Tag Archives: Weekend

Wayfarer's Journal

Purple Pilgrimage

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Earlier this week I had a couple of days that required my presence with a client in the Twin Cities. Wendy and I seized the opportunity to mix a little pleasure with a business trip and make our annual pilgrimage to the Metrodome to watch our beloved Vikings playing the San Francisco 49ers.

We left on Saturday morning and drove up to the Mall of America. Wendy and I have been doing this massive purge of our closets and drawers this fall. Clothes that we haven’t worn in years along with clothes that no longer fit us are being given away. We both had a short list of things we needed to replace, so we did a little shopping on Saturday afternoon. That night we dined at the flagship of perhaps our favorite restaurant of all time: Buca Di Beppo’s in downtown Minneapolis.

Sunday was beautiful as we walked from our hotel to the Metrodome. Wendy reminded me that since we’ve been making our (somewhat) annual pilgrimage to watch our beloved “purple people eaters” she had never seen them lose. I explained that she should prepare for that streak to end. The 49ers, who many hold to be the most talented team in the NFL this year, held the edge over our rebuilding Vikes in almost every aspect of the game.

The Metrodome is loud when you pack tens of thousands of screaming football fans inside. It’s raucous. It’s a blast. You quickly build camaraderie with your fellow fans sitting around you. You’re in this together. You’re family. Everyday on the street it’s easy to feel beleaguered and besieged by annoying cheeseheads, but on Sunday afternoon inside the Metrodome you are surrounded by brothers-in-arms. You are a force to be reckoned with.

Wendy made the observation that while we love the game of baseball, the truth of the matter is that the crowd at a baseball game has very little impact on an average game. The crowd cheers after something momentous happens. There is generally no swell of crowd noise until the bottom of the 9th, if at all. In football, the crowd can actually make a difference. When it’s 3rd and long for the opponent and the Metrodome crowd starts to scream, the crowd knows that they are making it almost impossible for the opposing team to hear plays getting called in from the sideline. It’s equally impossible for the opposing quarterback to successfully call an audible. It’s easy for the opponent to make mistakes amidst the deafening din. The average fan can be an active participant in the outcome of the game, and that’s kind of a fun feeling.

The game Sunday was perhaps the most fun we’ve ever had a Vikings game. The Vikings played their hearts out and pulled the upset. We and our fellow fans had a ball cheering the team on. Wendy’s streak is still in tact.

It was kind of a crazy summer for the two of us, and we’ve been really looking forward to a little time for the two of us to relax and enjoy some R&R. Our purple pilgrimage was just what the doctor ordered.

 

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Mile High Weekend

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It wasn’t just the Colorado, Rocky Mountain elevation that gave us a high this past weekend. A harmonic convergence of family celebrations in Colorado fell onto the calendar this past Saturday as Madison graduated from her one year program at New Life School of Worship in Colorado Springs and Wendy’s sister, Becky, was wed to Courtney Oakes in Denver.

Wendy and I were up early on Wednesday and made the long trek across Interstate 80. We hit a huge spring thunderstorm in Kearney, Nebraska. It was only 50 degrees and the cold rain made it feel more like October than late May. Within a few hundred miles the clouds gave way to sunny skies and the thermometer climbed 35 degrees. We arrived in the late afternoon and spent the evening with Becky, Courtney and other members of the wedding party that arrived that evening.

Wend and I worked remotely on Thursday and then joined with the gathering family and wedding party members for a trip to Coors Field to watch the Colorado Rockies beat the Houston Astros. Of course, Wendy and I loved being at the baseball game even if it wasn’t our beloved (and beleaguered) Cubs.

More work for Wendy and I early Friday. Wendy then moved on to help Becky with the mid-day rehearsal and preparations for the wedding as I headed down the interstate to Colorado Springs to attend the family picnic for Madison’s graduating class. It was great to meet Madison’s roommates, classmates and teachers. It was heartening to hear one of her teachers compliment Madison’s attitude, participation and spiritual maturity. I had to head back to Denver for the rehearsal dinner while Madison stayed in Colorado Springs to continue moving into the apartment where she’ll be living this summer.

The rehearsal dinner was on Friday night at the home of Courtney’s parents. They have a gorgeous home with a wonderful back yard perfect for hosting the party. We enjoyed a great meal and got a chance to mingle with Wendy’s family members who’d just arrived along with meeting Courtney’s family.

On Saturday morning I enjoyed early morning coffee and conversation with Wendy’s dad. Her mom then joined the two of us for breakfast. Wendy was busy all day getting Becky ready for the wedding as I headed back down to Colorado Springs for Madison’s commencement service. On the way I got a phone call from Madison letting me know that she’d fallen while packing her car and hurt her foot.

I arrived at New Life Church for her commencement ceremony. Madison was in pain and couldn’t walk on her foot, but it wasn’t too swollen and I was encouraged that it wasn’t serious. Unfortunately, her injury kept her from crossing the stage with her classmates to receive her certificate, but they did ask her to stand to be recognized. After the ceremony she got some help getting up on stage to have pictures taken. After the service we had some cake and punch before grabbing lunch at Champs where she works as a server. I got to meet her co-workers and we enjoyed lunch together before heading to Denver for the wedding.

Despite her injury, Madison played photographer at Becky’s house as Wendy and her sister, Suzanna, got their make-up on and helped Becky into her corset back wedding dress. I got cleaned up and dressed at the hotel and then picked up Madison and headed to the wedding which took place at the Summit Conference and Event Center in Aurora.

The wedding ceremony was nice and the three Hall girls (Eden, Adira, and Sophia) were adorable in their white dresses as they stood up with Wendy (Matron of Honor) and Suzanna (bridesmaid). Mr Ed held it together as he offered a prayer of blessing over the couple. Guests enjoyed drinks and appetizers while the family endured the obligatory pictures after the ceremony. Then came dinner and lots of dancing. Madison was a real trooper. Even though her foot was killing her she hung in there and helped take a lot of pictures of the reception.

Madison climbed in Reggie (Wendy’s Nissan Murano) with Wendy and me and we took off for home this morning about 9:30. It was a long, hard drive back to Pella. Madison slept most of the way and Wendy got some shut-eye as well. We made it back to Vander Well Manor about 7:45 this evening to unpack. Madison shrieked with glee as we drove into Pella. She’s excited to be home and very quickly headed up to George’s to meet a friend.

I figured I’d write this post and get some photos loaded. It was a long, but wonderful weekend. We had a ball with family (old and new!) and are so proud of Madison. Madison has decided to stay in Colorado Springs. She will be living in an apartment with a couple of her classmates and plans to attend the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs this fall.

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Numbers 28

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“Conclude the seventh day in holy worship; don’t do any regular work on that day.” Numbers 28:25 (MSG)

It’s funny to think that the concept of a regular day of rest, established thousands of years ago by a nomadic nation wandering in the Sinai desert, continues to this day with our “weekends.”

I know a lot of friends who grew up in families who strictly observed the “sabbath” by doing nothing. Sundays were a day of sitting quietly with your family and doing as little as possible. Some have even related a complex system of rules used to decide whether an activity was appropriate. The idea of wrangling with such mental gymnastics seems like a lot of work in and of itself.

I’ve always thought that rest was a much broader concept than being absolutely still. As a person who sits all week and works on a computer, the act of getting outside and puttering in my lawn, my pitiful flower garden, or on a house project is not work. It’s rest from my sedentary life. Being active and playful in ways unrelated to my daily occupation gives life to my soul and my body which needs to move and to be stimulated by activity other than that which I do too many hours of each week.

Today, I’m looking forward to a weekend of rest, and please don’t misunderstand. I’ll be very active, but these particular activities will bring a large measure of peace to my soul.

Wayfarer's Journal

4th of July Weekend 2011

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Old Glory flies from the Hall’s front porch.

Wendy and I picked up Grandma Vander Hart headed to Boone for a 4th of July cookout at the Hall’s yesterday. It was a gorgeous day and while the family gathering was much smaller than it might have been considering the size of Wendy’s clan, we had great food and a lazy afternoon of pleasant conversation.

That capped off a wonderful 4th of July weekend. Wendy and I enjoyed some rest on Friday night and Saturday, watching Wimbledon together and remembering our visit there a few years ago. We went to a matinee movie, something we rarely do these days. We went to see Green Lantern with extremely low expectations and were pleasantly surprised that a silly movie based on a comic book prompted such great conversation about the themes of love, will, and fear which carried on through the rest of the weekend.

On Saturday night we enjoyed a wonderful date night dinner out with the VL’s. After spending a week together in June with every meal dominated by the chaos of three families and four young children, we blissfully enjoyed a quiet dinner with adult conversation. We even got to extend the conversation back at our house for a dessert of chocolate lava cake and a wonderful Bordeaux. Mmmmmmmm.

I played bass in worship on Sunday morning which was a blast. I haven’t been playing as regularly with our crazy summer schedule, and the drummer pointed out that my fingers needed to limber up. Nevertheless, the joy of playing with the worship team and being part of the music never gets old for me.

We then headed to Des Moines to meet up with Tim & Kumi and Taylor & Clayton for lunch at Court Avenue Brewing company. More great food and pleasant conversation as we celebrated Taylor’s impending 21st birthday (more about that tomorrow).

How blessed to have a weekend full of people and experiences we love and appreciate most in life wrapped around a celebration of the freedom and sacrifice that made it possible.

Random Thoughts

Getting into the Spirit of the Wedding Weekend

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My ol' Judson College buddy, Elaine, sent this to me through Facebook. She sent it as stress relief for the wedding weekend as I prepare to marry my daughter off. I just had to share it! 

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