Well, we survived the Invasion of the in-laws. Just kidding, it was a great visit, one of the best we’ve ever had with them actually. I think it helped them to see that we’re not living in poverty and that we’re happy, settled, and adjusted.

Last blog post, I told you about our trip to Edinburgh. I really didn’t expect us to take any more sightseeing trips while they were in, but last Saturday we decided to go see Stonehenge. Now, Stonehenge is one of those places that seems to be much more appreciated by outsiders than it is by natives. Most of my coworkers response was along the lines of, “Well, I’ve driven BY Stonehenge and slowed down a bit to look at it.” Honestly, it wasn’t on my list of “must sees” either, but I’m glad we went. As we told the girls, it’s literally the oldest structure we’ll ever look at. Nearly 5,000 years ago a bunch of humans decided that, for some unknown reason, they were going to move these 25 ton rocks 150 miles because…..well, because they could. They were human and that’s the kind of stuff we do just because we can. It was a beautiful day, and it was easy to feel the weight of history while we just stood and looked at what those people did with the most rudimentary of tools. I’m sharing a bunch of pictures in a montage below (and you can click on them to view larger versions), but there’s one picture that I’m separating out. The image of a small child against the contrast of those enormous stones, 7 years-old looking at 5,000 years of history, taking a picture of ancient ruins with a modern smartphone. More than anything else, this picture summed up the feeling of the day for me.

Afterwards we stopped at Salisbury Cathedral, but didn’t stay long. We went to see the oldest surviving copy of the Magna Carta, but unfortunately the exhibit was closed for Easter Weekend. We still got a few fun pictures, though, and on the way back crossed over, and walked along, the Avon River, as in the Stratford-Upon-Avon where Shakespeare was born.

The next day was Easter and I heard the best Easter message I’ve ever heard. It was nearly perfect and the only reason I say “nearly” is because when I inevitably steal it, I’m going to have to give credit to Rev. Kay for coming up with it first. It was a message that captivated child and adult alike.

After that, the magic of Easter Weekend was over and it was back to work. I can’t really say that I love my job, or even really like it most days, but it’s a living and I definitely don’t hate it.

In even better news, though, my name has been distributed through the Synod as someone who can fill a pulpit, and apparently there’s definitely a need. I’ve got at least two weekends a month booked between now and the end of the year, and that was just the first week of my name being out there. Pretty soon I’m going to have to start turning them down so I can worship at our home church and not always be on the road on Sundays.

So, all in all, it’s been a pretty good few weeks.