night & day in our suburbia

noah's first vist.

seven

Even though we have already celebrated all three boys' birthdays back in America -- it's our tradition to have pancakes on birthdays... and Josh wanted to go Stanley Beach on the south side of Hong Kong, followed up by xiao long bao for dinner (his favorite). I'm so proud of who he is and absolutely honored to be his dad. This is the verse I most often think of about being a father:

"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children are a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior, are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them." Psalm 127:3-5

departures

We made it back to HK and I'd like to think we're over jet-lag. We are settling back into life over here -- it's almost pointless to try and reconcile the two worlds in which we've lived. Both are great. Both are really different. And we're really thankful for who we know and love on both sides of the globe.

I have to say this time arriving as a family was completely different than last time... I would equate last year's arrival as the first day of college -- where everything was foreign, overwhelming and new. This go around...is like sophomore year -- way more laid back and familiar. Thankfully we are not setting up anything new or trying to find a broom or figuring out how to get places. It's great to be back.

We are excited to reconnect with friends, say good-bye to some dear friends about to leave, and begin a new journey. I'll be starting a new job at Island ECC in a couple of weeks. We're so thankful for this church, its leadership, and the opportunity to serve on their staff team.

Looking back on the weeks we were able to spend with family and friends, it is so evident we needed that time to breathe deeply, share, listen, read, sit on porch swings, eat popsicles, swim, fish, worship, and rest. It was great.

For what it's worth -- we (April and I) read through two books this summer -- both of which were precisely timed and very unlikely: I'm Proud of You by Tim Madigan and Here and Now by Henri Nouwen

the annual birthday party

on the road again.

This week has been pretty busy -- we've spent a lot of time on the road. Monday we met friends in Auburn. Tuesday, I had a meeting in Birmingham. Wednesday we drove to Atlanta to see the McDowell family. I spoke at North Metro Church on Thursday night. On our way back to Montgomery, we stopped by to see the Carerra family and their beautiful new daughter... and the boys got to see Lucy (our beloved pre-Hong Kong family pet).

thankful for days like these

happy birthday caleb

americana

the summer of cousins