Highlight reel
Last summer we spent much of our time packing, painting, and moving into our current (rental) home, so it's felt like we have a bunch of "extra" time this summer. Of course, we've also found plenty of ways to fill it so far, and lots of them have been fun:
- A couple of Thursdays ago, we attended a day-long Brain Rules seminar at Seattle Pacific University. This may seem über-nerdy (because it is), but it was also fascinating to learn from Dr. John Medina-I attended a luncheon a few years ago at which he spoke on attention span and ministry, and I've been hooked ever since.
- The next day, barlow_girl's book club came to our house for potluck dinner, discussion of Julia Child's My Life in France, and a viewing of Julie & Julia. Inspired by the book, the food was delicious (a benefit of being the husband of the hostess). Since I didn't read the book, I skipped the discussion and joined the group for the movie, which was expectedly light and Hollywood-ized while remaining enjoyable.
- barlow_girl's birthday was that Saturday, so I treated her to Savor Seattle's Chocolate Indulgence Tour, which was a big hit for both of us. We also enjoyed dinner at Cantinetta, a fairly new Italian restaurant in our neighborhood with a cozy atmosphere and dishes emphasizing local and seasonal ingredients. We were fans.
- On Independence Day the next week, we had our friends Lorrie and the Vosses over for grilling and viewing the fireworks from our deck. We're blessed not only with fantastic friends, but also with evenings like these that give us great reminders of that blessing.
- This Thursday, we met up with one of my friends from college at Brouwer's Cafe in Fremont. It's such a gift to be able to reconnect and deepen a friendship after so many years, as well as discovering how God can use our stories and experiences to encourage one another.
- This weekend (including when I'm writing this, though I'll likely need to wait until I return home to post it), we're at velouria73's family beach house on Camano Island with our communitygroup. We took our first retreat here last summer and were eager to get away together again. So far, it's been very relaxing and provided an excellent setting to get to know one another better.