Terrapin Station

Dancing

Yesterday was the International Student welcome party. The International Band played, and they are a rare treat. You can hear them play and learn more at Beyond Boundaries, the UNT-International digital magazine.

They sang We Are Peace...video of the song below...but here is a picture of the students dancing to it:

Later they sang their national anthems. One of the guys who sang the Pakistani anthem sang with the Indians. The Turkish anthem group included Pakistani/Nigerians as well as a student from Turkey.

This is what it's all about.

(and we finished up with the Chicken Dance)...

Happiest Thing of This Summer - Amy's Ordination

Bishop Ohl introducing Deacon Amy Haynie and her family.  Click here for more pictures.

Earlier today I had occasion to look up the website for the church where Amy is now serving, where she was ordained Deacon in May.  I found that they have a wonderful section of photos of the ordination (click above) and looking at them made me so, SO happy.  That was a wonderful, happy day, one of the very best of this long icky summer.  I'm so grateful I was able to be there and participate. 

God is good.  I needed these memories today. 

The Best Days of Summer in Portland...just in time for me!

You can't imagine how beautiful it is, and cool.  Windows are open, breeze in trees.  Took Sam for a walk this am in the squirrel chasing woods and then to the bakery and the Farmer's Market.  Wow, what a difference from our FM in Denton...which is lovely but soooo hot. 

Portland FM sells lettuce, carrots, turnips, delphiniums, sunflowers...all under tall, tall trees, with musicians playing nearby and dogs everywhere.  If you have THE BIGGEST DOG there, or your friend does, you get lots of comments.  With my dogs, we get, "oh, they're so cuuuuute!," especially given that there are two of them.  Songbird gets, "Wow, THAT's a big one!"  Extreme dogs, that's what we have. 

Meeting with other New England friends later on in the visit.  SB is writing sermon now and later we go to the Bean Supper!  Can't wait. 

Oh, the birds? in my recent posts?

Several folks have complimented the bird photos...as if they thought I took them.  uh, no.  The good ones all have notations that are "copyright someone" in the corner.  I have found almost all of these on the Cornell ornithology website, and I can't recommend it to you enough.  Go look at the Nest Cams!  Coolness!

As I've mentioned, the photos represent birds I see in my thinking place, where I stop to pray on the way home from Jazzercise in the mornings.  Here is a picture of the thinking place (which I really did take myself, with my cell phone!)

Narnia and the North!

A million thanks to  sister Barbara for the website for the new Narnia movie, Prince Caspian!  Coming to a theatre near you on May 16!

This is making me smile today.