Week in Review: 7/27-8/10

  
A brief review of the past two weeks:

• Finished the transition of moving next door...now begins the process of figuring out where everything belongs in the new place
• Happy birthday, Grandma!
• Happy birthday, Doug!
• Enjoyed trying two new restaurants that opened in our neighborhood, both very tasty
• Good news about Aubree's dissertation grant!
• Welcoming more mild temperatures
• Traveled to Texas for a week-long visit
• Penny did very well on her first plane ride!
• Had a great time seeing family and friends throughout the week, both in Austin and San Antonio
• Enjoyed lots of tacos and Tex-Mex food that we can't find in Virginia
• Happy to share in the excitement of a new baby on his way, and very thankful for the generous gifts and kind thoughts to help Aubree and I get prepared for a new addition to the family

Christ's Pursuit

  
"Christ is my righteousness.  Christ is my holiness.  Therefore, becoming holy is not primarily a matter of pursuing holiness but primarily a matter of pursuing Christ.  Rather, becoming holy is a matter of receiving his pursuit of me.  And any righteousness I pursue that doesn't have Jesus in the crosshairs of my effort - or, again rather, having myself in the crosshairs of his effort - is self-righteousness."

--Jared Wilson

Week in Review: 7/13-7/27

  
A brief review of the past two weeks:

• Enjoyed some beautiful mild weather, a needed respite from Texas-like heat
• Welcomed the Lewises to town, who greeted us with smiles and hugs, gifts for the grandbaby, and bean and cheese tacos from Austin!
• Worked together serving food at our church's monthly Loaves and Fishes ministry
• Picked up Danielle from the train station to make the Lewis reunion complete!
• Had fun sharing some of our favorite restaurants and Richmond destinations with the Lewises
• The Texas heatwave returns...heat indices reported above 110 degrees!
• Hard at work moving items to the new home as well as engaging in some minor furniture repair & restoration
• An early birthday celebration for Doug, complete with tasty burgers grilled in the backyard and an assortment of pies and cakes
• Enjoyed a great visit with the Lewises, dropping them off at the airport as Aubree and I also departed for our 7th anniversary trip to see Garth Brooks (one of Aubree's favorites)
• Thinking about dissertation topics and preparing to teach an introductory course of the U.S. health care system in a little more than a month
• Completed our move next door, thanks to the assistance of some generous church friends who helped carry some heavy furniture
• LET'S GO BUCS!  Flashbacks to 1992...seeing the Pirates in first place, seeing other Pirates fans and baseball observers take interest in the team, seeing the Pirates suffer a heartbreaking loss to the Braves...  It's been so much fun to see the Pirates play competitive baseball again!

Wednesday Week in Review: 7/6-7/13

  
After an over 3-month hiatus from updating my blog, I'm hoping to get back into the practice of keeping up with what we're up to and things we're thinking.

Here's a brief review of the past week:

• Getting to work on preparing to teach in the fall semester and thinking about dissertation topics
• Making lots of pickles with a big batch of summer cucumbers!
• Experienced a little taste of Texas with summertime heat
• Enjoyed catching up with family on the phone
• Congratulations to Aubree on passing her comprehensive exams!
• Happy to find and try a new cheesesteak & hoagie restaurant in the neighborhood...Str8t Out of Philly
• Visited by our friend Carter Greendyke, now residing in New York City, who had the time for a brief chat while visiting her family in Richmond
• Enjoyed watching the National League defeat the American League in this year's All-Star Game
• Had a great time during our first trip to the Goochland Drive-in Theater...even Penny enjoyed watching the movies on the big screen!

Week in Review: 3/23-3/30

  
A brief review of the past week:

• Resumed studies with the beginning of the second half of the spring semester
• More cold and wet weather...doesn't seem like we got that early spring after all
• Penny develops a bad sneezing habit and has to see the vet
• Beginning work on term projects and thinking ahead to comprehensive exams
• Excited to see VCU surprise everyone (ourselves included) by making it to the Final Four!
• Fun to be on campus when school spirit is at an all-time high
• Looking forward to warmer weather and the beginning of the baseball season!