Realist artist's work was loved by many

Realist artist's work was loved by many

Here's to 11 Years, Nathan Whom I Love!

So Nathan did have to make a 3rd and final trip to emergency for his kidney issue 2 weeks ago...and George, our tenant told me after he rushed him in for the 2nd time NOT to let them send him home until he was PAIN FREE! So when they sent Nathan home on morphine pills, George was not impressed. In fact, I was a little scared to face George, who felt he cared more about Nathan than I did because he would never have allowed him home, morphine or not!

George obviously has a soft spot for Nathan, and Nathan took full advantage of him the next morning by convincing George to drive him up to Ladysmith to buy this old 1952 Triumph that he plans to chop and turn into a bobber. (a hot rod motorbike!) I guess Nathan figured he couldn't very well drive or work on such high dosage of medication, but, not being one to waste time, he could head out and buy the bike he's been scoping out for a while! How could I deny him, the poor, sick boy? I'm just glad he's back in the land of the living and I'm no longer facing certain widowhood with 5 children under 9!

So yesterday we celebrated our 11th Anniversary...with Nathan in Vancouver for an Art Show (in the pouring rain) and me at home with our 4 very excited children back from family camp at Imadene (thanks to Nana & Papa) and 1 NOT-AT-ALL excited 1.5 year old who was NOT thrilled to see her siblings return!! I guess she enjoyed the week alone with all the attention of both parents! Anyway, we celebrated 11 years of marital bliss with me having strict orders of how and when to bid on Nathan's hoped-for antique gas tank for the bike! I must say, it was stressful at times with seconds to go and him giving me direction to take it higher and his cell phone cutting out and the people in the next booth coaching him and him coaching me...and we lost the first one-but it was really the back-up-and then...I have to say, it was beautiful and my ingenious plan to not bid at all against the 17 other bidders until the last 12 seconds when I jumped in there and cast my bid and scooped it out from the unsuspecting victims before they had a chance to counter offer! And I gave a shriek and Nathan gave a shout and the cheer went up from the next booth! (and the phone cut out for the 12th time) What a moment! So now when the bike is all bobbed out and in magazines because Nathan will be casting his own parts for it in his foundry, I'll see that gastank and the memories of celebrating 11 years together. It'll be a story to tell our new biker friends, who will be our clients & ministry for years to come!

So here's to 11 years! I knew it would be an adventure, but I'm glad I didn't know how MUCH of an adventure! Praise God from Whom all blessings flow, who knows far better than us what we need to make us depend on Him & grow closer together-when to send the rain & when to send the sunshine...even when to give us one more little sunshine that we hadn't planned on! He loves us too much to give us all that we ask of Him, and in the end He gives us just what we never knew we needed. But when we look back and take stock of it all, there isn't much we'd change, even if we had the power. We do not know what the future holds, but we know Who holds the future... So let the adventure continue!