love typing that!)

1. His passion for God. One of the first things I knew was true of Henry was his love for God and his faithfulness to Him. We've had great theology conversations, and we've also had very down-to-earth talks about what it has meant for us to live out our faith in our lives. I'm still lobbying to come to his men's- only Bible study on Romans, but I don't think he's going to cave on that one.

2. He's a gentleman. Move over, Mr. Darcy! I have Henry, who, in all of our time together so far, has never failed to open a door for me, who brings me flowers (usually roses) every week, and helps me with my coat. He has always treated me like a lady, which makes me want to always behave like one (a good thing).

3. His musical ability. Early on when Henry and I were dating, a mutual friend told me that Henry had a great tenor voice, and while I knew from our conversations that he loved singing, I never really had an opportunity to hear him sing until last spring when we attended a conference together. I heard this amazing tenor voice during the congregational singing, and I kept turning my head to see if I could figure out where it was coming from. And then I realized--it was coming from Henry, right next to me. And I look forward to a future of singing with him at home, in church, and in choirs. I love it that we share this.

4. His love for simple pleasures. Going for a walk, looking at the moon, sitting by the lake watching ducks, and insects--Henry finds all of God's creation genuinely exciting and fascinating, which makes it exciting and fascinating to be with him.

5. His sense of romance. You'll just have to take my word on this one.

6. His love for Katie and Jonathan. He talks art with Katie, and I think he's using The Dangerous Book for Boys as an outline to bring Jonathan up to speed in "guy activities." He really understands and enjoys kids, and my two have learned this and know that he's a special person.

7. His kindness. Earlier in our relationship, I invited Henry over one Sunday evening. He couldn't come because he was having tea with an older lady in his church. And a couple of weeks ago when church was cancelled on a Sunday morning, he had quite a time helping an elderly lady get a prescription she needed. He can frequently be found visiting his sick friends from church, and he calls to check on them. He changes my light bulbs, shovels my walks, and is probably the nicest person I have ever known.

8. His great sense of humor and his appreciation of sarcasm. It's an essential at our house--sarcasm is just part of the fabric of our home. And here Henry fits right in. And it makes me feel good to know I've said something he finds funny and he laughs. It's a great laugh.

9. His integrity. Every word and action is carefully thought through, so that every word and action is meaningful and can be trusted.

10. He loves me and has asked me to marry him and has given me the most gorgeous engagement ring in the world (see December 24 post).

I am so blessed to have this wonderful man in my life! Happy birthday!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

My dad's birthday comes at what, unfortunately, is a time when it can easily slide through the cracks: December 22. We did actually celebrate his birthday on his birthday this year with dinner at LongHorn Restaurant, but with a poinsettia decorating his birthday cake, it was impossible not to think of that other big day that would soon be coming up. And so, here it is, December 26, and I just now have the opportunity to write his birthday blog posting. So here it is--the things I love most about my dad.

1. His love for and faithfulness to God. In word and deed, my dad has taught his children and grandchildren the importance of obedience to God. He taught us that it is important to understand what the Bible teaches and what we believe. It was from my dad that I first learned the doctrines of TULIP, setting me on the path of a Calvinistic faith from an early age.

2. His love for music. My dad loves to sing, so when his children showed an interest in music as well, he did all he could to support us. He taught me to be a good accompanist on the piano, and he made sure that I had excellent piano instruction all through high school. He would come home from working all day, pick me up, and then drive me to Bowling Green, Ohio, about a 45-minute drive one way, so that I could take lessons from instructors in Bowling Green State University's School of Music. And I still love playing the piano and singing today.

3. His thoughtfulness and kind treatment of others. My dad lives out his faith. He is always available to help someone in need, whether it's a struggling family member, a friend from church, or my kids and me. He may be replacing my furnace filter, driving an ill friend to an appointment, or making a color-coded schedule of Jonathan's classes for him to tape into his notebook. If there is something he can do, he will.

4. His good sense of humor and the way he makes us laugh (and takes it well). He teases Katie, spills food on his shirt at dinner, or plays his Taco Bell Taco Maker game, always making us laugh.

5. His strength. In a time of difficulty, there is something reassuring about having my dad around. In the brief time of my little sister's consciousness after her car accident, she was confused, in pain, and agitated at times. That was when we would call my dad in to calm her down, and it always worked.
He can also calm Jonathan like no one else. It's comforting to have someone with his strength around.

6. His sense of honesty and integrity. He has always set a great example of being truthful and fair with others.

7. His dedication and commitment to his family. After God, family comes next with my dad. He and my mom moved from the town where he had always lived in Ohio to Grand Rapids to be a support system for me, Katie, and Jonathan. And he's stepped up to be dad and grandpa at times for my kids. I love the special bond he and Jonathan, especially, share. And I love it that when Katie wants someone to teach her to drive, she turns to grandpa. He's definitely NOT the same man who taught me to drive.

8. He makes the best homemade ice cream in the world. Ice cream parties used to be a more common occurrence when I was a child, but I have many fond memories of family get-togethers where my dad supplied the big treat: homemade vanilla ice cream.

9. His emphasis on excellence. I'll never forget a conversation I had with my dad back in high school, on one of those long trips back from piano lessons. We were talking about my future, and at the time I was thinking of majoring in music. He told me that Christians truly had something to make music about, and that they should be the best that they could be in their service to God. It's stuck with me all these years.

10. He can fix anything. Or if he can't, he at least knows what is wrong and what to do about it.

Happy birthday to my excellent dad!

The Quotable J

I may just have to come up with a new blog category: quotables. I seem to be surrounded by wordsmiths, people quick to come up with a clever quip in just the right situation. Perhaps one day if I start my own publishing company, my specialty will be "quotable" books.

At any rate, it happened again today. My two "J" co-workers were marvelling at one of those strange letters submitted by a person who has entirely too much time on his hands. He was writing in response to one of our books, published years ago, that is just this side of going out of print. His criticisms included the CRC, RCA, PCA, Reformed in general, Baptists, Roman Catholics (particularly monks, which he used colorful language to describe), Freud, Machen, Bultmann--and that was just in the first two pages of his document.

At any rate, it gave us all several minutes of merriment (especially the comments about the monks), but we all agreed the document would best be filed in the circular, and it probably wouldn't do much good to respond to the author of the letter. He seemed to be fairly set in his theological opinions.

And that's when J offered up the first entry in what no doubt will one day be an enjoyable volume, an expression offered up in the spirit of "the lights are on but no one's home" observation: "He's a couple volumes short of a complete commentary."

There's nothing quite like good publishing house humor!

2007 Favorites

As 2007 dwindles down to mere days, I find myself reflecting on what has been, for me, quite an eventful year, personally and career-wise. I love those end-of-the-year top ten lists, so here is my own top ten list of favorite events, people, and moments of 2007, in no particular order.

1. Beginning my blog: What started on a cold January morning as an experiment in just how blogging works has developed into a full-blown blog. And there have been times during the year when I've loved it, and other times when I've simply endured it. And yet here I am, in December, still blogging away. I get to write, and once in a while, someone actually reads!

2. Going to Chicago on the train and seeing the musical Wicked with Katie and Jonathan. It all started out as a compromise: We would ride the train to Chicago like Jonathan always wanted, and he would come see a musical like Katie and I wanted. Everybody ended up a winner, and I ended up with a new favorite musical.

3. Going to NYC to the Book Expo with co-workers Melissa and Kevin. I truly felt like Tess in Working Girl as I was handed designer bottled water and fancy chocolates while we checked into our room at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. We saw a Broadway show and traipsed all over the city, shopping like crazy women (not Kevin--Melissa and I). Oh yeah--we attended sessions on the cutting-edge trends in book publishing as well and learned a lot.

4. Summer Sunday evenings on the patio with Henry, Katie, and Jonathan. These were the best, filled with fireflies, star and moon gazing, and mosquito bites. Ahhhhh. . .

5. Meeting Julia at Panera, talking away and drinking coffee, and realizing that a blizzard had developed while we visited. And I kind of wish we'd stayed there so the story would have been even better. What more could we need? Comfy chairs, indoor plumbing, lots of food--even a fireplace. Maybe we should revisit that this winter, Julia.

6. Attending the Philadelphia Conference with Henry. It was such a great experience to spend an evening and a day listening to some truly dynamic speakers talking about the power of God's Word. And I ran into some old friends from the Cedarville days, making the weekend complete.

7. Compiling and writing Better Than Life. It was such a great and sobering experience to research the contemporary persecuted church and to share these Christians' stories with other readers.

8. Going canoeing with Henry, Katie, and Jonathan on Labor Day. It was quite an adventure on the Thornapple River. Henry paddled, I helped a little, and Katie and Jonathan screamed at each other for several miles as we spent a late summer afternoon on the water.

9. Getting our first live Christmas tree this year. Henry and I went to the lot, picked it out, and then let it sit outside in the rain for a day so the gas fumes from the chainsaw that spilled on the tree could dissipate. After another day in the garage, our anti-Charlie Brown Christmas tree made its December home in our living room. And still every time we pull up in the driveway, someone comments that we have the best Christmas tree in the neighborhood.

10. I've saved the best for last: Henry. While we met in 2006, I think he'd agree that we discovered the treasure we had together this past year. He's my dearest friend in all the world, and watching the summer sky, walking around the neighborhood on a Sunday evening, going to the symphony, singing in the Zeeland Civic Chorus's production of Handel's Messiah--life in general--is just that much sweeter when shared with him.

May "the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands" (Psalm 90:17).

The Quotable Henry

At work, I've been helping edit a new book we'll release early in 2008: The Quotable Chambers. It's a huge book and a huge task, so I've taken a section of the manuscript to work on to help out my managing editor. Chambers, author of My Utmost for His Highest, definitely had a most quotable style, whether you like his theology or not. And his wife, Biddy, devoted herself to transcribing nearly every word the man uttered in his brief 43 years, so there's a lot of material to work with.

And yet my favorite person to quote these days is . . . Henry. While I haven't compiled enough to produce a book yet, it may be coming someday. But in the meantime, I'll have to share his witty, insightful one-liners as he allows me here on this little blog.

Some context: I was commenting on the irony that even though the "children of the sixties" see themselves as nonconformists and take a little pride in that, they usually, in the end, fall right into line. They support women's rights, hate any kind of rules, and like to see themselves as social activists, for example.I'll let you, dear reader, ponder that.

Henry's response: Sixties nonconformity, like teenage fashions, has woodenly predictable patterns.

Stay tuned for the Henry perpetual calendar and desk planner . . .

The Messiah

This week I will get to initiate what I hope will become an annual tradition for Henry and me. Since mid-October, he and I have been driving over to Zeeland on Sunday afternoons to rehearse Handel's Messiah with the Zeeland Civic Chorus. This all-volunteer group of over a hundred members has been performing this great piece of music for sixty-eight years. Thanks to a friend of Henry's, he was invited to join the group this year, and then he invited me. While initially I was a little leery of giving up my Sunday afternoon naps, it has proven to be a rewarding experience.

The last time I performed this music, I was a student at Cedarville College, back in--a long, long time ago. I was also singing the alto part--I'm not sure why. So I do have to remind myself, especially on "And the Glory" for some reason, that I'm singing soprano now. I'm so glad that I've participated in this. It's been wonderful to stretch myself and use my singing abilities to perform this beautiful piece of music.

I love how Handel has composed the movement of the music to reflect the words. In "All We Like Sheep," all four parts go astray in their own,seemingly mindless, way until the end of the piece where the music takes a sudden somber tone, until the four parts suddenly come together to sing, "And the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." In "And with His Stripes," the music seems to be indicating the slashing sounds of the whip on Jesus' back. And then there's the beautiful grandeur of "Worthy Is the Lamb" that nearly brings me to tears, especially when I had the thought the last time I was singing it that I couldn't begin to imagine music to honor the Lord more beautiful than this--and yet heaven's music will be even more glorious.

We have dress rehearsals tomorrow night and next Monday night for our two performances: Thursday, December 6, at First Zeeland CRC, 7:30 p.m. and Tuesday, December 11, at Central CRC in Holland, 7:30 p.m. I can think of no better way to celebrate Christmas than with this music. Come sing with me!

Come, Ye Thankful People

I love Thanksgiving. As our chapel speaker, Bill Crowder, pointed out today, Thanksgiving, unlike Christmas and Easter, is one of those holidays that secularists just can't mess up for us. Tomorrow, our family will go to church in the morning, and then come home and make some final food preparations before going to my parents' house for dinner. This year should be a special celebration, with my brother Tim and his family, my cousin Joy and her husband and two-year-old twin boys (adorable!), and my parents all gathering together. We'll eat the traditional favorites, like broccoli and cheese casserole, pecan pie, and the Selden stuffing.

And somewhere along the line, probably during dinner, we'll go around the table and name the things for which we are thankful. In a school newsletter this week, Jonathan's principal, Mr. Netz, suggested that everyone name five things for which they are thankful. So to honor family tradition and Mr. Netz, here are five things for which I am full of gratitude (not in any real order here).

1. The catechism writers said it best, and I am thankful for the heritage of words full of truth and beauty that they have left us: That I am not my own, but belong--body and soul, in life and in death--to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all of my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven: in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me whole-heartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

2. My family: Katie and Jonathan are my blessings from the Lord. It is a joy to see Him working in their hearts and lives, to hear them laughing, to see them studying, to watch them with their friends, to talk with them, pray with them, correct them at times, and to enjoy their love. My parents are a priceless treasure, a godly example of love in action. What a blessing they are to Katie, Jonathan, and me.

3. A new person in my life to love: Yet another demonstration of God's generosity to me, and an example of how He surprises us sometimes when we aren't expecting it with His greatest gifts. This is another example of how God is able to give "more abundantly than all that we ask or think." What an amazing thing for God to place a person in my life who is so special that I wouldn't have even known to ask for someone with his excellent qualities.

4. My church and pastor: Again, what a great blessing to be a living member of a community chosen for eternal life and united in true faith. It is a happy thing each week to go to church with the expectation that I will hear preaching about Christ and Him crucified, and to have that expectation met. Our pastor faithfully opens the Word of God to the congregation, and we know that Word has been delivered in wisdom and boldness. And this evening I was reminded of our pastor's care for the flock when I walked into the church to pick Katie up from catechism and saw her and another young man having a great conversation with their pastor about some important issues. He gave his time happily to discuss important matters with these two teens.

5. My job and my co-worker friends: What a rare thing to have a job where I have the opportunity to do the things I love and use the talents I have been blessed with. And I couldn't ask for a better group of people to work with; they are far more than co-workers. We are truly a team, and we all are friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, who work together. The special people I work with everyday have become such an important part of my life, and now I find it hard to imagine what life would be like without them.

6. (I know, I said five!) My friends, some of whom read this blog. You are all treasures, and I so value your encouragement, the time you give to me to talk and laugh and share, and the prayers you offer up on my behalf. You are among His "countless gifts of love."

Happy 14, Jonathan!

November has been a whirlwind, with concerts, conferences, finishing up my editing project, and taking kids where they need to be. But the most important date in November for us was back at the beginning of the month--November 3--when we celebrated Jonathan's birthday. It's hard to believe that fourteen years ago he was snuggling on my shoulder, the happiest little guy imaginable. In keeping with my blog tradition, here are ten things I love about my Jonathan.

1. His nose--Jonathan has always had the cutest little button nose. (I'm sure he'll love that one!)

2. His loyalty--Whether it's for his longtime Nascar hero, Jeff Gordon; his friend since fourth grade, Steven; his favorite restaurant, Taco Bell; or for his family, nothing can shake Jonathan's undying loyalty to the people and things he loves.

3. His interest in history--Interestingly, Jonathan was only 2 years old when his father died and really has no memories of his time with him. But he seems to have inherited his father's love for the study of history.

4. His compassion--Jonathan is not too cool to love babies and animals. And he wrote one of the sweetest e-mails I've ever read to a cousin who was going through a hard time. He genuinely cares.

5. His memory--Jonathan can memorize like few people I've ever known. This serves him well in lengthy Scripture memory assignments, studying for tests, and in recalling promises made in the distant past--particularly involving bribes of some sort from me. If only he could remember his homework assignments that well . . .

6. His growth--Unfortunately for him, I'm not talking about physical growth just yet. But I'm sure that it's coming. I'm talking about the little things that I see happening in his life every week that show me that he's becoming a responsible young man--and give me hope that one day he will be a responsible adult man. He's opening doors for his sister and me, getting better and better about remembering his homework, and getting fewer and fewer discipline cards at school for lack of organization. He's taking care of responsibilities without being asked more often. Step by step, Jonathan is growing up.

7. His seriousness about spiritual things--Jonathan understands the importance of knowing God and His Word, and I've been told by his catechism teacher that he listens well and asks very good questions in catechism class.

8. His ability to deal with the fact that he's the only male in a household of females. That's been a tough one for Jonathan, and a reality that has often broken my heart for him. I try to put myself in his place and imagine what it would be like to be an adolescent female in a household of males. It's unimaginable. But Jonathan has a grandpa who has been the man for him, so there has been a bright side to it all.

9. His nonconformity--Jonathan can only be himself, and he really doesn't seem to care "if everybody else is doing it, wearing it, listening to it, or watching it." He knows what he likes and how he wants to live, and as long as it's not immoral and within reason, it's okay with me.

10. His devotion to his mom. How could I not love that? A recent story: Jonathan found himself in math class taking a test and realized he had forgotten his calculator. Here was his dilemma: He realized that if he asked to get his calculator, he would get a discipline card, which would mean he was up to three, which would mean a noon hour detention, which means grounding for a week from the computer at home. He really didn't care that much if he did well on the test, but he realized that he wouldn't do well without his calculator. And yet he asked the teacher if he could get it and suffered all of the disciplinary consequences. Why? Jonathan told me that he knew I'd be unhappy if he did poorly on the test. And he'd rather have me happy and suffer personal consequences. "I sacrificed for you, Mom," he told me. He only got grounded for three days. What can I say?

And that's my Jonathan. While the blog posting is a little late, the love is always on time.