______, Summer, Fall, Winter

Did I totally miss an important notice before we moved to Southeast Pennsylvania?  The weather seemed fairly normal through last summer: a few scorching days amidst the regular “dog days of summer.”  I first started to notice a difference in the fall–maybe around October.  The trees began to change colors in early October, then they stayed that way for weeks before they dropped.  We thought that was great!  I am used to the “peak” of the fall colors lasting for a week or less, then everything is grey until May.  Not here!

Well, we were HAMMERED with snow this year!  Did I say hammered?  It was crazy!  December was full of snow, then everything basically thawed out through the month of January a little.  In early February, amazingly, it all of the sudden turned 85 degrees and humid…wait, that is when we were in Mexico.  Anyway, while we were in the Yucatan, two HUGE snowstorms in a row decimated the mid-Atlantic.  We flew back to a car buried underneath two-and-a-half feet of snow, and a town crippled from the barrage.  Over the next month the snow slowly melted.  In fact, the last little bits did not melt until we were on our way to visit family in late March–yes, the same snow!

Now–almost 90 degrees???!  Where did spring go?  Do they not have that season here?  It wasn’t three weeks ago when there was still traces of snow on the ground!  The trees are nearly all full with leaves already, the spring flowers are past their peak, and we are outside sweating as we take an afternoon stroll…in early April.  Yesterday’s high temperature was 88 degrees, while today’s is supposed to be around 84 degrees.

…On the other hand, the early summer we have been experiencing will come crashing down sometime this evening.  A cold front will be moving in, causing 45 degree temperatures and heavy thunderstorms.  It should be interesting…

Here is a picture that we took yesterday at a park near our home while walking around in the hot weather:

Go State!

This is how much I love my husband:  I cheered for Michigan State tonight against a team from Indiana!

I am not from Michigan, and have always kind of scorned the state.  But then I married a Michigander!  Then my life changed.  Now I cheer them!  I still am not a fan of the Blue and Gold (or plain ole’ Blue and Yellow, for that matter!), but since Dustin’s family are hardcore State fans, I guess I had to become one! –Particularly when Dustin assertively declared yesterday that WE would be watching the game tonight!– The worst of it is that the opposing team tonight was from my home state, Indiana!  (Not that I knew anything about them before tonight either…)  The truth is, I like teams because of their relation to me or those I love!  Here’s my spirit, even though they lost…

Butter cookies...Dustin really liked them!
Go Green!

Soundforth-y-ness

One of the few points where Dustin and I disagree…He likes Soundforth music, and I generally do not!

(For anyone not familiar with Soundforth, it is a Christian music publisher in South Carolina.  You can reach their website here. )

Let me explain:  I do like the fact that the music is good and clean.  We both agree that some songs they have put out are weak; but as a rule, Soundforth music is good, Godly music.  I also appreciate very much their music publishing ministry.  They have some very good sheet music for sale, and while I do not prefer their choir/vocal pieces as much, I am very thankful for the instrumental sheet music and music books that I have, and use often.  I should say here, that in the remainder of this post, when I refer to “Soundforth” or “Soundforth music,” I am referring to their choir music or vocals in general.  To me, the vocal pieces lack feeling, or maybe heart behind it.  It is exactly in rhythm, and you will not find a note awry, but that’s it, in my opinion.

I am a simple person, and prefer simple, heartfelt music.   —And Dustin just turned on Soundforth!— I like vocal music with only a piano or even a capella.  I like instrumental solos and duets by themselves, without the “ooooooo” sound of orchestration ALL THE TIME!  And I love the hymnbook.  Have you ever pondered the words in those old hymns?  I know you have, and you know as well as I the power they hold.  They are so real and strong that you know the author’s heart was overflowing as he wrote.  They described something that really happened in his heart; they were more than ‘words and tunes cranked out for a music industry,’ as someone once said.  And speaking of hymns, how, oh how, can they change those precious, old melodies for new and different tunes?  If I had to pinpoint one thing I do not like about modern songwriters it might be this.  Keep those old, favorite tunes!  Please don’t exchange them for the new, flowy “oooooo” sound!  —Dustin is teasing me now!—

But, of course, these are just my opinions, based only on my own preferences.  As I said before, I know it is good music for the most part.  I would strongly recommend it over much of modern “christian” music today (which is not christian at all in many cases!)  I just do not prefer it for myself!  What do you think?  Please give your opinions…we have to solve this disagreement somehow!

My favorite hymn

Change

Writing from Northwest Indiana:

I have to admit, change can be a hard thing to get used to at times.  It’s hard to believe sometimes that we have not been in this part of the country, the part I grew up in, since last June…just a few days short of ten months.  Our lives have genuinely changed since we have last been at Fairhaven.  Looking back, I can recollect exactly when we first started noticing all of the change…

For my entire senior year of college, I still felt like I was in college.  Yes, I knew soon after graduating I would be married, and moving almost 700 miles away to the foreign state of Pennsylvania; but I never realized how much would be different–and at that, a GOOD different.  Even up until the point I was waiting at the altar for the door to open so I could catch a glimpse of my beautiful bride, everything still felt the same.  Nothing was changing yet.  Just another event in the life of Dustin Speckhals.  We said our vows, walked out of the auditorium, shook hands, cut the cake, took a few pictures…still the same.  The change hit me, though, at an interesting time.

After our pictures were done at the wedding, we walked back to the dining room where the reception was, and I told Andrea that I was going to carry her through the crowd (yes, I admit it was a show!).  So I picked her up, carried her through the cheering and jubilant wedding crowd, and into the limo that was going to take us to Chicago.  We got into the vehicle, the driver shut the door, and the change came.  The driver pulled away, and off we went.  It was finally here!  Life was completely different after that.  All of the family I loved, some of the best friends a man could ask for, the best college teachers and mentors–they all faded into the distance.  Soon the steeple of Fairhaven faded away too, and our new life began.

Even after we came back from our honeymoon to pack our stuff up for the move in a few days, so much seemed different.  It was just like God was moving us right along to our new life together!  It never seemed quite like home during those packing day.  At least for me, it was easy to move.

Now, ten months later, we return for a visit, and ironically, not much has changed!  Sure my parents live here now, there a few new people, new family, and a new status (we have a “real life” now–no more college!), but so much hasn’t changed!  It seems like home again…not our home, but a place where we love to be, and believe it or not, were people love to see us!  The best part of all is that some of the things that are different from when we were here are great changes!  After all of that,  though…here are some things I have noticed that are different or the same:

Same

  • College students still sit in the same places in the auditorium
  • All of the verses of the songs are still sung…maybe a little bit slower tempo than our church too.
  • Same ol’ dating couples–minus a few of us who got married
  • Tom Almanza is still himself
  • Lindsey still wonders why there is no band or PE during candy sale
  • NW Indiana still looks as dilapidated as before

Different

  • A great new mother-in-law
  • Two new houses for us to visit (Leslie and Murdock side)
  • I can hold my sweetheart’s hand walking down the path
  • A few folks that were struggling spiritually when we left are making HUGE steps for God!
  • The kids are getting taller, including by little brother and sister

It is great to be back to all of the memories and people, and we look forward to the rest of our short stay here.