As far as the number of weeks go, this one is my favorite number. Those who know me know why. When I play sports games, and create myself as a player in that sport, I either give myself the number 55 or 22. In any event, this week was a bittersweet week.

Sunday – It was Rogate. Jesus was given and received, and my parents were in the congregation this morning. I had class after church with my young lady confirmand, and later that day with my son and another young man. Back home, and I got to spend some downtime with my family; it was nice. Tonight is normally a chicken salad night for me, but we all had a taste for pizza, so for those of us who could eat gluten, we went to get some pizzas from a local establishment: Buzzard’s Big Mouth Pizza. It’s good stuff.

Monday – How did we celebrate Memorial Day (observed)? First, Genevieve and I took Tirzah to the emergency room. She had a fever for about 36 hours that wouldn’t break, but wasn’t presenting any other symptoms, so we didn’t know what was making her ill. Her ears were fine, and nothing else seemed wrong, but the doctor was hesitant to do a catheter urine test to test for a urinary tract infection (she thought it too soon), which we appreciated. So, back home, with a stop at a couple of stores to pick up some kraut and wine. I think she was given one more dose of Ibuprofen. Soon, it was time to grill, and grill I did: brats and burgers and more burgers. I was cooking for 10. Meanwhile, mom made the kraut and mashed potatoes. Some friends from church also came over with some beans, root beer, and ice cream. Dinner was enjoyed by all.

Tuesday – This was the last day my parents would spend with us. I asked them if there was anything they wanted to do yet, but no plans were made. So, we spent the day at home, enjoying each other’s company. Oh, and Tirzah was feeling better.

Wednesday – So, I got up this morning and prepared to smoke the picnic roast which would serve as part of dinner at tomorrow night’s potluck. Patted dry and rubbed with some amazing seasonings, it soon found its way into my smoker over hickory, apple, and maple woods. In the meantime, my parents were loading their car and preparing for their drive back home. It wasn’t long until we were waving to them as they were leaving. Some moping around the house followed. My time was mostly spent running out back to check on the smoker. But, by 5pm, I took the roast out and let it sit on the counter as I showered and went to Lutheran Confessions Study. When I got home, the roast went in the fridge, and I got ready for bed.

Thursday – Back to a normal routine today, sort of. Off to breakfast Bible Study early, then to the office, when I put the words of tonight’s sermon to screen (and to paper), then home, though a little later than normal. At home, I chopped up the roast; of course, I tasted bits as I went. It turned out amazing. Genevieve made some mashed potatoes to go with it. Then, it was off to church for supper and the Supper—the Ascension of Our Lord. I really like this day in the church year.

Friday – I was up at my normal time. I watched some news, played some NHL 14, then got ready to go into the office. I had studied the text for Sunday, but nothing was really coming together for the sermon. So, I borrowed one again. I suppose I can cite having a short week with family and preparing a second service, but I really had some ideas for a sermon that really didn’t come together. When I got home, I had some lunch, relaxed for a bit, then did a little cleaning in preparation for hosting Bible Study. Though, it is the fifth Friday, which means game night. We all had a good time as we played Phase Ten Dice.

Saturday – The day started with some FIFA ‘14. I’ve had the game for a while, but never really got into playing it any, but I enjoyed it today (even more than PES 2014, though there are some features of PES that are better). We had a little thunderstorm, and once that passed, I had to fell the forest that was the front yard; it was thick. After that, it was off to Safeway for some supper fixings, and we had Thursdays’ leftovers for supper. Now, we’re winding down a bit and get ourselves in mind for what tomorrow would bring.