I Just Wanted to Tell You That.

As I was driving Ian to church youth group Wednesday night, we chatted comfortably in the car. He shared how a girl at school had actually taken notice of him the preceding week. It was either the beginning or end of a class, and he was standing by a desk talking to another boy. A girl he didn't really know made her way through the throng of kids, straight up to him, clearly eager to tell him something. While periodically shushing the other boy who was obliviously trying to continue his conversation with Ian, she started sharing. "I know some people with eyebrows, but you got it down - bushy and straight across your head." Ian said he just looked at her. He didn't know what to say. So, she concluded with, "I just wanted to tell you that," and walked away.

With his story finished, Ian couldn't hold it together any longer and just broke up, laughing so hard he was doubled over and speechless. Of course, I was laughing too, though I tried not to double up so I could keep my eyes, teary though they were, on the road. When we were capable of speech once more, we discussed this interaction a little further. Ian didn't think the girl meant anything unkind by her words. She is African-American, and we wondered if maybe unibrows weren't common among African-Americans so maybe she found his particularly intriguing? We also talked about how the genes of my bushy eyebrows and David's very light unibrow have united in a special way in him.

This is not the first time he has gotten comments on his unibrow. A year or 2 ago, school kids started noticing, and the comments started coming. He always found it mildly irritating whenever a kid would inform him of the arrangement of his eyebrows - or should I say eyebrow? - as if their new discovery would be news to him. In this case, though, Ian wasn't irritated at all.

Afterward I thought to myself, of all the ways he could have responded to this girl's bold pronouncement, his was definitely among the healthier options.

Engulfed by Fall

A favorite among Hannah's fall photos.

What can you do with a pig?

You can read with a pig.






You can play chess with a pig.










You can play outside with a pig. Even the dog likes
to play with the pigs -- after she got over her fear
of them.

Two Little Pigs

I just wanted to introduce the two latest additions to our family. Starburst (L) and Taffy (R) were adopted on Sept. 20, 2008. We think their birthday is July 20, 2008, give or take a week or two. We were told they are sisters, but I'm not so sure. Taffy is larger than Starburst, besides a lot hairier.

What do guinea pigs do? Well, mostly they sit still for very long periods of time. They also eat and poop. That's pretty much it. They will run and play in their cage sometimes, usually late at night or early in the morning. And they do make lots of wheeking noises whenever they hear the rustle of a plastic bag; they think they're going to be fed. They don't bite, and they don't generally pee when you hold them on your lap, two important don'ts.

A Giant Kiss

Since I'm here, I might as well post a photo of Elise in her Halloween costume. In true Elise style, she wanted to make a costume that required a little bit of engineering. She came up with the concept as well as the basic idea of how to construct it. David helped her carry out her ideas and added a pair of ropes under the costume to rest on her shoulders for more support. Her idea: make a circle of cardboard for the bottom, attach wires to make the shape, and then cover with aluminum foil (we used heavy duty). She also made the hat by herself. Hmm.... the costume looks a little battered here. The 3 boys behind her were a video game set up; one was the TV, one the wii, the other was a set of controllers, I think. This is not my favorite holiday, but I do love the outlet for kids' creativity!

Above All Political Powers

I just thought I would post a link to our pastor's pre-election sermon yesterday out of Daniel. He speaks to fears on both sides of the political divide and encourages us to trust in God's sovereignty and the prevailing of His Kingdom regardless of the outcome tomorrow.

Just click on the Nov. 2 sermon.

http://www.knoxannarbor.org/SermonsView.aspx