Sorry about the Title. We've been watching Rocky and Bullwinkle on Hulu lately, and at the end of each episode they would tell to tune in next time and give you 2 titles for the next episode. I suspect because they were not sure which one to go with.
So we said we'd post a more thorough update yesterday, but c'mon, if you know us, are you really surprised it was tonight, encroaching on midnight? apparently we were all exhausted, all the way down to eilidh, from all of the build up to, and then actual concert itself. the kids crashed on sunday night as soon as the baths were done, with tadhg camping out on the girl's floor...EFA: "He's sleeping here now mom, it makes him feel cozy and safe, because we, (meaning herself and niamh), are big and strong, and we pray to Jesus...his room is just full of Thomas trains, our room is full of God." thankfully they all stayed put, and eilidh did her usual thing and knocked out for 10 hours, snug as a bug...yes, we know how amazing that is, considering NONE of the others ever did this, even now! we soon followed suit.
yesterday morning was far too early, but it was amazing to wake up and really, truly know, that the burden was lifted. don't get me wrong, we were trusting, but there is always that weight in the back of your head or in my case, the pit of my lower intestine, that you just can't shake until it is over. and by over, i mean the concert/benefit/huge leap of faith turned even huger blessing, (and yes, i'm pretty sure "huger" is not a word...). but we knew that andrew could head straight to the bank and so much of the recent stress would be calmed. amazing!
and since it was monday, andrew had his class at columbia to teach, and that means downtown all day and into the evening. great for him, he really loves teaching, but the kiddos, not so much. tadhg was particularly inconsolable. even his faithful trains could not assuade the sadness...his daddy was GONE, and no matter what i said, the sorrow of a day without daddy was almost more than any 2 year old could bear. have we mentioned that he is the dramatic one? but we survived, and andrew made it home in time for bedtime stories, and the kids decided to make it night 2 of camping out all in one room. (at this rate, we could still be in our apartment in new york and they'd be happy!) andrew and i barely finished our nightly hulu fix before crashing too. oops, blog didn't get done...
on a side note, which we will probably have alot of, a silver lining to all of this joblessness, is that after years of daddy working crazy hours, they got to have the whole summer with him! now, if you ask andrew, this was probably more fun for them than him, considering the fact that he pretty much spent it running with niamh, toting eilidh wherever he went and alternately balancing efa and tadhg on his shoulders, (and i have to admit, that if you have to pick 2 of our kids to carry around on your shoulders all day, these are not the 2 to choose...they both got the engel family build and carrying them might as well be carrying a bag of wet cement!) at least he got a work out! he also got to enjoy the trails on the bike for the first time ever and is now hooked! we are so glad we got the trailer last year...i'd love to know how many miles we put on it this summer, all the while with tadhg telling andrew not to stand up to ride, "DANGER! YOU SIT DOWN! NOW!" our little safety expert, unless it is his own behaviour, then he is exempt from danger...because he's tadhg.
and just to be fair, andrew also put a pretty big dent in evening out the diaper changing score...but only a dent, i still have the high score. anyway, summer with dad, yet ANOTHER blessing! back to the main thought...if i can remember it.
ok, concert/benefit update. here it is.
(Andrew taking over writing duties from Sarah who's clearly drunk)
The concert was a huge success! Thank you for everyone who came out and also for those who donated online. We are now able to make a mortgage payment! Now we are only 2 months behind on our mortgage instead of 3, which keeps us from going into pre-foreclosure. There is a still a financial quagmire to crawl out of, but as of last week I went from 1 part-time job (teaching adjunct at Columbia), to 3 part-time jobs (Apple tech as Judson 3 days a week, Corporate video client wants to go into production). I think the technically definition of what I'm going through is called "under-employed", having part-time/contract work, but it feels like over-employment.
Back to the benefit. The show started at 3pm, but only a few of Greg's regulars were there. (Darn Bears and their close games!) Greg was ridiculous! By ridiculous I mean he was really good! He is one of the best guitar players I've seen live, and I seen a lot. By 3:30 people began to show up and it was a party. The party also reminded me of the stage of life I'm in now, and who my friends are. There were more small children than adults, and at one point Greg was heckled by a 3 year old. Luckily it's a church with large rooms and we were able to settle all the hooligans down and find something for them to do. All told my family and myself feel uber-blessed! We got to hear great music from a great guy, hang with our friends and some kind strangers, and be delivered from a nasty mess. 3 cheers! 1 for God, 1 for Greg, and 1 for you. Hip Hip Hooray!
7-12 "But ask the animals what they think—let them teach you;
let the birds tell you what's going on.
Put your ear to the earth—learn the basics.
Listen—the fish in the ocean will tell you their stories.
Isn't it clear that they all know and agree
that God is sovereign, that he holds all things in his hand—
Every living soul, yes,
every breathing creature?
Isn't this all just common sense,
as common as the sense of taste?
Do you think the elderly have a corner on wisdom,
that you have to grow old before you understand life?
From God We Learn How to Live
13-25 "True wisdom and real power belong to God;from him we learn how to live,
and also what to live for.
If he tears something down, it's down for good;
if he locks people up, they're locked up for good.
If he holds back the rain, there's a drought;
if he lets it loose, there's a flood.
Strength and success belong to God;
both deceived and deceiver must answer to him.
