Tag Archives: Playhouse

Chapter-a-Day

Dwell

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Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
Colossians 3:16 (NIV)

Tomorrow is Saturday, which means that Wendy’s and my morning ritual of coffee and conversation will include the weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal. This always includes their “Mansion” section in which they do a spotlight feature complete with photo spread of an audacious mansion somewhere. Wendy loves her weekly trip down the rabbit hole looking at what people do with their mansions, the views, how they allocate space, how they decorate, and how the environment “feels.” My mind usually goes straight to calculating the maintenance costs and utilities on that much square footage.

While we will never know what it’s like to have a mansion at that level, Wendy and I have been truly blessed to enjoy some wonderful homes. In 2008, Wendy and I signed a purchase agreement with my parents to buy their place on Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. For over 15 years, much of our summer was spent traveling back and forth to central Missouri and hosting family and friends at the lake. This past December, that season of our life ended and we sold our lake home to friends here in Pella who will carry the blessing of that home forward for a new generation.

With summer now in full swing, Wendy and I have been having many people ask us if we regret the decision and how we are faring not being at the lake. I’m happy to report that it really was a divine appointment and God’s timing was perfect. One of the things that Wendy and I have rediscovered as our time and attention has shifted back to our home in Pella is just how much we love our house which I have always referred to as Vander Well Manor. There have been so many little projects and things that we’ve put off for years because we were spending so much time and so many resources at the lake. It’s been fun to truly dwell in our home this summer and fully enjoy it inside and out.

Today’s chapter is one of those chapters that is so full of instruction and spiritual truth that I hardly know how to focus in on one thing on which to meditate and blog about. When that happens, I typically wait for Holy Spirit to cause something to deeply resonate in my spirit. This morning, it was this phrase: “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly…”

As Wendy and I have rediscovered the joy of truly dwelling at home, it provided a really powerful metaphor in the quiet this morning for what Paul is getting at as he uses that phrase. Along my life journey, my experience has been that relatively few people allow Christ’s message to dwell richly within them. I observe that Christ’s message pays a visit on Sunday mornings. It acts as a homey and inspirational message on a piece wall decor that fades into the background and is subsequently forgotten. To “dwell richly” has a much deeper connotation.

To dwell means to “live in.” Dwelling means residing, being fully present, and actively occupying. When someone dwells in a home, there is constancy and the perpetual impact of presence.

Which leads me to ask myself, are Christ’s words and message dwelling in me, in my life, in my marriage, in my home, among my friends, and in the community of our circles of influence? Is Christ’s message dwelling in me, not merely as wall decor, but actively occupying with constancy and perpetual impact of presence?

Tomorrow morning Wendy will show me photos of some mansion on Martha’s Vineyard or some such place and wax eloquent with her strong opinions regarding the space and decorations. I can tell you that the mansion will be empty, because there are never people in the photographs. Each week the photos are of a giant, opulent, perfectly appointed empty mansion in which no one appears to be dwelling. What a great metaphor for how I don’t want my life to be. If I have a great life and an earthly existence filled with all this world has to offer, but Christ and His message are not dwelling within, then my life is just an empty earthly mansion that I will have to give up one day.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

These chapter-a-day blog posts are also available via podcast on all major podcast platforms including Apple, Google, and Spotify! Simply go to your podcast platform and search for “Wayfarer Tom Vander Well.” If it’s not on your platform, please let me know!
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The Latest (Summer & Fall 2024)

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It has been quite a year on several fronts in 2024, which is why I’m sitting here on Christmas Eve to finally update the Latest from this past summer and fall.

My last update from Spring 2024 left off after Pella’s annual Tulip Time, and May always brings the beginning of Lake season. What Wendy and I didn’t know going in was that this would be our final summer at “The Playhouse,” our place on Lake of the Ozarks that has been a part of our family for over 25 years. By the end of the summer Wendy and I decided that this season of our lives was over. God provided a very clear and simple path in selling it to friends who we know will be blessed by it, and will pass that blessing forward.

So, it was a great final summer with annual trips with friends and family. Most memorable for me was the opportunity to meet at the lake with my dad and siblings. It was the first time we’d all been together at the lake, ever, and it was a great opportunity to share time together as a family. We tried to remember the last time we’d been together as a family for more than a couple of days and we couldn’t really come up with an answer!

Taylor, Clayton, Milo, and Sylvie had been living with us from December 2023 until Tulip Time in May. They bought a house in Des Moines, but having them in Des Moines has been a much better proximity than Edinburgh, Scotland! Clayton has been working for Lutheran Services of Iowa in their Refugee Settlement program and Taylor continues to work for Storii. It’s been fun to have them nearby where we can visit them when we’re in Des Moines, take the kids out for special times with Papa and/or Yaya, and have them visit. Milo has loved coming to church with Papa, Yaya, and Papa Dean. I continue to teach regularly and even had the blessing of being asked to baptize a dear friend this Spring. We even had a very rare treat when solar flares gave us a glimpse of the Northern Lights over our house!

My dad continues to live here in Pella in independent living. He stays busy making stained glass and won the blue ribbon at the Iowa State Fair this year!

Madison, G, and MJ (Maddy Jo) continue to live in South Carolina, but we were blessed to have them home this summer. Madison continues to work at a boutique and spa in Columbia. She took a management position this year. Garrett continues in real estate, but he worked to get his teaching certificate so that he can both teach and coach football at the high school level. Late June and early July ended up being full of gatherings with family and friends as we celebrated Sylvie’s 2nd birthday and welcomed the SC crew back to Iowa for the Fourth of July weekend. The Pella VLs had us down to their pool for fun in the sun and water. Even Taylor and Maddy Kate’s Godfather Dave made an appearance! The summer also included my 40th High School Class reunion (Hoover High School Class of 1984). Wendy’s friends, “The Golden Girls” had a sleepover at our house, as well. I got to play bartender.

Of course, Wendy and I love spending time with friends over good food and good drinks. We enjoyed a couple of weekends together. In the summer, we headed to Kansas City to catch our Cubbies at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City and had dinner with friends there. In the fall, we headed to Minneapolis for our annual pilgrimage to the Mother Ship (USBank Stadium) to watch the Vikings. We also took in a show at the Guthrie for the first time since COVID. In the fall, we headed to Park City, UT to visit friends, found our way to the top of Sundance Mountain, and enjoyed some spectacular views!

While we were in Park City, Wendy got word that her Grandma Vander Hart had passed away. As the only family member actually in Pella, Wendy has ceaselessly cared for her grandmother and her grandma’s needs for years. We returned from Utah to meet with Wendy’s family and lay Grandma to rest. I was blessed that she asked me to do her funeral.

No year is without its share of adversity. Torrential rains and drainage tiling that was blogged by tree roots combined to back up our sump pump and flood our basement twice this summer. The carpet was able to be salvaged, but the floods required us to pull up all of our carpets in the basement, tear out all of the carpet pads, and then have new carpet pads installed and the carpet re-laid. We used it as an opportunity to employ some local high school and college students. I’ll be very happy if we never have to do that again!

Wendy and I have not been involved in theatre for about six years. In the fall, I was recruited to once again run for President of our local Community Theatre. I was elected. So, we’re back in the mix of things, including presiding over Union Street Players’ annual Awards Dinner. Wendy is not on the Board but has been assisting with finances and the box office. She also helped organize the Awards Dinner. I might even make it back on stage this coming year!

We also enjoyed a visit from Wendy’s sister and her children from their home in Mazatlan this fall, as well as a wonderful picnic with our faith family from the Auditorium at Third Church.

Fall also brings Pella’s annual Tulip Queen Announcement Party. Wendy once again presided as Director of the evening’s festivities and I served once again as Master of Ceremonies. It’s always amazing to spend time with such talented young ladies who instill such hope for the future. Both Wendy and I are blessed every year to get to know these amazing women and be a part of our Community’s annual tradition.

Chapter-a-Day

Chaos and Order

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Chaos and Order (CaD Ezk 40) – Wayfarer

The man said to me, “Son of man, look carefully and listen closely and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for that is why you have been brought here. Tell the people of Israel everything you see.”
Ezekiel 40:4 (NIV)

For the past quarter of a century, our family has had a place on Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. My parents bought the property around the time of retirement. The girls grew up there along with their cousins visiting Grandpa Dean and Grandma Jeanne. Wendy and I purchased the property from them and built a new house on it. It’s been a special place for us, our family, and friends.

In fact, our family long ago realized that our place at the lake was sacred space. It has been a place of rest away from the chaos of our everyday lives. It has been a place of healing and restoration. It’s where my sister retreated to recover from chemo in her battle with cancer. It has been a place full of life as children have grown up, families have vacationed, and relationships have been strengthened through countless conversations that would never have happened in the hectic worlds of our lives back home.

Over the next several chapters, the prophet Ezekiel describes a vision he was given of a sacred space, a temple. When this vision arrives, it has been fourteen years since the city of Jerusalem and the temple that Solomon built had been destroyed. Ezekiel and his fellow Hebrews are living in exile in Babylon. They are feeling lost and hopeless in the chaos of life in a foreign land where nothing is familiar. The rituals and routines by which they lived and measured life are gone. They are longing for hope and a future.

For casual readers, today’s chapter and the next several chapters are the kinds of passages that leave you scratching your head. Wait. What?! What can this ridiculously detailed description of an ancient temple possibly have any significance for my life in the twenty-first century? One of the things that I’ve come to learn about these kinds of passages is that I have to back up and look at the bigger picture of what God has done, is doing, and will do.

For the Hebrew people, this sacred space of a temple was not only a huge part of their story a people, but it was also a metaphor for the Great Story itself. Way back in Exodus when God is first introducing Himself to the Hebrews, He instructs them to create a mobile sacred space that could travel with them and be set up wherever they camped. The language that was used in the creation of this sacred space mirrored the creation poem in the first two chapters of Genesis. The creation poem begins with chaos and God creates order out of the chaos and then places humanity in this ordered place that is very good.

When God gave the Hebrews instructions for this sacred space they understood that it was like a new creation. An entire nation of people leaves the chaos and chains of slavery, they wander into the wilderness, and God is creating something new in them. What does God do in creation? He creates distinctions and order.

I have to believe that Ezekiel and his compatriots were recognizing that they had returned to chaos and slavery. They are longing for the hope that God will begin a new creation in them just as He had done in Genesis and in Exodus when He brought order and sacred space.

Everywhere I turn, people talk about lives being busy, crazy, frazzled, and hectic. There’s so much to do, so many distractions, and so much stress. Life happens and we feel worry and anxiety. How often do I feel the chaos of everyday life? And yet, Jesus said He came that we might know peace. What did Jesus do? He regularly went up a mountain by Himself where he would spend hours and sometimes spend the night praying. He sought out sacred space and spent time with God where He reordered His heart, mind, and soul.

Do you think that this ancient, recurring message about creating order out of chaos and having sacred space to order my life and world might have something to teach me about my chaotic twenty-first-century life today?

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

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The Latest Summer 2023

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Note: For my regular chapter-a-day subscribers, please note that Wendy and I are out for a few days and I’ll continue our trek through Amos when I return.

Where does the time go? Here it is, late October and I still haven’t posted about the summer that was summer 2023. As I went through photos and pondered the memories, there is a part of me that recognizes the familiar cadence our lives have become. That said, I embrace the cadence. Life always offers new events, new surprises, as well as moments we have tried long to avoid. When you are blessed to enjoy life that moves along with a cadence of love, good family, good friends, and well-established traditions and routines, those difficult moments melt into the love and goodness. So, here’s to the cadence.

Summer beings with Memorial Day weekend at the lake with the Pella VLs. When the cadence began, their oldest was a wee one. The Playhouse has always been a thin place for healing, life-changes, and rites of passage. That wee one whose first visit was in the single-wide, seventy-feet of Ozark glory, is catching fish and experiencing his first stogie with the boys. Of course, the cadence also includes scoring the Cubs game on the deck listening to the call by Pat and Ron. It includes good books you should have read years ago. It includes “the puddle effect” of the lake and movies together as shared experience.

In ways, the Playhouse is the cadence of the summer for Wendy and me. After Memorial Day there is the annual weekend with Kev & Beck. The cadence has almost always included family, though that was interrupted in recent years by my mother’s descent into the oblivion of Alzheimers and my father’s loving and dutiful care for her. With mom’s passing and memorial service on St. Patrick’s Day this year, my sister and I enjoyed taking dad to the lake for the first time in a few years.

Life’s cadence also requires maintenance (dang it!), and this summer it was replacement of the Playhouse patio door with a new Pella (of course) slider. A tear in the chill-mat also required me to channel my 8th grade Home Ec sewing skills (thank you, Mrs. Dykema!) to repair and keep us and our guests “chillin'” for another summer or two. And, life didn’t stop back in Pella where Wendy and enjoyed the annual Pella Opera House Gala and the Red Rock Balloon Fest which sent many hot air balloons right over our house.

For Wendy and me, the cadence of summer is always synonymous with America’s pastime. While we got to far too few baseball games (though I snuck in a Columbia, SC Fireflies game with MK & G!) we enjoyed cheering on our friend, Nathan, and the Pella baseball team. I even got to be the PA Announcer for a couple of games, which was a real treat!

Speaking of the South Carolina crew, they also joined us for Fourth of July at the Playhouse. Our Rottie “grand-pups,” Bertha and Hazel, brought news of our third grandchild, due in late January. Madison utilized G’s high school football team to help celebrate gender reveal. A wee granddaughter is on the way!

Speaking of wee ones, Milo and Sylvie have continued to flourish in Scotland. As I reviewed the summer photo cache, it was definitely the “Summer of Sylvie” as the second-born commanded the attention and refused to be overshadowed by her older brother. She took her first steps and her folks appear determined to celebrate child #2 with all the media vigor commanded by child #1. Milo has become a young math whiz. Papa and Yaya are ecstatic about having the crew back in Pella this Christmas.

The cadence of life is punctuated with significant life events. Mom’s passing was followed by the burial of her ashes this summer. My dad, my sibs, and a small gathering of family had a private and personal memorial. We shared memories, laughter, and tears. We then shared a meal together. It was a small affair, but I could feel mom smiling on the other side of the veil. Dad continues the transition to Pella, but his stained-glass work (another Iowa State Fair ribbon this year) has been celebrated. He was commissioned to do a window for a new house in Pella as well as being commissioned to replicate the prayer bench he made for me years ago. He was “Artist of the Month” at Pella Manor. My sister and I joined his presentation to the fellow residents.

Of course, it’s all about friends and family isn’t it? Wendy and loved hosting family and friends through the summer, as well as enjoying gatherings with Community and loved ones. That included visits of cousins from Colorado and the weekly cadence of Sunday nights with friends to watch classics both old and new. We enjoyed potluck with our local gathering of Jesus’ followers, including young Asher who has become a surrogate grandchild. We enoyed taking mom Hall to Butcher’s Brewhuis in Pella, where she and Wendy lived when it was an apartment, back in the day. In addition, the Pella VLs opened their pool this summer. This means that Wendy and I can increasingly be found down the street in the summer where the water is cool and the fellowship is warm.

August brought the realities of age to the cadence of summer. Wendy had surgery to address join issues in a pinky and joints on two toes. The cadence of summer then ended, as usual on Labor Day weekend for us. For many years, it has been an “adult weekend” with with JPs and Pella VLs. This year, we enjoyed adding the Lubachs to celebrate summer’s end. A boat-trip for dinner ended with being towed home by good Samaritans. A ten-year-old “what happened to the iPad?” mystery was finally solved when a casual tap on the bottom of a chair revealed that the iPad had slipped beneath the cushion and the springs, requiring a forensic cut from beneath the chair to rescue the (now obsolete) iPad. A mystery solved! A happy ending to summer! And now, the cadence of autumn calls.

Tom's Photos, Wayfarer's Journal

The Latest: 2021 Holidays

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After having our home filled with our entire brood last year, Wendy and I knew that this year was going to be a stark contrast since neither the Scottish crew nor the South Carolina crew, were going to be making it back to Iowa. Thus, we begin this holiday edition of The Latest with Halloween, which we had to enjoy vicariously from across the pond. Taylor gets the great mom merit badge for Milo’s awesome firefly costume.

Meanwhile, down across the Mason-Dixon line, Madison got into the festive spirit at work with her amazing Poison Ivy make-up design.

Late autumn felt a lot like late summer this year. The weather has been unseasonably warm. It’s Christmas Eve day as I type the draft of this post and the forecast high is 59 degrees. We have a trip to San Diego scheduled next week to enjoy some “warm” weather and escape the “frigid” Iowa winter. The forecast high while we’re in San Diego next week? 59 degrees. 🙄.

Meanwhile, Wendy and I stayed busy in November. I delivered a keynote address at the fall conference of the Iowa Communication Alliance. Wendy continues to keep me on track as the “Senior Director of All the Things” for Intelligentics while also helping to manage “all the things” for Selah Studios. I also continue to serve the teaching team at Third Church, and I preached three of the five Sundays in November. Wendy and I also enjoyed, once again, being a part of Pella’s annual Tulip Queen Announcement Party again this year. Wendy is serving a multi-year stint on the committee and acts as the Director of the evening program. I was Master of Ceremonies again this year.

The 2022 Pella Tulip Queen Candidates

Wendy and I continue to feel honored to help her Grandma Vander Hart, who turned 94 this year and continues to live independently in her apartment. Wendy and I check in with her regularly and make sure she has what she needs. Some days we get to read the daily devotional for her, along with running errands and helping with odd tasks around her apartment.

Grandma Vander Hart joined us for Thanksgiving at our house, along with my parents, who drove down from Des Moines. It was a relatively quiet affair compared to some years, but we loved hosting these three. We had a traditional Thanksgiving meal with turkey, potatoes, stuffing, and gravy. The afternoon was spent lounging and chatting.

We were also honored this fall to play host for a long-standing family rivalry. My nephew, Sam, grew up a Green Bay Packers fan. Misguided as that is, he mustered the wisdom to marry a Vikings fan which only fueled the friendly rivalry we’ve enjoyed his entire life. Sam brought his family, and our niece Emma, down to Pella for George’s pizza and the Packers-Vikings game. Vikings won this time, which was a rare treat the way things have gone in recent years.

Our place at the lake tends to sit empty from November through March, but this year my friend Matthew and I headed south for a personal retreat over a long weekend in early December. The weather was amazing with temps in the 70s and 80s. It was 75 degrees one evening as I grilled some steaks on the deck, where we were also blessed to enjoy lunch a couple of the days.

Our grandson, Milo, celebrated his 4th birthday in early December, and we had to celebrate via FaceTime. What we weren’t expecting was the present that Milo had for us. He donned his “Big Brother” t-shirt to announce the pending arrival of another grandchild next summer!

We also got to celebrate the 2nd birthday of our niece, Anya in December with a birthday party at her house. It also gave us the opportunity to hang with our newest nephew, Owen.

Last year at Christmas we held the inaugural family Christmas Cocktail Contest. The kids wanted to make it a tradition, but we had to do it this year via video call across three weekends. Not as fun as being in person, but we certainly had had fun connecting online and sharing a drink and a chat together.

Christmas without the kids in town ended up being a fairly low-key affair. With the unexpected passing of our dear friend, Shay’s, mother, Wendy and I spent Christmas Eve visiting the VLs who had driven through the previous night to return from a Christmas ski vacation. We then walked home (did I mention it’s unseasonably warm this year?) where “ma in her kerchief and I in my cap” both settled in early for “a long winter’s nap.”

Having headed to bed early, I was awake for the “night watch” and enjoyed praying, reading, and some extended quiet time in the darkness before dawn until Wendy rose for the day. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and opened gifts between the two of us. We even snuck in a FaceTime call with Milo to let him show us his Christmas haul as we were getting ready for the day.

Wendy and I hosted anyone from our families who wanted to come for a charcuterie spread on Christmas Day. The guests began to arrive late morning. Covid worries and seasonal viruses prompted some last-minute cancellations, but we had a wonderful constellation of loved ones including Wendy’s sister and her family from Denver, my brother from Boise, our parents, and Grandma VH. After eating, there was the sharing of gifts. My dad and sister made a stained-glass Santa ornament for us. My mother’s favorite color is purple, so Wendy and I gave her the most purple robe we could find along with matching slippers. About mid-afternoon, the entire VL crew walked over to join the festivities. Amidst the din of Christmas revelry, we enjoyed a Zoom chat with Madison, Tay, and Clay.

Wendy’s Christmas Charcuterie Spread

By evening, all guests had departed. Wendy and I cleaned up and then had a quick FaceTime call with our friends Kev and Beck to open their gifts to us which were still under the tree. After that, we settled in on the couch to watch the Guy Pearce – FX interpretation of A Christmas Carol (it’s amazing, trust us). Other than an emergency V-Dub Pub to-go order, we enjoyed a quiet evening before retiring together with our hearts, heads, and tummies full.

Today, we head to Ankeny for Christmas with the Hall Clan.

Merry Christmas, friends.

“God bless us. Everyone.”

Wayfarer's Journal

Family Fourth at the Lake

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Wendy and I were blessed to have the family together for a summer celebration at the lake. Taylor is our firecracker, born on the 4th of July. Taylor, Clayton, and Milo joined us on a trip to the lake on July 2nd. Madison and Garrett, along with Bertha, drove from South Carolina to join us on the Fourth. We had such an enjoyable time together.

We enjoyed time at the beach at Captain Ron’s. We swam off the dock and got lots of sun. We took the boat to Bear Bottom. Milo had his first experience driving the boat with Papa and going down the Water Slide. We had enjoyable family meals. We watched “Men in Kilts.” The SC crew headed back south after lunch at the Branding Iron. A good time was had by all.

Chapter-a-Day

Weekend Treasure

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Weekend Treasure (CaD Ps 135) – Wayfarer

The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
    made by human hands.
Psalm 135:15 (NIV)

Wendy and I returned last night from our “spring break” in which we spent a long weekend getting our Playhouse at the lake opened up and ready for the coming summer. Our friends joined us for a weekend of hard work, a long task list of chores, along with good meals and time together in the evenings. We arrived home last night with aching muscles and weary bones, but our souls were overflowing.

Our place at the lake was not something which Wendy and I long-planned or even desired. Looking back, it was one of those things on life’s road that just sort of unexpectedly falls into place and you realize in retrospect that it was meant to be part of the story in ways you could never have foreseen. We have had our ups and downs with it. In fact, on more than one occasion we’ve felt strongly that it wasn’t what we desired at all. Yet in each case, we were given the assurance that we were to stay the course.

This past weekend, I had a lot of time to contemplate as I spent a number of hours sequestered in the isolation of my earplugs and the din of the power washer as I sprayed siding, windows, trim, decks, docks, and sidewalks. I have thoroughly enjoyed all the blessings that have come with the place over the years. It’s not, however, about the thing or the things that come with it. What I really treasure about the place has no worldly value. I can’t buy family or friendship. I can’t use legacy or cherished memories as collateral. Purpose, quiet, rest, laughter, peace, relationship, intimacy, conversation, and healing will never appear on an appraisal when it’s time for this chapter of the story to end. Yet, that’s what I value so much that our “spring break” was spent working our butts off.

Today’s chapter, Psalm 135, is an ancient Hebrew song that was sung as part of the temple liturgy. It’s a recounting of history and a celebration of God. As I came to the verse that says, “The idols of the nations are silver and gold,” it resonated with power-washing ruminations. There are lots of things that I observe are valued in this world, especially in a place like the lake. They are the things of silver and gold, made with human hands. And, that prompts in me continuous soul-searching.

On the drive home last night, Wendy and I spent time talking through the various intimate conversations we enjoyed with our friends this past weekend as we worked together, ate together, and rested together. Wendy talked about the unique struggles each person and each couple are going through on our respective way-points on Life’s road. We prayed together for our friends. I treasure these moments, conversations, meals, rest, and friends. Not silver and gold, but spirit, flesh, and relationship.

In the quiet this morning, I return to the routine. I find myself thankful for my many blessings which include a place on the lake (that requires up-keep and work weekends) and really good companions on life’s journey with whom to share both the labor and leisure. And, I find myself praying to always treasure those things that have no tangible value in this world.

Tom's Photos, Wayfarer's Journal

The Latest (Summer 2019)

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It’s been a while since I filled family and friends in on what’s been happening. Summer had already flown by and here we are moving into autumn.

As has been true for the past decade, our summer revolves around time at our place on Lake of the Ozarks. With increased responsibilities at work and church, I think we spent less time there this summer than ever. Nevertheless, we enjoyed what has become our traditional weekends with friends, along with a few weeks there by ourselves. Here’s a gallery from our time at the lake this summer:

The biggest news of the summer for our family was Madison’s engagement. She and Garrett traveled to Scotland to visit Tay, Clay, and Milo. While they were there, Garrett chose one of the most beautiful backdrops to a proposal ever. A November wedding is planed in Columbia, SC where they both live and will reside.

Madison was home for a whirlwind wedding planning weekend, but still got to see Grandma!

Wedding plans are in full swing. We flew Madison home for a few days in early August to talk finances and wedding plans. It worked out great for her to spend a little time with her mother and the grandparents. Grandpa Dean is making them a stained-glass piece for their wedding, so Madison got to look at the design and some of the glass colors he’s using.

Speaking of grandparents, it’s been a rough summer for my parents. Mom’s Alzheimer’s continues to slowly progress. Dad’s cancer is being held in check by oral chemo, but other issues (double vision, fainting, heart issues) have had him in what seems an endless loop of doctor and specialist visits. In July, dad spent 5 days in the hospital with what was diagnosed as a light stroke. He had another couple of days just a week or so ago for the installation of a pacemaker. I got to spend time with mom while dad was in the hospital, which I wrote about in a different post.

Yikes! Skin Cancer!

I had my own medical bout this summer. My annual dermatology exam found squamous cell carcinoma on my right ear. I had surgery to remove it and then contracted a nasty infection. I’m happy to say it has healed nicely and all is well.

No One Was Injured

Wendy and I have each been doing our thing to stay healthy. Wendy has been regularly doing yoga and this summer Wendy she began assisting our friend, Shay, who is opening her own studio. Meanwhile, I have been doing CrossFit for over a year now. My goal continues to be simply to keep showing up.

Milo was in a wedding this summer, complete in his Scottish kilt.

Taylor and her crew continue to live and flourish in Scotland. When we see them at Madison’s wedding it will be almost a year since we’ve been together. We get to regularly FaceTime with our grandson, Milo, which is always a treat. Typically, Taylor calls while Milo is the bathtub because it’s the only time the wee lad will sit still enough to talk to us. He’s calling us Papa and Yaya, which never ceases to melt our hearts.

Other highlights of the summer included finishing Phase 3 of our three-year landscaping project. My rose garden out back continues to grow and flourish, which makes me happy. I officiated a wedding this summer for a lovely young lady from church. Wendy and I hosted a company pool party for our team members and their families. We took in a little theatre. I had the joy of mentoring my friend Nathan for his profession of faith, and we celebrated at the Iowa Cubs game. I’ll leave you with a few photos from the summer:

  • Saw “The Play That Goes Wrong” at the Civic Center.
  • A Date with Mom at BWWs.
  • Rose from my garden.
  • Another gorgeous rose from my garden.
  • The Hibiscus are HUGE!
  • Company Pool Party at our Friend Cyndi’s.
  • Celebrated a successful wedding planning session at the pub!
  • Matthew Burch shows off.
  • Me and my friend Nathan at the Iowa Cubs.
  • Madison in Grandpa Dean’s Stained Glass workshop.
  • Helped hitch these two.
  • Taylor got to see one of her favorites in person this summer.
  • Taylor’s Godfather Dave visited them in Edinburgh.
  • I got to see Andrew Lopez perform with Jo Koy at the Improv in Brea, CA
Tom's Photos, Wayfarer's Journal

The Latest… June 2019

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It is a beautiful June evening at the lake as I sit to write this post. The forecast for the weekend called for rain, rain, and a little more rain. Instead, we were treated to plenty of sunshine and only a few minor episodes of precipitation. That’s a nice change of pace. This spring and early summer have been rainier than I can remember for some time. The lawn tractor has been getting a lot of work as I’ve been mowing 2-3 times a week to keep up.

The rain has been definitely good for growing things. Wendy and finished phase 3 of our landscaping plans. We had new beds put in around the back of the house and around the patio. We still have one section we need to finish on the north side of the house, but it feels great to have it done. I planted some more roses and they have really been going to town.

Speaking of flowers, Wendy has been planning for many years to have a tat reworked. She was never really happy with the original and fixing it has been a topic of discussion for a very long time. Molly at Creative Images in Des Moines did her masterful work, as usual, and the result was just what m’love wanted.

Before and after.

We got our first I-Cubs game of the year in these past few weeks, and we kicked off the summer with what’s become a traditional Memorial Day Weekend at the lake with the VLs. Our arrival at the lake was delayed as I officiated the wedding of Joel and Kara (Zondervan) Larson at the Scholte Gardens in Pella. It’s been a while since I’ve officiated a wedding. Ironically, I received a surprise message on Facebook from the couple who were my very first wedding over 30 years ago. How cool to know that they are still together and happily married. I take no credit, of course. Asking the questions is the easy part.

Officiating a wedding at the Scolte Gardens on Memorial Day weekend.
Me c.1988 officiating my first wedding.

The rest of the weekend at the lake was fun, as always. It’s so much fun to watch the VL kids enjoying themselves and having watched them grow up right here at the Playhouse over the years. As the kids have gotten older and now entertain themselves quite nicely, it also affords the adults more time and space for conversation and that was wonderful.

Dock. Sun. Chill. Perfect.
Selah
Camille caught a fish, but wasn’t about to touch it.

Wendy and I stayed a few extra days and worked from the lake, but we had to buzz home as our friends Kevin and Linda were making a rare, brief appearance in Iowa. We met them, along with our friend Cyndi, for dinner at Cooper’s in Valley Junction and then for an after dinner drink at the Hall. Can’t tell you how much we miss having them living across the street.

The following weekend was another rare treat as all of Wendy’s siblings came home for a Hall family gathering. It was the first time that the entire Hall crew were in the same room since 2010. The agenda was very simple: be together, eat together. We got to meet our nephew, Asher, for the very first time and found out that we have another niece or nephew due to arrive by the end of the year as Wendy’s brother Luke and his wife, Brooke, announced that there was a bun in the oven. It was so much fun to be together as a family again.

Our nephew, Asher.
Sisters.
The Hall family together again.
The whole Hall clan.

It was back to the lake this past weekend for our annual early summer pilgrimage with our friends, Kev and Beck. Again, it was nice that we had better weather than was forecast. We enjoyed lunch and a leisurely few hours in the pool at the Redhead on Friday, along with some sun and relaxation on the dock on Saturday. As usual, the real focus of the weekend was sharing life, great food, great drinks, and endless conversations that move us all further up, and further in.

Life is good.
Me and M’luv
Lots of laughter.
Charcuterie night!
Life is good, even working up a sweat mowing.
Fun at the Redhead

Hope you’re having a great summer wherever your journey finds you. Play ball!

Chapter-a-Day

Family Week at the Lake 2018

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Ten years ago Wendy and I made what was a rather momentous decision for the two of us. We decided to buy my parents’ lakeside property and the 70′ single-wide on Lake of the Ozarks. It was their retirement home that became an annual family destination for family, love, and fun. Both Taylor and Madison had grown up spending summers at the “Playhouse” with Grandpa and Grandma. Wendy and I dreamed that it might be place with which we could bless others and someday share with our own grandchildren.

That in mind, just a couple of weeks ago was another rather momentous milestone. Our family gathered at the lake for a week of fun together, and it was our grandson Milo’s first trip to grandpa and grandma’s “Playhouse” at the lake.

The kids actually all arrived before Wendy and I did on Sunday. Madison flew into St. Louis with her boyfriend, Garrett. They rented a car and drove to the lake. Taylor, Clayton, and Milo drove from Des Moines, stopping in KC for a lunch and road break. It was late afternoon when Wendy and I arrived.

The week fell into a rather pleasant groove. It’s interesting to note that every adult had some kind of work they could, or needed to, do remotely so there were hours of each day in which everyone was engaged in doing his or her own thing.

Wendy had done a masterful job of arranging the evening meal plans and the girls pitched in helping with sides. It was fun enjoying an evening meal together each night along, having conversation around the table, and of course there were the requisite slices of Wendy’s cheesecake for dessert.

We enjoyed watching movies together at night and spending mornings and afternoons in the sun (and ducking the unexpected rain) on the dock. Milo got his first swim in the lake (he wasn’t exactly sure about the whole thing). We had wave runner rides and an unexpected wave runner breakdown resulting in pulling it out and taking it to the shop. There was an enjoyable afternoon in the pool at Bear Bottom.

Madison and Garrett headed back to SC on Thursday. The rest of us enjoyed lunch at the Red Head on Friday and the kids headed for home on Saturday morning. Wendy and I had a lunch date, taking the wave runners to Popeyz for lunch on Saturday. Then it was and afternoon and evening of clean-up and preparation for our next guests.