Christmas 2018 Letter

Every year I get those Christmas cards that have a brief, or sometimes not so brief, letter about what's going on with the family. And I get inspired to do the same, but I always decide that will be a good idea for next year. Of course, by the time next year rolls around, I have forgotten all about it...until those letters from friends start rolling in.

So, this is what you get. If you've gotten this far, welcome to our personal page. This is managed by David, and Becky has very little to do with the content. If you don't like something, oops on me. :-)

Becky and I had a wonderful, full year, with lots of progress on the farm, travels, and major life events. She continues to serve St. Mark's UMC as the music and mission minister, and spent some time this summer working with the MEFI organization in Mexico City. I went with a team of men to Jordan and Israel and had a wonderful, educational time. And, I began my 10th year at SCU teaching music, worship and business courses, as well as dealing with athletic eligibility. But enough about us.

Joshua, based in New York City, continues to expand his career as a concert cellist, and this year had his first US release of a recording with composer Aaron J Kernis, who composed the concerto "Dreamworks" for Joshua. Josh has also turned into a composer, and you can check out more about his accomplishments at https://www.joshuaroman.com/.

Kate and David survived their first year of study at General Theological Seminary in New York City, and Becky and I had a chance to visit them, along with their four adorable children Evie, Harry, Bea and Edison, during the last week of 2018. They continue to minister at Trinity Grace Church, Tribecca, and the Brilliance is experiencing continued growth and international exposure, and will be in a town near you this year. Find out more about the band, and by extension David and Kate, at www.thebrilliancemusic.com. 

Nate and Michelle continue to flourish in the St. Louis area with Benjamin and Matthis. Michelle is teaching French and developing more courses as her students advance. Nate continues working at a top secret job with a title that I can't pronounce, doing things that he can't talk about...one of those "I could tell you, but I'd have to kill you" situations, I'm sure (or maybe his way of avoiding talking about himself?). I'd share a website, but then...

Isaac? Well, Isaac has provided the most excitement this year. Early in January he got a call and began traveling and playing violin with the Christian contemporary band Rend Collective. And this December he got married to his long-time friend Rebecca Cressman, a beautiful young lady with a great spirit. We couldn't be happier for them. Here is a link to one of my favorite videos from the Rend Collective Good News tour...  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR1AoXyqsZ0

Truth is, we couldn't be happier for any of our kids; we feel especially blessed that 2018 was a year of restoration and hope for the Romans.  SPQR!

Life goes on

For most of us. Unfortunately, not for one of the two yearling billies...he did the arched back thing and passed on. So far, though, the rest look ok.

We have had quite a few apples, peppers, okra and melons, and we had a great run of squash this year, in spite of yet again a number of interruptions in caregiving, mostly watering the garden. And tons of bugs. Battled Japanese Beetles with the apples in July, then moths just a couple weeks ago. Squash Beetles were fairly controlled with dte, which has been a life saver in the garden. It's about time, though, to pull the plug on the garden and put it to bed for the winter.

There, Google, I've posted. Now, stop telling me you're going to shut me down! :-)

Kids. I don't know what's wrong with those kids these days!

Long title, taken from a line in Bye Bye, Birdie, and since it was at Franklin High School we did that musical, I doubt that's the correct wording...but it works, yes?!

Monday evening, May 7, we came home to a couple of new kids, born to (current) Shaggy. They were both pretty wobbly, but at least for now both are still alive.

And we may be grandparents of a different type...

Yup, acorns. Maybe, next year, we can show you a baby oak tree! Wouldn't that be a kicker :-)

Thanksgiving 2017

Thanksgiving blessings on this beautiful November day. Spending it with Nate, Michelle and the boys in St. Louis on a quick trip. Really looking forward to having most of the family in for Christmas this year, but we will certainly miss our Gungor contingent. Love to all!

Quickie Pork Roast

I wanted to put together a quick meal featuring pork chops that I had taken from one of the long pork offerings from Sam's - we get one periodically and I cut it into sections and freeze most of it for later. Such was the case today, when I pulled out some chops, no bone, and put them in water to frost. When it came time to prep, I marinaded them for abut ten minutes, seared each side, then let them simmer for about ten more minutes while I prepped the rest of dinner.

This is not the first time I've done the short process - last night I did not marinade them, but cooked some garlic and onion in oil, then seared the chops (bone in last night) on both sides, turned the stove to low and simmered them for about ten minutes. I wanted to give last night's batch a little moisture, so I dashed in about a tablespoon of tamari and of maple syrup. Yummay!

Tonight's marinade: 

    t. Pepper

    t. Salt

    t. Garlic powder

    Tablespoon horseradish 

    Tablespoon tamari

    Tablespoon Dijon 

    Tablespoon maple syrup 

Heated the pan with oil and butter, cooked minced garlic, then did the cooking very similar to last night. Tender, moist, very delicious.

A somewhat wet March 11, after a day of work in the garage, including making a new chicken brooder, looking forward to time change Sunday.

Out of trouble and into glory

Often we are told the story of Moses and his leading the people of Isreal out of Egypt, which includes the glorious parting of the Red Sea. In that event, the Children of God are backed up against the sea, crying and complaining that Moses has led them out of captivity only to be slaughtered by Pharoah's army. Upon instruction from God, Moses holds forth his rod, the sea parts and the people cross over into safety. The stuff of movies!

But I wasn't quite aware that there is another such parting of the waters miracle. In the opening chapters of the book of Joshua, the Isrealites are camped out on the banks of the Jordan River, having wondered in the wilderness for forty years after missing their first opportunity to cross over into the Promised Land. Moses has passed the mantle of leadership to Joshua and gone to the hills to be with God, and Joshua prays to God for a way to demonstrate to the people that he is the right man for the job, and that God is with them. Upon God's instruction, Josh has the priests carry the Ark of the Covenant to the water's edge and God parts the Jordan so that the people of Isreal can enter the land of Canaan. (Josh 3:13-17)

Two things strike me about that, although I'm sure there is more to be mined from these passages. First is the idea that when faced with an obstacle, sometimes the answer is the same. Moses was in dire straits with trouble pressing in, and the waters parted in answer. Joshua was languishing in leadership, not facing a formidable foe, and the waters parted. In the first instance, getting out of trouble; in the second, getting into promises. 

Second is the message of hope. After forty years of wandering and wondering, God used the same plan to move His people forward, first saving them from certain destruction, then, in spite of the wailing, crying, disobedience, disbelief and everything they went through, moving them into the promise of God. What that says to me is that, in spite of what I've done and how I've acted, it's not too late for God to move in my life.

Thanks be to God!

One post at a time

I know you'll find this hard to believe, but there was a time in my life when I actually ran on a regular basis. Early in my marriage, I had a 5-mile base, and on select days would go as far as 10. In the early 2000's, I even trained for, and ran, two marathons. Crazy, huh!

It's been 2-3 years since I had a regular running schedule, due mostly to the 5 or 6 major commitments in my life that squeeze out other things, but over this summer I've been able to hit the road on a semi regular basis. And guess what! No way a marathon is happening anytime soon; right now I'm looking at 3 miles as the next mark, but it's getting easier!

One thing that has become apparent to me is that I need to set small goals even within the larger goal of going my distance. The first mile or so I do pretty well, especially when I pace myself. But past that first mile, and especially as I turn around to head home, it's necessary to begin taking smaller bites, setting shorter distances. To do that, I look to the top of that hill, then I run to the hanger mailbox, then after I turn the corner I start running from utility pole to utility pole.

Don't be fooled - they are not as close together as they appear, especially after two and a half miles of jogging! But it's getting easier to get from pole to pole, and today I actually felt like my legs, rather than sluggishly plumping along, were into the effort, reaching forward and propelling my still-oversized body toward the front porch and a tall bottle of cool water.

I find that principle to be true in a lot of things that I do, and as I consider the OK Chorale's need and effort to reprogram our default, I'm struck with the importance of setting small goals for singing in the way we need to, with proper placement, vowels, alignment etc. There's a lot to think about, and for us to go the whole song at this point with all that intact is a daunting task. 

If we think, however, in terms of creating the ideal sound one phrase at a time, linking the phrases together over the course of a few weeks, then eventually we will be able to run the entire song with great sound, placement and all the other factors that make barbershop singing so great. 

And we can ring those chords!

Glory!