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| #sushi@thepark |
Monday. Ashley and I spent the day together. We picked up sushi and took it to the park for a picnic (Zoey had a Happy Meal from McDonald's). Zoey played on the playground for a while. I would sit at the top of the slide, she would reach out her hand, and I'd help her scoot upwards. She likes climbing slides more than she likes going down them. I led the three of us on an exploration through the woods that culminated in discovering a creek. Zoey wanted to swim, so we took off her shoes and let her splash around for a while. We headed back to Ashley's to pick up Chloe. I helped her with her homework, and then we went back to the creek. Ashley and Zoey stayed near the trail, but Chloe and I went on our own exploration down the creek. I pointed out a lot of things about nature and helped her climb her first "cliff", with me spotting her and teaching her how to use roots for handholds and foot-rests. She had an absolute blast, even if she thought we were being chased by a bear at one point. The evening ended with a picnic of peanut butter sandwiches at the amphitheater. "Can we come back and explore some more?!" Chloe begged.
Tuesday. I spent the morning hanging out with Ashley, her sister Rachel, and Zoey. Zoey was in a great mood. "I think our park adventures wore her out; she didn't wake up even once throughout the night." Zoey kept wanting me to pick her up, and I'd swing her around and do flips with her in the air, and she squealed through it all. Every time I set her down, she threw herself against my legs and shot up her hands begging to play just a little bit more. I worked 2-7:00 and went back to Ashley's afterwards. I plopped down on the sofa and Chloe curled up against me to read some of her chapter book (it's about mermaids), and Zoey crawled up on the other side of me and cuddled as she watched Curious George. The girls went to bed, and Ashley and I drank some ciders and shared a pumpkin donut and watched Sons of Anarchy. She started scratching my head and then I was out, waking up two hours later. "Did you have a good nap? You were snoring so loud."
Wednesday. I went to The Anchor for coffee and scripture before spending the afternoon with Ams at her apartment. I pieced together the rough outline for my sermon and then headed to work 3-7:00 in Blue Ash. I swung back by Ashley's and hung out with her and the girls. The girls went to bed, and Ashley and I read some scripture together before I headed home to get some sleep before tomorrow. Starting in November I'm on a month-to-month lease. I was worried about signing another year contract since I'm still looking for jobs, so it's a relief that I'll still have the Hobbit Hole at my disposal until I land a better job and can afford a nicer place. Not that I'm mad about the Hobbit Hole: it's been privy to some good memories, and you can't find a cozier dwelling come wintertime.
Thursday. I worked 8:30 to 4 PM in Blue Ash and then had my remote shift with the Twins in Norwood till later in the evening. I went to The Anchor for coffee and scripture afterwards, and Ashley came down to the Hobbit Hole. We were up until 4 AM talking about all sorts of things, such as how I've only worn two pairs of jeans since we've known each other ("I wear them prairie cowboy style: they're out there corralling the cattle for three weeks, at the least.") and how when she eats peanuts in the shell, she hunches down over the bowl and her fingers work so fast that she looks like a hamster. Kind words, I assure you (I've always been partial to hamsters).
Halloween. After coffee and scripture at Anchor Grill, I spent the afternoon with Ashley at her place. I fixed to throw my sermon together, and she made me a couple cups of coffee throughout my sermon prep and let me bounce ideas off her. When Chloe got home from school, we dressed them up in their Halloween outfits. Zoey went as a giraffe, and Chloe went as a cat. We took them to trick-or-treat at the Tri-County Mall (since it was sleeting), but everyone else had that idea, too, so all the stores were out of candy. It was pretty lame taking the girls store-to-store and having them pass out in-store coupons. Here's a snapshot of our daily conversation:
"Did you see what that chic was wearing?" Ashley said.
"What? Which one?"
"It makes me glad to know you weren't looking."
"I was thinking about dinosaurs."
And I was: there was a kid in a Parasaurolophus costume.
(I wanted to show him the Youtube video of the noise it makes)
"I'd rather you be thinking about dinosaurs than looking at other women."
"Well, I was thinking about them in a sexual nature."
"What?"
"Take me to a beach filled with half-naked women, and I'm fine..."
"I still don't know what you're talking about."
"...but take me to the Natural History Museum, and shit gets weird."
She looks at me, that weird look I get a lot.
At this point a wise person would stop talking. That's not me.
"I got kicked out of the Creation Museum," I said, "for sodomizing a Chasmosaurus..."
"Oh my goodness."
"...and it was a juvenile."
"Please stay away from my daughters."
After that whole exchange after getting Zoey strapped into her carseat, we went to Kroger, and while Ashley watched Zoey in the car, I took Chloe inside and she picked large packs of her favorite candies (since East Gate was out). Ashley took the girls out for corndogs (a Halloween treat from Sonic!), and then the three of them came to the Hobbit Hole. Chloe loved it, and Zoey was being extra playful. We put in the movie Despicable Me, but the girls ended up not watching it and just wanting to play the whole time. I didn't mind. Chloe colored me a picture of a beaver with Happy! written all over it. You bet it's hanging on my refrigerator. Here are some pics from Halloween night at the Hobbit Hole:
Saturday. I wasted the early morning away with coffee at Anchor Grill as snow fell outside the windows. My afternoon was spent working with Aaron in Delhi and Mychal in Western Hills, and I went to see Tyler in Mason before my 5-Midnight in Blue Ash. Hanging out with Tyler is always a good time: we relaxed on his new sofas (he's excited about them), played with his new cat (he's also excited about that), and talked about pornography's emasculating effect on the brain (something he's way too excited about). It was a quiet night in Blue Ash polishing up my sermon for tomorrow.
Sunday. I spent the night in Blue Ash, and after grabbing coffee from U.D.F., I headed out east to Mayhill Christian Church. The sermon went really well. Loving God & the Obedience of the Faith. Afterwards the elders met with me in a backroom. They all have absolutely loved the sermons I've preached. "We've had other guys in here, but your sermons are definitely the most challenging," one of them said. Another added, "When I first saw you, I thought you were a kid! And then I heard you preach, and it was very evident you were no kid." Their words were very encouraging. "We want to hire you," they said. The position would entail Sunday morning preaching, doing weddings and funerals if needed, and (per my request) a weekday evening Bible study, something the church is lacking and which could be a launching-pad into more planned times for the church's fellowship and growing in the faith. They're going to present my name before the church this coming Sunday; if at least 75% of the church approves, I'll be hired. The cat's not in the bag yet, but I'm hopeful. If things here don't pan out, I'm still in the running for two other churches. Ashley came over when I got home and asked all sorts of questions about how it went, and she told me she was proud of me and I could see in her face that she really was. She joined me at Winton Ridge to watch The Walking Dead, but John's cable kept flickering in & out. We went back to my place and watched a DVD called Zombies: The Occult Truth. It was ridiculous and amazing. Also: we ate all of Zoey and Chloe's Halloween candy. Like all of it. "I can't believe we did that," she moaned. "I'm such an awful mom!" I told her I didn't feel too bad: "I'm the one who bought the candy, after all!" We're getting them some more tomorrow.
Thursday. I worked 8:30 to 4 PM in Blue Ash and then had my remote shift with the Twins in Norwood till later in the evening. I went to The Anchor for coffee and scripture afterwards, and Ashley came down to the Hobbit Hole. We were up until 4 AM talking about all sorts of things, such as how I've only worn two pairs of jeans since we've known each other ("I wear them prairie cowboy style: they're out there corralling the cattle for three weeks, at the least.") and how when she eats peanuts in the shell, she hunches down over the bowl and her fingers work so fast that she looks like a hamster. Kind words, I assure you (I've always been partial to hamsters).
Halloween. After coffee and scripture at Anchor Grill, I spent the afternoon with Ashley at her place. I fixed to throw my sermon together, and she made me a couple cups of coffee throughout my sermon prep and let me bounce ideas off her. When Chloe got home from school, we dressed them up in their Halloween outfits. Zoey went as a giraffe, and Chloe went as a cat. We took them to trick-or-treat at the Tri-County Mall (since it was sleeting), but everyone else had that idea, too, so all the stores were out of candy. It was pretty lame taking the girls store-to-store and having them pass out in-store coupons. Here's a snapshot of our daily conversation:
"Did you see what that chic was wearing?" Ashley said.
"What? Which one?"
"It makes me glad to know you weren't looking."
"I was thinking about dinosaurs."
And I was: there was a kid in a Parasaurolophus costume.
(I wanted to show him the Youtube video of the noise it makes)
"I'd rather you be thinking about dinosaurs than looking at other women."
"Well, I was thinking about them in a sexual nature."
"What?"
"Take me to a beach filled with half-naked women, and I'm fine..."
"I still don't know what you're talking about."
"...but take me to the Natural History Museum, and shit gets weird."
She looks at me, that weird look I get a lot.
At this point a wise person would stop talking. That's not me.
"I got kicked out of the Creation Museum," I said, "for sodomizing a Chasmosaurus..."
"Oh my goodness."
"...and it was a juvenile."
"Please stay away from my daughters."
After that whole exchange after getting Zoey strapped into her carseat, we went to Kroger, and while Ashley watched Zoey in the car, I took Chloe inside and she picked large packs of her favorite candies (since East Gate was out). Ashley took the girls out for corndogs (a Halloween treat from Sonic!), and then the three of them came to the Hobbit Hole. Chloe loved it, and Zoey was being extra playful. We put in the movie Despicable Me, but the girls ended up not watching it and just wanting to play the whole time. I didn't mind. Chloe colored me a picture of a beaver with Happy! written all over it. You bet it's hanging on my refrigerator. Here are some pics from Halloween night at the Hobbit Hole:
Saturday. I wasted the early morning away with coffee at Anchor Grill as snow fell outside the windows. My afternoon was spent working with Aaron in Delhi and Mychal in Western Hills, and I went to see Tyler in Mason before my 5-Midnight in Blue Ash. Hanging out with Tyler is always a good time: we relaxed on his new sofas (he's excited about them), played with his new cat (he's also excited about that), and talked about pornography's emasculating effect on the brain (something he's way too excited about). It was a quiet night in Blue Ash polishing up my sermon for tomorrow.
Sunday. I spent the night in Blue Ash, and after grabbing coffee from U.D.F., I headed out east to Mayhill Christian Church. The sermon went really well. Loving God & the Obedience of the Faith. Afterwards the elders met with me in a backroom. They all have absolutely loved the sermons I've preached. "We've had other guys in here, but your sermons are definitely the most challenging," one of them said. Another added, "When I first saw you, I thought you were a kid! And then I heard you preach, and it was very evident you were no kid." Their words were very encouraging. "We want to hire you," they said. The position would entail Sunday morning preaching, doing weddings and funerals if needed, and (per my request) a weekday evening Bible study, something the church is lacking and which could be a launching-pad into more planned times for the church's fellowship and growing in the faith. They're going to present my name before the church this coming Sunday; if at least 75% of the church approves, I'll be hired. The cat's not in the bag yet, but I'm hopeful. If things here don't pan out, I'm still in the running for two other churches. Ashley came over when I got home and asked all sorts of questions about how it went, and she told me she was proud of me and I could see in her face that she really was. She joined me at Winton Ridge to watch The Walking Dead, but John's cable kept flickering in & out. We went back to my place and watched a DVD called Zombies: The Occult Truth. It was ridiculous and amazing. Also: we ate all of Zoey and Chloe's Halloween candy. Like all of it. "I can't believe we did that," she moaned. "I'm such an awful mom!" I told her I didn't feel too bad: "I'm the one who bought the candy, after all!" We're getting them some more tomorrow.
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