leavin' on a jetplane

...but hopefully i know when i'll be back again. :-)

yes, i am headed to fair--or in this case not so fair--weather Kansas to see Julie and James and girls! I am quite pleased that I have limited myself to this small suitcase (which refuses to stand up) and a backpack so that i don't have to check luggage. quite unusual for me! (trying to practice packing light for K-stan, I guess!)

can't wait to see the girls, meet the puppy, cook and sing with jules, hang out with james, and maybe visit the salt mines or salt museum (not sure what it's called officially) up in Hutchinson. maybe if there's any extra time (ha!) i'll call a couple friends in the area, but...i get pretty selfish with my family time, and it's so hard to start bouncing around when you're only there for three days. coming back Sunday night. My sweeties, Jamie and Halle (and cute golden doodle Bella):

meanwhile, robdearest has umpteen choices of eats here at home since we did a casserole swap the other week, including lentil soup, veg soup, stromboli, scalloped potatoes...  PLUS we've managed to freeze a lot of extras and leftovers lately. knowing my good man, however, he'd probably be perfectly content with frozen pizza for the next three days.

and can i add it is SO GOOD to eat again? we just finished up a three-day fast, and wow, did that first bite of cheese bread EVER taste good. but i'm so glad we did this again this year, and i'm grateful to God for the deeper times of prayer we enjoyed together and individually, as well as the greater sense of physical and spiritual dependence that this experience of physical weakness always brings on.

honestly, each time i have done it i have had mixed feelings about ending it; there is a beautiful clarity and nearness I feel towards the Lord by day three that is not captured nor experienced (for me anyway) at any other time, and even though i'm excited and grateful to eat again, i'm sad to see that go. one of these days I will extend it in order to stay in that place with the Lord longer, but not this time. this time i have a plane to catch and wouldn't want to do it on an empty stomach.

have a great weekend everybody!