Greetings from Knoxville, Tennessee, where we arrived somewhere between 2 and 3 a.m. this morning! We left home at 6:30 which was a bit later than we'd planned but under normal conditions that should've gotten us here between 12:30 and 1:00. Unfortunately, road construction/one-lane stuff on the Interstate combined with Easter travel traffic slowed us down in far southern W.Va. So...we sang along with the radio and did what we could to stay alert! Actually all in all a pretty pleasant trip. At one point when we were stopped (or crawling) in traffic for a long time I got a leg cramp and my wife and I did a Chinese fire drill to get her into the driver's seat! Brings back memories of high school and college - especially one memorable Chinese fire drill in Morgantown which a female friend and I conspired to do to get my best friend and his now wife of 25+ years together in the back seat (just to sit there and talk! they were not dating yet). So just call me a matchmaker.
Today is Good Friday and it's about 11:15. I slept probably till 10:30 with some interruptions but basically, I slept like a rock. We're getting ready to take off for Christopher and Alice's new house and a day of work. We're laying a porch floor and setting porch columns today, plus doing some painting. Should be fun, a good family project, and really kind of a fitting way to celebrate and remember Good Friday. I think the Lord is pleased with hard work and cooperative effort! So hope that's how the day will be - certainly looks like so now.
We're going to celebrate Duncan's #25 tomorrow, on the day, by letting him select a restaurant. I hope he'll pick "The Butcher Shop," a wonderful place here in Knoxville we've gone to over the years from time to time. You select and grill your own steak there! But tonight, we're planning a visit across the street from Christopher and Alice's apartment to Senor Taco, where we celebrated two birthdays last summer with Duncan not able to be with us. He doesn't know that their tradition - when the waiters sing "Happy Birthday" in Spanish - is to smoosh a paper plate of whipped cream into the face of the honoree (who already is bedeck in a sombrero and pancho). So should be fun and a great way to end the day!
We are packed like sardines into this apartment - seven in our family, Colleen's college friend Jessica, three dogs and two cats. Sleeping bags, air mattresses, pull-out couch, you name it - we slept all over the place last night. This is a nice and even spacious apartment with a great view of trees and the city but we're very excited for Christopher and Alice to have their new home. It's really special since Christopher himself designed it. Someday! His mother and I are looking forward to living in the home that he will design for us!
I'm so glad to be away from home a couple of days. I need a break from the campaign to energize myself for the remainder, until May 13. I said last night on the way down here, "The campaign is energizing but exhausting." Don't quite know where that thought came from but it seems exactly right, even though the two concepts also seem conflicting. It's like this - I seem to have energy to do what I need to do at that time, even though afterwards and sometimes even before I feel very tired. I guess God gives us what we need when we need it!
Had a good meeting with about 50 folks and several other candidates yesterday. They asked me to say grace over our meal which I was happy to do. Nice folks.
Hope all have a good day and weekend - remember Good Friday and of course Easter. I may not blog again till after Sunday but I'm sure you'll understand -
He is Risen!
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