Smilin'.

Reasons to smile this weekend:

*Sharon's barbecue for dinner Friday night.

*When Russell heard that his sister, the boring librarian, was on her way to a party, he told me "to party like it was 1899." (Very funny, Bro!)

*Plum wine and cheesecake (sounds gross together, but it was YUM!) with friends after Sharon's. We blew off the "Bronco Bonco," and just enjoyed yummy food and the company. Anytime with Libby and the girls is like a tonic for the heart.

*Karen and I LOVED this video Kirsten sent Saturday morning:




*Granny Smith apples & a chocolate fountain at Nikki's wedding shower...and Janet LOVED my idea of giving gifts in reusable green bags instead of gift wrap destined for the landfill.

*Prairie Home Companion ROCKED Moody Coliseum! What a delight to attend in person. (I've been listening to this show since Steve Greek lent me cassette tapes a friend made him back in the early '80s.)

*Mowing, edging, and 3 miles in the park with May Bee on Saturday made me sleep like a baby!

*Sarah Palin on SNL!

*The meeting at the church this morning. What a wonderful group...regardless of where we meet. When I think of Hope Church of Christ, I never think of *the building,* anyway...I think of the people who helped me move (TWICE!), the friends who came to our House Blessing, the hands on my back and shoulders as they surrounded me and prayed for my mother, the ladies of all ages who read Prayer:Does It Make a Difference? and The Shack together, and the people who will bring me Communion if I'm ever in the hospital!

Kelli and I are going to do something for Hope's college students during Finals in December. We're on the Care Package committee so feel free to leave suggestions. (We're thinking bags or boxes filled with popcorn, uplifting verses from Scripture, #2 pencils and new pens, tea and/or coffee, notes of encouragement, a can of Red Bull or Diet Rock Star, M&Ms, quarters for laundry, and that sort of thing.) Any other ideas?

*And finally, playing around in snotr.com led to this gem:



UPDATE: I forgot one! At the "Bronco Bonco" party last Friday night, a terrific local artist and photographer told me that I had beautiful lips. I don't get a lot of compliments these days...come to think of it, I didn't get many when I was married, either...so I just walked on air all weekend.

The artist, a woman named Ruth Jackson, took the most amazing pictures in India; my favorite was a picture of hundreds of widows, in beautiful saris in every color of the rainbow, opening gift bags with Lone Stars and the word "ABILENE" on the front of each present. It was gorgeous, and our state representative ordered TWO prints of that one. Ms. Jackson also took art supplies to an Indian orphanage called Sanctuary Home; Karen and I have been reading the profiles of all the orphans...here's just one of their touching stories. (My friends Jim & Rita sponsor child 27, Sandyarani.)