Busy, Busy!

The lack of posts certainly can't be attributed to a boring, dull life in the Gwynne family. Our activities have picked up in the last month or so, and we're having a blast with the opportunities that God has given us to serve in our church, make new friends, and hang out with the old ones.

We've only been attending our new church for less than two months, but we feel it's our home already. We have a great small group that we host on Saturday nights, and after only two meetings, we can tell it's becoming a place where people can take off their masks and share what's on their hearts. I've begun working with the four- to six-year-olds on Sunday mornings and am having a grand old time dancing with them during worship, teaching them about Jesus, and, of course, playing with Playdoh and coloring with them. Dave and I are grateful that God led us to this church so quickly (it was the first church we visited on our search).

Since I usually include pictures with my posts, here are some of us enjoying the beautiful fall weather.

Dave admiring the fall foliage

We went for a picnic yesterday.

I love walking through the leaves.

Happy Anniversary

September 26, 2006

September 26, 2008

Tuesday, September 26, 2006, was my last day in Aberdeen, Scotland. Mr. David Gwynne, the children's pastor at the church I'd just spent over a week working with, had offered to serve as tour guide for me and three of my friends on our final afternoon. We had walked to the beach and then to ASDA before I struck up a conversation with him, asking him if he was left handed after I'd noticed he had his watch on his right wrist. It turns out, this right-handed guy was just weird and liked to wear his watch on the "wrong" wrist. After that initial conversation, we were inseparable. He even made my tea at our team's final get together that evening and carried my pink backpack on the way to the pool hall with some of our friends.

Dave was smitten, and so was I. It took a few days and Skype calls before we shared how we felt, but we hold September 26 as the day our relationship began because it really was the beginning of what has turned into a lifetime commitment.

Wuthering Heights

In preparation for a book group that one of Erin's co-workers is hosting next week, I've spent the last few weeks reading 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Bronte.  Given that her sister, Charlotte, wrote the novel 'Jane Eyre', I was not particularly thrilled with the prospect of reading a book of this genre.  It would no doubt involve frocks, marriage to a handsome suitor and lots of crying in the parlour alone.

I couldn't have been more wrong.  'Wuthering Heights' turned out to be one of the most incredible books I've ever read and I thoroughly recommend that you read it.  However, as if fate were conspiring to make this book even less appealing to the general public, Kate Bush sang a song of the same title in 1978.  Prepare yourself to watch the following video by sitting down and ensuring your speaker volume is not too loud.

Don't let this put you off reading the book.

Visiting the Blue Men

Last week, Erin and I were lucky enough to have the opportunity to head to downtown Chicago and see an awesome performance by the Blue Man Group.  

We set out late afternoon with Julie V to drive into the city.  It took nearly 2 hours, if my memory serves correctly, on a journey that, without traffic, would take around 40 minutes. Insane.   We did eventually arrive there, though, where we met Julie C and had dinner at Subway.

We turned up just before 7, as we were to be ushers for the evening.  In exchange, we get to see the performance for free.  After handing out playbills and busily directing people to their seats, including a rather rowdy bunch of kids and a nice, old English couple on my side, we went back out to the lobby to claim our free drink.  A small plastic cup of Coke was $3.00, so I was content that I was getting it for free.

We ended up having pretty good seats and the show was absolutely fantastic.  If you're ever in Chicago, you need to see it!

It's Raining, It's Pouring

Often, Dave is the person in our relationship who deals with adjusting to differences with our cultures. (You know, since he moved to America from Scotland and all.) This weekend, however, I was the one who was in for a shock.

The rain started nicely on Friday with just the calming mist that makes you want to take a walk, holding your umbrella and wearing your wellies. It was the kind of rain I'm used to as someone who grew up in the Midwest.

Then came Saturday.

We knew there was trouble when we were awoken by the rain early Saturday morning. A glance outside our window showed us the road next to our apartment building was already partially flooded. It was enough rain to cancel our plans to go into the city for Chicago's Celtic Fest. Instead, we decided to still go out in the rain and do some shopping.

If I'd known what we'd encounter on our trip, I'm not sure I would've been so eager to head out, but what happened sure made for a good adventure. First, there were the crazy drivers who seemingly forgot how to drive once the rain started pouring. Second, there were the flooded roads (and the crazy drivers who forgot that it's not a good idea to race through said flooded roads, lest you drown your own car or the cars of others because of your wake). And then there was the flash flood in the parking lot that we heard about over the PA system of the store we were in. (That was probably the quickest I've ever shopped at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.) Thank goodness, when we got out of the store, we saw that our car was just at the edge of the flood, not at all harmed by the lake that had formed in 10 minutes.

The rain continued until this afternoon, flooding plenty of roads and basements. We're so grateful that our car and home, as well as those of our friends and family, were spared.

The Exciting Lives of Newlyweds

After the wedding is over and the honeymoon luggage has been emptied and put away, it's easy to get stuck in a rut and become, well, boring. Weekdays can consist of getting up, going to work, then coming home to spend a few hours before going to sleep, only to do the same exact thing over again the next day (and the day after that and the day after that--you get the picture).

Well, in an effort to keep boredom away, Dave and I make sure to go out and do fun things like walk to the library to drool over all the cool books just waiting to be read (can you tell we love to read?). We also manage to explore new walking paths in our neighborhood. And, yes, we've even managed to "accidentally" trespass during one of our expeditions.

As you can see, it doesn't take much to entertain us, which leads me to the main point of this blog entry. On Saturday, we actually got out of the house before noon because we were so excited about heading to Best Buy to purchase a digital converter box. Commercials warning us about the day analog television would turn into static have been on for months, so we thought it was about time to take our $40 gift cards from the government and enter the digital age before it was too late.


As soon as we got home, Dave and I set the box up and crossed our fingers. You see, since I moved into our apartment, we've only received 7 channels, and even those weren't always trustworthy. As we watched onscreen while the converter scanned for available channels, my dreams seemed to be coming true. The numbers kept rising until we were able to click through the channels ourselves. I'm happy to report that we not only get all the major networks (including FOX--thank goodness!), but we also get all the new digital channels that have come onto the scene.

I don't think I've ever been so excited about watching television. We'll now be able to watch The Office, 24, House, and American Idol, and BBC World News with a crystal-clear picture that's just as good as cable. Hooray!

And that, my friends and family, is why our weekend was so good.

I told you the life of a newlywed is exciting!

The Creepiest Video Ever

Who would've guessed that a stuffed animal could be so creepy? US Cellular has been running a commercial lately that should really bring a warm, fuzzy feeling to those who watch. Instead, Dave and I scream every time we see it. Take a look. What do you think?