Sunny Sunday

It was wicked nice here today -- Not too hot, not too cold, and sunny without being oppressive. We went to church this morning, did some laundry, and had our standard Sunday "Subway and Slushies" lunch. Alliterative meals just taste better, you know?

Norah slept for just over two hours after lunch, so Sarah and I watched Sherlock Holmes as we enjoyed the down time. It was pretty decent. Once Norah woke up, we drove over to Dover and went to Garrison Hill park where there's a six (seven?) story tall tower that's open for the public to climb. From the top you can see out to the coast (though not the ocean itself), up into Maine, and miles north into the middle of the state where the mountains define the horizon. It was pretty rad. Norah rode out the walk to the top of the tower on my back, but spent a good amount of time crawling/walking around the grassy part of the park once we descended.

 Apparently happyness resides at the top of the tower.

So yeah. That was our Sunday. Hope you had a good day, too. 

Stay Gold!

MMK

This post has absolutely no Norah-related content...

One of my students wrote a note on Facebook the other day. He's decided that he doesn't think he believes in God anymore. The note read like a laundry list of complaints about God doing this or not doing that in the world. I couldn't help but remember writing some of the same thoughts maybe five or six years back and making the same sort of bold statements about my disbelief as those my student wrote just recently. But things change. And now I don't think those things anymore.


I'm happy to see my student(s) talking about the God issue, though, because it means that they're at least trying to figure out where they stand in relation to Him. Some people probably think it's blasphemous to applaud, but I'm glad that this student (and others) have chosen to express his disbelief. Go for it. Turn your back. That's the point of free will, right?


Don't get me wrong... I don't think you should turn your back and close the door completely. I'm just saying that I know what it's like to lose faith and have your trust in the Eternal worn thin. I think that questioning God is healthy and necessary in faith. I think that faith needs to have droughts. And I know how those have benefited me in having a deeper understanding of the true meaning of faith. The real depth and breadth of faith can only be examined when you've experienced both absolutes of belief. And so I'm happy to see my student struggling right now.


After all..."but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." (Romans, dudes). 


So, yeah.


And now here's some pictures I made with pens and pencils and paints and junk. The first two were end-of-the-year gifts for two of my RAs. Amy knitted a bunch and has a twin sister (hence the two roses). Athena is named after the goddess who's often represented with an owl. I'm super deep with my gifts.


The third picture is just my version of the classic praying hand tattoo design. Good times.

Anyway. Have a good night, everyone.


Stay Gold. 


MMK

Goober

I told my mom I'd post this picture here, so... Yeah.

Oh man... What a kid.

Stay Gold!

MMK

Finally, an Update...

I realize that it's been awhile since we updated this space with news and pictures. The last few weeks have been pretty intense around here. April and May are the busiest months of the year for me as I'm working to close the building and wrap up my work for the year. Sarah's been stressed because of the stuff happening back home. One of my students died during the first week of May. Norah turned one-year old. I got (and still have) pneumonia. We need to start packing to move buildings at the beginning of June. Like I said... There's a lot happening.

Here's some documentation of the important stuff...

Baking in preparation for Norah's first birthday party:

Birthday presents from family:

Birthday cake!

Family pictures:

And finally... We don't talk on the phone that much, honestly. I don't know how she picked this up...

That's all for tonight. I hope this will tide you over until we get a little more free time. My students move out this week and I'm officially done with work by Wednesday of next week. Look for a lot more posting to happen once summer is here for reals.

Love to you all...

Stay Gold,

MMK

Ma Update

A few people have been asking how my parents are doing so I figured I was due for another blog update!

GOD IS AWESOME. Truly. I know so many people began praying the second they heard about my parents. And God has shown he does listen and is using the whole situation for His good.

Anyways, my mom is doing SO well! I am so proud of her. She is no longer in the hospital and has been moved to a rehabilitation type facility south of Des Moines. Her trach was removed quite a while ago. Her voice took a while to come back, but to my ears her voice sounds almost 100%. As you may have guessed, Ma lost a significant amount of weight over the last month or so but in the last couple of weeks has started to put some weight back on. HOORAY! Ma has also been going through daily physical therapy for her legs, arms, and neck. She told me they think she is doing very well and have even been adding some weight to her exercises. Next Wednesday, Ma will run through another x-ray to see how her pelvis is healing and hopefully the doctors will be able to determine then when the pelvic brace will be removed. She will also have another head scan to make sure the blood initially found in her head is being absorbed and is not clotting. Please pray the doctor has good news for her (well, us)!

I speak with one (or both) of my parents almost every day. Mom seems to be in such good spirits. I'm sure she has her moments, but she has proven once again...she is a strong woman. Dad is really starting to miss having my Mom around the house. He is trying to juggle work, driving back and forth to see my mom, and the day-to-day household tasks. But he is also strong, and my parents are so blessed to have friends and family nearby.

Thank you for the prayers you've offered so far. Please keep praying and know that you're helping my parents to heal.

Love to you all.