Tonight we went to the Wednesday evening discipleship classes. We’ve been talking about going and other nights it just hasn’t worked out. They have something for all ages including two adult studies. One is on the Book of Concord and the other is on the book of Ephesians. They have an Evening Prayer service beforehand which I did not feel like going to since I had just come home from work and needed some down time before turning around to drive back into town. I was excited to go.

I thought Josh was going to be in the Bible class but he was in the Book of Concord class. I looked around to find the Ephesians room and it was just the pastor and one other guy in there. He said they usually have about six or seven but they were missing a lot of people. I had this flashback of my grandpa with his Bible open and with another man also with his. I felt like I was intruding on some time they needed to have so I told them I would let them have their special time.

So then I went into the room where they have the services. I had to curb my disappointment that I wasn’t going to the Bible class. I sat down next to Josh and the teacher was in the middle of explaining one of the sections. I tried multiple times to pay attention but it was like I couldn’t keep from zoning out. There were twenty people in the class not including the teacher. I couldn’t understand what the big deal was but I gave the teacher credit for his smartness and earnestness.

Somewhere the hornet’s nest got stirred up and it became this whole fiasco. I was searching and filling out apartment applications and he was reaching out to a pastors Facebook group asking for prayers for his family because his wife had said she wanted to leave him. Suddenly three of my sons were trying to talk sense and inspiring words to me including one typing me paragraphs. Our history of dealing with this is so long and extensive, it can seem like there really aren’t any more options.

But anyway, all of that settled.

We woke up in Seward after driving to Nebraska after the meet to see Laura and Lila. It’d been three whole weeks since we’d seen her and she had doubled in age. She doesn’t fit on my lap anymore to do the lap photos I was doing at first. We hung out in the evening at Ethan and Laura’s apartment. We’d had sandwiches in the car after stopping by Hyvee and buying some supplies. I’d made a Walmart order the day before so we picked up that to have the ingredients to make supper.

It didn’t feel like I saw Lila that much. I held her while everyone ate and then switched for eating and clean up. Everyone was tired so we didn’t stay too long past 8. Something I remember is how important it is to have that nuclear family time. When I want to help Laura and do things for her this is one of the things I am able to do. Extended family time is good but you also need that time to connect especially after the stretch of a long day.

Dad, the boys, and I went back to the motel room. I don’t even remember what we did, if there was a baseball game on, I know some people went out and walked. I’m pretty sure I went to bed. This time we had a couch so there enough beds for everyone. It was still the same lady checking us in and making us breakfast in the morning. Last time when I stayed there she was opening the rooms and clearing out garbage. I almost wish that I could help her and have a little business like this.

If it wasn’t so far away I would do it. We went to early service and sat in the left back pews like last time. The choir wasn’t singing so it wasn’t nearly as crowded. Ethan and Laura found us and Lila was awake in her infant seat. Laura asked if I wanted to hold her since she was awake. I definitely did. She was awake but kind of fussy so I took her out to the back of the church and into the hallway and common areas. She has this grumpy face when she’s tired and uncomfortable but still looking around.

So I got to spend more time with her then and it made it feel like I had gotten my time with her. It was the time we needed to get acquainted and make some memories. I wrapped her up in her blanket and experimented with different ways of holding her. Laura had said it was okay to take her out. She liked to be walking more than sitting but once she was officially asleep it was okay to go in and sit back down with her. We sang a song in church and I listened to them sing and it was beautiful.

Today was a very long day after a very long day the before of driving. Ethan had a meet in Sioux Center Iowa. It took about 8 hours before you counted the various stops. We left around noon since once of the boys had to go to school for a work day he couldn’t skip. It was a long day of crossing states and zig zagging up to the town. We managed to find a room with two queen beds which meant one of the boys had to volunteer to sleep on the floor. Everyone went to bed fairly early.

I told the boys it wasn’t an official road trip unless you’re scrounging and getting by at some point. So we brought our homemade sandwiches using the camp leftovers from the various meals they’d had that week. For supper we ordered Casey’s pizza and picked it up long enough to use the bathroom, buy napkins, and get back into the car. So that was actually not too bad and it’s a break from the money spending on fast food. The next morning we ate from the hotel breakfast.

The races were divided into a Gold division and Black division. The Gold race has the top ten runners from each team and the Black division race had everybody else. It keeps the course from becoming too crowded. Ethan had a strategy to not use his watch and just try to keep up with the front place runners from his team. He ended up getting first on his team out of almost twenty runners. It was the fastest time and highest place he’s ever had so that was special to be able to see.

I’ve been doing some premarital counseling with my brother-in-law and sister. We’ve been meeting on Thursday evenings and wrapping up our time as as things get closer to the wedding. So far among other things mixed in there, we have talked about personality differences and how they are a thing to be appreciated and not despised, daily connecting rituals of greeting/departing/talking, how to come to a person when you feel they have hurt you, conjugal rights, and the actual wedding vows.

She pulled up the paper with the wedding vows they would be using. We read through them. They were slightly different than the ones we use in our Lutheran Service Book hymnal. I don’t even remember now what they all were but the man’s section, in his unique portion of the vow statement, had two verbs that he was promising to do. The woman had four, including the words protect and obey. I didn’t like any of this. So I went and got our hymnal and texted her the service.

There the words were a little different. The man had two verbs which were nourish and cherish. The woman had one which was submit. I mean, I felt like we could work with it since those were are at least in the Bible. It sounds like I was being demanding and difficult but I really wasn’t. The rest of the words in the hymnal were the same for both people. To love, honor, and keep, Forsaking all others, Remain united to him/her alone. To me I feel like the process is truly inspiring and romantic.