My July Surprise...

I had meant to write about this earlier, but things have been busy, and I've been thesifying and dissertating and in general, dealing with all sorts of other things. :)
So at the beginning of the summer, in June sometime, Aaron sent me a text that said, "Save the date 7/26/2008 at 6pm. I was obviously excited, because I love surprises.
But of course I was curious. I actively didn't pursue figuring out the surprise, mainly because Aaron had put so much work into it, but I tried to figure out what it might be. I was thinking of concerts and dancing and dinner and movies and all sorts of things that Aaron might surprise me with, but came up with a blank.
Ironically, the first thing I thought of, I dismissed as "oh, but that's the 28th. Oh well, I really wanted to go, but maybe next time they're in Dublin."
So I waited and tried really hard not to ferret out any bit of the surprise, and Aaron was really good at hiding it from me as well. Apparently all day at the beach people were about to ruin it. It really was last minute. It was excruciating to not know, but definitely exciting.
We hopped on the DART -- Ania, Ula, Laura, me, and Aaron, and arrived at Sandymount Station, running a bit late because of the beach madness. We were meeting someone -- again, a surprise, but by this point I had figured out it was Pauline, back from the States!
So as we were walking towards Donnybrook, I see a sign for "Buble Parking" and I look at Aaron and say, "But he's playing on the 28th!" And Aaron laughed and was sad that I had figured it out before arriving at Donnybrook, but was really glad that I had the dates confused in my head.
When we got to Donnybrook Stadium, it was already swarming with people. Aaron handed out the tickets and we started walking towards the front.
We walked past the bleachers. We walked towards the stage... We passed a few ushers, and by the time we got to the very front section I was grinning like an idiot. I had never been this close to a stage (other than my U2 addiction) ever before. We were ten rows from the front, in the DEAD center. I swear, we were so close I could have spit on the man from where I was. It was freaking AWESOME.
So I'm bouncing up and down like an idiot, because I really only found out about this guy Michael Buble about a year previously, working at Steamers in Sierra Madre, and fell in love with his renditions of the Standards almost immediately. And I really did believe that he wasn't playing until the 28th, so the whole thing had turned into an incredibly surprising surprise.
The opening act was a group called Naturally 7. They were ridiculously good. They had no instruments, and each of them used their voices for the various drum, bass, guitar or other instrument bits of a song. It was fascinating. They also were unapologetically Christian, talking about God in their song, "Say You Love Me." The music was incredible.
When Michael Buble came out, the crowd went wild. But I was quite glad that people didn't start standing and mobbing the stage until much later. The first hour of the concert was like a lovely show in the Hollywood Bowl that I remembered from my childhood -- stars, seats, people acting classy. The funny thing, however, is that there were women about 20 years older than me throwing themselves at him.
Buble has a snarky sense of humor, and is really a bit of a slimeball, but it was still a really entertaining show. His intermediary commentary was every bit as fun as the big band brass section. His own compositions are actually quite good -- a rarity for one who mostly performs standards. The lights were fantastic, and the music captivating.
I think the whole experience was just delightful. I know that the rest of our group enjoyed it, but it was a magical evening for me. God also was kind and we had spectacular weather. Clear skies and a lovely warm evening with a refreshing breeze. I felt so loved.
So yay for Michael Buble! I think Aaron's posted some photos on flickr, and as soon as I figure out how to download the video from my phone, I'll upload that to my youtube account for those of you who introduced Buble into my life. :)

Homesick

Hi friends and family,

This is a strange week. It's been lovely in Dublin, albeit a bit cool and somewhat damp. But since Aaron & I love this kind of weather, we're grand. I'm finding more and more that Dublin suits me right down to the ground. Someone asked me today what I loved about the city, and I just went on and on and on. It's a wonderful place.
Our involvement in church is simply lovely. It's really a large family. I'm enjoying the work that I'm doing there; Aaron is getting involved, and we feel loved, accepted and cherished. It's still a relatively new phenomenon.
I only felt that way with the church at Family Camp. Which is happening as I write this from damp Dublin. It's the first in 20 years that I haven't at least shown my face, and the first year with Aaron that we haven't gone as a couple. I spent years fighting for church and koinonia and the only place I found it -- until now -- was Family Camp. So it was the last safe place for me...
Until Dublin Vineyard.
Now don't get me wrong, Bel Air does its best, but with 3000 people, there's only so much intimacy to be had on the larger scale. The small groups were a try, but we never were able to feel like we had much in common with people other than Jesus. We LOVE our small group back in L.A. I just want that said. It's more of a question of "fit" and silly things like common careers, interests, hobbies. We had more of those with people outside the state.
So our "safe" place -- well, mine particularly -- is Family Camp.
And I'm not there. I'm grieving a bit about it actually. My heart really, really hurts. I'm not sitting around the campfire with Bill, Herschel, and Mike. I'm not listening to Bill Crawford. I'm not laying on the grassy slope underneath my favorite tree in the world. I'm not fighting to find a spare bar of signal. I'm not eating meals with different friends every day. I'm not taking my girls out to mani-pedis, and I'm not basking in God's amazing gifts of Mission Springs.
And I'm not having my ritual "end" to the year. Every day that was difficult, and every day that frustrated and made me doubt God... I would look forward to Family Camp, even if subconsciously, and just remember that it was there, it was coming, and I would be there. So this week, when I normally re-charge, relax, and re-evaluate the year, I am writing a dissertation critically evaluating US Evangelicals half a world away.
It's really hard.
I've been getting updates from my Mom, which is awesome. I even gave her a tutorial on Islam and Muslim-Christian relationships that shows that I really HAVE learned so much this year and really benefited from my experience here. I am wired by God to do these things. And it still really hurts. I would love to share with my family what I'm learning and how God is changing me and my marriage and my family and my life here.
I'm learning that God has other things to teach me about community and church family. Family Camp was a brilliant preparation, but there is something else for me. And I'm learning what that is. And I'll probably have a ridiculously good cry tomorrow night, realizing that the Communion Service is happening without me, that my girls are growing up, that my family is changing, and that I'm changing.
I think that is the scariest bit. That I'm changing and maybe someday God will teach me that I need God more than I need Bel Air Family Camp, however painful and sad that is.
Oh well, I'm being a bit melodramatic, but I'm sad, and missing my old home.
We'll be in Vancouver Aug 25-29 with Alyse and Mike, Williams Aug 29-Sept 1 with the Thompsons, Los Angeles Sept 1-10, St. Louis Sept 10-13(Katie, 15 for Aaron), and then Boston till Sept 17. We're hoping to see everyone, and enjoy being "home."
Because as I often say, and truly believe,
Home is not where you hang your hat, it's where you hide your heart.