wimberley whimsies

What a fun, Texas day I've had. I went with my Mom and her good friend Cosette to Wimberley to visit that quaint little hill country town where Cosette and her husband have built a beautiful house that they call their "vacation/weekend home" (for now). As my mom predicted, I absolutely fell in love with Wimberley and the surrounding hill country. From a pleasant not-cold-not-hot breeze of fresh air, to quirky antique stores, to delicious hamburgers with sweet potato fries, to Shire-like trees magically guarding the river, to whimsical homes with welcoming artistically sculptured gates, to golden sunlight filtering through moss-adorned trees, to funny stories shared with previously-unknown shopkeepers, to a perfect Texan sunset on the way home, it was idyllic in every way. I'm going to have to go there again soon.

the best un-laid plans

-A productive morning that made time for tea, a biscuit and Harry Potter in the afternoon. I'm re-reading the final book in preparation for seeing the movie (yep, I'm obsessed) and it goes so quickly it's like a fun vacation that you want to slow down so it lasts longer.

-Hearing that my nieces are loving their new school and being able to picture their happy faces this morning as my sister described them.

-Coming across a lovely Mary Oliver quote: "Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable." As someone with a tendency to hyper-plan, these are prophetic words.

midnight musings

-A day of great conversations with some of my wonderful friends. It just so happened that I got to talk with Rob, Karen, Jennifer, Kirsten and Pierce all today! I have fabulous friends, and I'm so grateful for them.

-For some reason, my mind did not want to go to sleep last night, which was frustrating, but ultimately creatively stirring. I ended up redesigning my blog (as you can see) using a beautiful, whimsical picture my sister took and also using the everyday sacramental imagery of wine and crackers (bread) here too. It really fits my ethos about holiness that "lies spread and borne over the surface of time and stuff like color" (Annie Dillard). I also worked a bit on a Celtic worship service I'm doing in a few weeks time and enjoyed finally falling asleep with the resonating sounds of Celtic hymns in my mind.

-Finding The Great Gatsby dvd (with Robert Redford) at my local library. My sister is reading the book and mentioned the movie on her blog, which inspired me to find it.

the return of the fellowship

-Going to a presbytery meeting and enjoying the community found in that place. We were discussing important changes to the book of order, and I was honored to be able to speak in favor of the amendment. The discussion back and forth was wonderfully respectful, and while the vote didn't go the way I'd hoped it might, it was very close and true dialogue was achieved. I was also able to vote on new candidates for the ministry and was so encouraged to add my voice of affirmation there. I also reconnected with two women who were on my Committee on Preparation for Ministry and who continue to be supportive and read my blog here. It was such an uplifting day.

-Meeting up with Kyle, Josh and Amy and catching up with those awesome people who have been a part of my journey for so long. To be able to sit with them over good wine and chat about amusing college days, discerning calls, foodie tendencies and theology was such a gift. I'm so thrilled our paths have converged again.

-A decadent Sunday afternoon nap followed by an even more decadent cup of hazelnut hot chocolate.

(Kyle has suggested that, with my coffee obsession, I should sign blog posts with this: The Rev. Barista Whitney W. I like it!)

tree-tees

-Wearing one of my favorite Belfast tees...it says "yer ma" and while it seems to slag off mothers, remember that in Belfast that's a way to show affection. :) I love it (especially with the golden yellow autumnal scarf that my ma gave me)!

-Going to visit my Aunt Dorothy and seeing the familiar place I would always visit in the summers with my cousin for Vacation Bible School. It felt a bit like walking back through time. I adore the large windows making the house feel like it's being hugged by the sprawling arms of oak trees.

-Putting together the pieces of a Celtic service and finding inspiration and a sense of home in getting to focus on that lovely wee island that means so much to me.

unexpected ways

-Going on an early morning (like just after 7) bike ride with my Dad. It was chilly enough outside to wear my warm grey sweater and so refreshing to watch the sun streaming through the clouds as we sped down our tree-lined street.

-Having a big delicious, fragrant bowl of Irish oatmeal for breakfast, made decadent with a sprinkling of brown sugar and a pat of butter.

-Joining my local library and enjoying perusing the aisles and aisles of books. I recommended one to a stranger near me (The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield--which someone on my blog here recommended to me!) and left with arms full of novels, cookbooks and even old movies (of the Cary Grant variety).

-Passing a Methodist church sign that read "God meets our needs in unexpected ways."

-Getting a lovely letter from my great friend Catherine in Belfast and just hearing her voice as I read it.

-Getting to talk briefly to the great new momma Karen.

Grace be with you

Oh, today is a very special day! My wonderful friends Karen and Rob welcomed their new baby girl into the world. I am so excited for them and ready to be an overzealous aunt (proof of which you've seen in my last post). Oh, and did I mention her name? It's Grace. This might have something to do with her parents both being ministers, but I think it's more simple than that: Karen and Rob have the deepest faith I've seen. And I know they're going to be fantastic parents. Now that's a glimpse of Grace!

(and one more pic I just had to add)

girls just wanna have fun

My dad and Clay went hunting this weekend and so it was just us girls hanging out in V-town. We had such a relaxing time full of lots of playing in the yard, afternoon naps, delicious food, reading and chatting.

-The lovely relaxing back yard. We're big fans of putting things in the yard that wouldn't normally be there...like this chandelier my mom found at a garage sale!

-Gianna was really enthralled with this ball.

-That girl is really walking now! She had so much fun in the grass.

-While playing outside, Natalie suddenly took a big breath in and said, "It's a monster!!"

-So we went to investigate. It turned out to be a lawnmower.

-Precious Gigi.

-Nonnie passing on her gardening genius to Natalie.

-She was also the gate keeper.

-Having a wee cuddle.

-And then practicing our soccer/football skills.

-What a perfect girls' weekend! Thanks for coming Sista, Natalie and Gianna! Love you.

soup mission

I had the loveliest sunny morning with my good friend Katy from seminary. Her family is from San Antonio, so before she and her hubby headed back to Colorado where they live, we met up in the little state park and mission at Goliad. I don't think I'd been there since elementary school trips, and it was such an interesting place. I love that Katy thought of the place...it's such an active, inspired way to catch up.

-The crisp fall air combined with brilliant sunshine made a perfect setting for ambling through the rustic mission and exploring the tree-lined trails.

-The brilliantly colored walls even had what Katy called "elvis impersonator angels."

-It's so wonderful to walk around with a colleague in ministry because we were both immediately drawn to this beautiful baptismal font.

-Katy is such a gifted photographer, and we both love taking pictures. It's entertaining to hang out with someone who likes taking pictures as much as I do. She uses a really cool film camera, which is impressive because she puts so much thought into each shot (whereas I'm just a picture-taking maniac, knowing I only need to keep the better ones).

-This little fella was hanging out (literally) in the middle of the trail and while he's pretty cute and colorful, he didn't seem friendly enough to pet.

-I loved the delicate peeling bark of this tree. Anybody know what kind of tree it is?

-We then went to the quaint Blue Quail Deli for some of their delicious (& apparently famous!) cream of jalapeno soup. It was so much fun to just sit and talk with such a great friend after not having seen each other for years and just pick up where we left off. She's such a caring, lovely person.

-I've had a little cold and this afternoon I was so tired that I napped in that deep slumber that comes with just not feeling 100%. My fabulous mother made me some wonderful chicken noodle soup...with lots of flair from fresh herbs and whimsical, curly pasta. Thanks, Mamacita!

supporting roles

-Ash walking in the door with Gianna and me saying "Hiiiiiii, Giannnna!" and her responding by stretching her arms out for me to take her in mine and then hugging my neck. I love those girls!

-A quick, yummy lunch at the Hobbit Cafe with my sister. It's such a delicious and whimsical place...and those shrimp rolls stuffed with cream cheese, oh my. So good.

-Getting to spend a whole morning hanging out with my fabulously pregnant cousin, Adele. These are the little luxuries that wouldn't have been possible with me living across the pond, and we were both grateful to be in the same time zone getting to just catch up. It was also amusing that, when we went in an antique store, the woman zealously pushed her stock of rocking chairs upon Adele.

-The miraculous effects of coffee on a bit of a sore throat. And on most other things, for that matter!

-Getting to visit a lovely couple from a church I worked in when I lived in Georgia. Joe is at M.D. Anderson for cancer treatment and so he and his wife Bonnie have been in Texas for an extended stay in Houston. I paused at the door, double checking that I had the right room and using that nasty hand-cleaning gel goop (because of aforementioned cuddling with toddlers and a sore throat) and Bonnie peeked her head out saying, "I thought I saw tiny feet!" It was wonderful to see them--not in the most wonderful conditions--but they are sprite and enduring as ever. They've traveled so much, and so I heard the most fantastical tales of necks arched up at the Sistine Chapel and camel rides up a rocky Mount Sinai.

-Visiting with (I've had a lot of visits this week!) my general presbyter at New Covenant Presbytery to talk calls, transitions and discernment. It was a very encouraging "keep it up!" conversation and his prayer for me at the end left me filled up, goaded on in this sometimes circuitous route to answering God's call.

-My friend and former (sniff!) co-worker Chris giving such thought-provoking ideas on his blog, one of which I've adopted as a mantra for myself:

‎"Take heart in the truth that you are not the lead character in your own story, that the climax of this story doesn’t depend on your performance but on a holy will that is in motion."

step by step

-Natalie (my 2 1/2 year old niece) saying as soon as she saw me, "You have purple shoes." So observant...and woefully shoe-obsessed already!

-A woman eating a whole avocado with a spoon in the airport. That takes a certain amount of self-assurance. I kinda wish I had brought one.

-Fresh baked oatmeal butterscotch cookies.

-Leading worship and having that wonderfully affirming feeling that comes with it: I'm in the right profession for me. There's nothing else I'd rather do.

-A restaurant so friendly that when someone entered, the waitress came over to her and just chatted for a while. None of that rushing-through-your-order business.

-A beautiful sunrise over sleepy fields (seen through sleepy eyes).

-Watching Gianna (my 1 year old niece) take some real, actual steps. You can see it on my sister's blog here. It really was an overnight thing: one day she was stumbling along attempting to walk and the next she just woke up thinking, "Ok, enough with the crawling. I'm walking today." Just awesome.