Well, a few things have happened in our lives recently. (Certainly since I last updated this site!)

Some of these things have been quite challenging; others very rewarding; yet others are opening future changes with unknown outcomes; some have been scary while others are routine.

I guess that pretty much defines life, no?

Here’s a (not-so-quick) rundown to catch you up on some of the recent events…

Perhaps the biggest “impact” has been the sudden loss of my vehicle to a driver who ran a red light and took out my engine compartment. I didn’t even see it coming, and it was over before I knew it was happening.

On June 29, I went from the office on a routine couple of errands. On the way back, I exited the freeway, waited at the red light, and proceeded into the intersection once it turned green. The first thing I noticed was my head hitting the door post, and a white streak passing through the corner of my vision. I didn’t hear anything. I was surprised to find my car facing ninety degrees from the way I had begun traveling. I was further surprised to find that two of my airbags had deployed. I sat for a minute or two trying to figure out “what is wrong with this picture.”

I called the police to report the accident, but was apparently dazed, as I gave the wrong freeway offramp three times before I realized that fact under repeated questioning by the operator. A good Samaritan stopped to inquire if I was okay, and returned to help the other driver, who was pretty shaken up. A witness to the whole thing stuck around and confirmed that I had the green light, which made the police report pretty straight forward.

In the blink of an eye, it was over! I am thankful to be alive: had I left the intersection more than half-a-second earlier, she would have plowed right into my door. Based on what happened to the car, I would have been cut in half. Physics is a cruel taskmaster–but the crumple zone worked! The passenger compartment was basically untouched. The car was not drivable, nor would it be repairable, but I walked away.

Then began the long (still long) road to recovery, toward restored normalcy. Several sleepless nights, and countless musings about “what if?” and an acute sensitivity to the fragility of life have started to fade into the past. We have had lots of fun with insurance claims and medical appointments and work schedules. Nearing the end of our allotted thirty-days of covered car rental; and hoping to be approaching the settlement with the insurance company (the other driver accepted fault but didn’t have enough insurance to cover the loss, so we had to refile the claim through our policy) we went in search of a replacement vehicle.

I confess: heading into this was discouraging. We had the car for eighteen months, and it was surely worth less than we still owed on it; we had purchased it on a promotion at zero percent financing; and now we were faced with starting over. Then came the answered prayers:

• We had forgotten that we paid for GAP insurance (covers the gap between what you owe and the value of the car) so we would not be $4,000 in the hole.
• We found a used car of the same make, year, model, with almost the same mileage (a little less, actually)–the only difference is the color.
• We qualified for zero percent financing, and our monthly payment is within a few dollars of our previous loan.
• We also qualified for the new-car warranty for life, so we purchased that, like we had on the other car.

All in all, we picked up right where we left off, minus a few aches and pains, some not-insignificant trauma, and a LOT of paperwork yet to complete. Although it is tedious, I’m a lot less discouraged and a lot more optimistic that this was not the devastating setback it looked to be.

It triggered a lot of trauma memories in me, and Judy says I’m emotionally a bit more fragile now than I was. (She gave me surprise, post-concussion memory tests for about a month after the accident.) The big difference is that now I have tools to better handle the emotional ups and downs.

God has shown that He had His loving hand in all of this–all along, even when I didn’t recognize it or acknowledge it. May I learn to trust His involvement in my life even more.

Oh, and there have been other things to focus on beside the accident.

My mom and sisters, with a niece and nephew, came to visit for a couple of days after they had spent some time up north at the Brule cabin. We had a good visit, and spent a lot of time talking–in between my work schedule. Judy gets creativity points for managing the whole thing WITHOUT A STOVE. Ours has been going in and out, and was decidedly out for their whole visit.

It was ironic that they arrived the week after we had been in Texas visiting Elise in her lovely, new, rental home. (Matt was away visiting his relatives.) While we were away from home, we had our hardwood floors refinished (after fifteen years of wear) in preparation for fall events and visitors.

It was delightful to be with Elise, and to follow her around in her busy life. We got to hear rehearsals for West Side Story, and explore Dallas and surrounds a bit. Mostly we hung out, played games, and savored one another’s company.

We were treated royally, and got to sample her creativity in the kitchen (green drinks; creative recipes; espresso!). We helped out by hanging a few frames, as we noticed quite a bit of artwork leaning against the walls.

As always it was hard to leave. We have decided several things: that it will be important for us to visit them more often; that it will also be important for them to move closer to Minnesota; that we are thankful she will be visiting several times this fall.

We also got away “up north” a couple of times this summer. No major vacations in store this year. One was a couple of days with old friends who recently retired and sold their home in the cities to live full time in their (former) vacation home.

We explored, Judy kayaked, and we played LOTS of cards. It was very nice and they were very gracious to allow us just to let the city and stress melt away for a few days.

Anna and Alex are getting married!

They have both finished their undergraduate studies, and are beginning graduate school. They have been living with us this summer, adding to the complexity of every move and meal. They will be moving out this fall (provided they can actually find an affordable apartment midway between their separate schools) so we are relishing every moment we get with them. They are busy with wedding plans (AND jobs AND classes already) including busily making custom decorations for the wedding and reception.

We are mourning another transition: our small group at church experienced loss when a couple moved to Seattle to be near family. As a last “hurrah!” we went camping together on the north shore of Lake Superior.

Well, not so much camping, per se. We rented a cabin at a resort. We explored waterfalls, and lake views, and hung out together one last time. It was bittersweet. They have made it safely to Seattle; and we have treasured memories.