Happy Birthday, Dad!

Yep, Dad turned 42 today. We didn't do anything major for his birthday, but the highlight, I think, was the birthday dinner Mom made for him. Yesterday, she made a Cajun steak recipe with red reduction sauce and mushrooms, twice baked potatoes, scallops, homemade rolls, and then pumpkin pie for dessert (it's Dad's favorite dessert, and Mom always makes it for his birthday). Today, he also felt special when Mom made shrimp and orzo (a Greek pasta) for lunch because it's another one of his favorites, but it was a much less complex meal. I believe on Friday we may go out to eat at a restaurant for his birthday. We bought Dad a few small presents like some cigars and pipe tobacco (the stuff for his pipe smells lovely) and a water bottle that he can drink out of that doesn't make the water taste metallic. He's been using it since we gave it to him on Friday. We kids also gave him a funny card, which talked about different "dad" sayings like "when I was your age" or "what the___" with commentaries. It was really cute.

After Dad's birthday dinner on Saturday, we sort of had to rush to leave the house to attend a funeral for a woman from our last church who died recently. This lady, Esther Gregg, was a godly woman full of wit, joy, and love, and there were many wonderful stories about her life that people shared at the end of the service. She may not have done great things in her life, but she certainly will be remembered. It was also a nice time for us to greet some old friends from Grace Bible that we haven't seen in a while. Usually, in the past, there was some measure of tension or slight hostility that some people showed us, but Saturday night there was none of that. People greeted us with warm smiles, were amazed at how much we kids had grown, and asked how life was for us. Dad and Mom had the opportunity also to meet a couple of kids who had been in their youth group years ago who have all grown up (making Dad feel old... hehe). One of them, whom Dad has last seen when she was 17, is now 28 (I think) and a book editor; her last memory of Mandy was carrying her in a pack and tripping while holding her (I made a joke that it explained so much). All in all, it was a good evening.

And now it seems fall is coming quickly. Colds have been going around the church, and now they've passed to us. Mandy's eyes itched like crazy earlier last week, and Seth got a fever around the same time. I now have a sore throat, a bit of a runny nose, and a slight cough, as does Seth. We've been taking some doses of vitamin D to try to fight it off. It's sort of odd that colds are going around in August when I would expect them in a month or so. Maybe because this summer has been less humid and it's not been as hot as it has been. Hope this doesn't forbode for a cold winter.