- Share a highlight from this summer. (If you please, don’t just say
"our vacation to the Canadian Rockies." Give us a little detail or
image. Help us live vicariously through you!)
The highlight has been spending so much time with my daughters. In early June we took them out of their wonderful full-day daycare program so that we could save money (I was unemployed as of June 1). Yet more than a cost-cutting measure, this was a great opportunity for me to spend time with my kids – especially after working a job that kept me away from home 11-12 hours/day for the previous 9 months. From parks to playing dress-up (my daughter dressed up, not me) to trips to the Crayola Factory and the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, I’ve had tons of fun, and I’ve really gotten to know my girls . . . it has been wonderful.
And highlight #2 . . . learning that we’re having a boy in November!
Honorable Mention: Going to the Baseball Hall of Fame for Cal Ripkin’s induction
- Are you glad to see this summer end? Why or why not?
I am. It was a tough summer, full of change and transitions. The girls and I spent five weeks away from mommy, and that was tiring and trying for all of us – mommy, daddy, and the girls. We also moved to Northern Virginia from the Philadelphia area . . . With the exception of a weekend trip to Cooperstown, NY for the Hall of Fame Induction, we had no vacation and struggled to keep lots of balls in the air.
- Name one or two things you’re looking forward to this fall.
I am incredibly looking forward to beginning my internship. 10 years ago I began my first semester at seminary, and 5 years ago I graduated. This has been a long journey with lots of twists and turns. It’s great to finally return to parish ministry and live into my vocation!
- Do you have any special preparations or activities to mark the
transition from one season to another? (Cleaning of house, putting away
summer clothes, one last trip to the beach)
Nothing exciting. We’ll eventually pull out the blankets, turn off the outdoor spigots, and put away Tali’s bicycle. Of course, I’ll listen intently to playoff baseball this October. The beginning of football season and the end of baseball season is one of the most obvious and exciting transitions to fall for me . . .
- I’ll know that fall is really here when . . .
. . . the leaves change color, the next baseball game is scheduled for April 2008, my church begins to plan in earnest for Advent and Christmas, and my wife’s pregnant belly grows larger than a prize-winning pumpkin!
The Lutheran Zephyr 