Family Time (Part 1): The Niece Fix

In August, we were able to get the whole D&B McMillan clan together and enjoy some time together. More pics to come of the whole fam, but here's a snapshot of our nieces.

I love these girls!
tm

My creative husband

I've been wanting to brag on my imaginative husband and the creativity God has given him. He has been taking full advantage of our garage since we've been in our home and it has become a weekend workshop in all seasons. He enjoys working with wood and loves designing useful projects for our home. This is a project he made in August in about five days.

The creation of a coffee table. Final product in lower left.

For those who care about such details, the coffee table was made out of red oak and measures 29 inches wide from each point to rounded side and is 18 inches tall. The little reddish triangles, stained in Red Oak, come out of the top and the bottom shelf to become six coasters (four on top, two stacked in the bottom). The main body of the table is stained in Ebony, followed by three coats of Gloss varnish.

I love the design and functionality of this table...and I'm pretty sure the Ebony stain is my new favorite stain. More projects to come!
tmm

Grandma's Photo Shoot

My sister, Lisa, and her husband, Peter, and their two daughters went on vacation to the East Coast recently and were able to stop and see our Grandma Boyle near Ocean City, Maryland. They also found a photographer to do a nice photo shoot of them with Grandma. I wanted to share a quick link to the photographer's website where she posted a few pics.

I may be a bit biased, but I think my grandma looked GORGEOUS and the girls are just adorable! Lisa and Peter look good, too. ;) See for yourself at the photographer's website.
tmm

Wedding!

My sister Amanda and new brother-in-law Jake were married this past Saturday. I wanted to post a few pictures from the beautiful event.

 The wedding ceremony

The wedding reception

The bride was beautiful and the groom handsome. Congratulations, Jake and Amanda!

tm

Chicago Blizzard of 2011

I am a fan of snow. I love to play in it, build in it, eat it, jump in it, and pull my niece in it. I don't even mind driving in it most days. The blizzard that hit Chicago (and many other places in the Midwest) reminded me of my senior year in high school when I worked "blizzard duty" at our local radio station. This year, I was working again - Founder's Week, Moody Bible Institute's annual conference for students and alumni. We always joke that we need to pack warm because Founder's Week seems to always be the coldest week of the year, or at least month. This year we had a blizzard. We were broadcasting all of the morning and evening sessions with music and speakers...."the show must go on!" I was working evening sessions and thankfully we had enough of a heads-up from the National Weather Service that we were able to get a room to stay in Tuesday night, the first night the blizzard hit. This is the view from our window.

2 Feb 2011 - View from my hotel room

People were the strangest thing to watch. Because the sidewalks weren't plowed, they headed for the streets to walk (see above and below). There weren't many out walking and those that were didn't seem to remember that cars were also using the roads. We (in our car) trailed behind a group of three men walking at one point -- they were oblivious to us behind them. The city looked like a ghost town covered in piles of freshly fallen snow. It was quite beautiful in an eerie way.

2 Feb 2011 - Chicago street

Lake Shore Drive was also a mess. Lake Michigan waves were crashing onto the road (which is already something crazy to see - let's make them 18-25 feet high and add blizzard temps and winds plus snow!). Cars were stuck when they closed down the road so people waited for hours, then abandoned them (below). It was quite a sight!

2 Feb 2011 - Lake Shore Drive

The clean up efforts were slow and with last weekend's melt, much of the snow is disappearing. But here are three people working quickly the next day on a parking garage roof I can see from my office window.

2 Feb 2011 - View from my office window

 
The whole thing was an adventure. Founder's Week happened with a bit more effort. MBI was closed for one day that many of us got to work because of the conference. But everyone who was there appreciated our efforts. And listeners on the radio didn't know any different - other than a few more weather jokes and a few speakers that were changed.

A Strange Anniversary

December 14 was an anniversary of sorts for us. It wasn't one I wanted to celebrate, nor one I particularly was thrilled about remembering. It was the date that someone broke into our Chicago apartment (again) and stole the Christmas presents we'd lovingly chosen, bought, and wrapped, as well as any electronic item they could find (computers, monitors, iPod, etc.). It was also the break-in that made me feel unsettled in our home. After that I peeked around our front door with trepidation every time we came home. That event is one of the reasons we began seriously talking about moving.

I am again in the throes of wrapping and the memories of the last time I did this keep coming back. Yesterday I asked Nate why we didn't have as much wrapping paper...then remembered we wrapped several presents twice last year. Oh, yes. That's right. (Another burglary anniversary occurs on Dec 21, but that one didn't faze me as much for some reason. More on that at a later date.)

I was not expecting the flood of memories of fear and uncertainty that came with the anniversary. It wasn't the stealing of our things that raised fear, though that was disappointing; it was the attack on perceived safety and security. Even the extra locks and 2x4's the landlord installed didn't relieve the fear-grip that had been raised.

It was a good time to put into practice what we'd been learning in our seminary class about resting in God in spite of your circumstances. We were able to worship God and worship Him regardless of the intrusion and the chaotic state of our home. It was also a good reminder that we shouldn't hold too tightly to "our" possessions, to remember that nothing we own is actually ours, but God's to use however He wants, even if that means it is taken from us. It was a reminder that this world isn't a home to get too comfortable in, even if the things that make us comfortable are good things. And it was another lesson to hold our possessions in an open hand. I pray we can continue to remember these things and not be selfish with "our" stuff. And to use what we have for God's glory and purposes.
tm

A Place at the Table

My grandmother recently passed away and I got to keep the placemat that she had for me. She had one of these for each of her grandchildren. They were red and white checkered with our name sewn across the top. I remember looking for my placemat at the table at family get-togethers. Without fail I would find it and take my seat. Now, grandma did not make these because she was obsessed with assigned seating, but because she wanted us to know we belonged at the table. We weren’t just invited to her house; we were invited to her table, to a specific seat that she picked out just for us. She kept several blank ones on hand in case a guest showed up. While they may not have had their names sewn into it, they still had a place at grandma’s table.
I had a thought the other day: What if grandma got to put a placemat out on the table in heaven for each person that would be there as a result of her obedience to God? Her family, her friends, her Sunday school students, campers, and all the other people whose lives she touched. She’d have quite a stack of placemats to put out. But whether grandma puts a placemat out or not, those of us who know God through Christ have a seat waiting for us in heaven. We do not simply get to heaven; we get a place prepared for us. Our names are written down, and we’re expected. Our seats are for nobody but us. God has chosen our place, thought through what fits us best, and awaits our arrival.

nwm