Fall has not quite officially arrived, but the previews are running this evening. Low-humidity, high-60s temps and a slow intermittent rain that must be turning up the corners of central Illinois farming mouths after a dry summer. When I got home from church, Dena had three different scented candles burning in different sections of the house. With the windows open, we chilled out on the living room cushions, reading and doing light chores while the Bears won their second straight 4th quarter comeback on the radio to remain undefeated. It's as easy-smiling of a day as they come.
We also got to head out to the Chamber of Commerce's member appreciation lunch on Friday. Besides the rare treat of burgers (yes, burgers!) made by Alexander's Steakhouse, we were surprised not by the splashy sunshine, but by the many familiar faces that came out to pack the tent. I'm lucky to be a part of the Chamber, and to live in a town with such an active one.
Leadership McLean County went extremely well this week. The opening 2-day retreat is just days away, and we lined up some exciting leadership discussion and polished off many details to give the class members a great experience when they arrive. The feedback from the Chamber has been affirming. It's been time well spent, and I'm fired up for another week.
Dena and I had some fun taking the personality tests that LMC participants will experience. We'd taken them years ago, but the results of the past were still holding true, mostly. That's for another blog post, but it made for a mini-date activity to talk about how we see each other. More profitable than sitting in a dark theater!
The sports in my life continue to run with excitement. Open gyms for the basketball players are drawing college scouts. I played a little, with no major injuries, and a few impressive moments. The Cubs' magic number is 10 for beating the Sox this year, as they prepare to hurdle the lowest possible bar of expectations in the profession. I've made the final four in the playoffs of the fantasy baseball league. My fantasy football team won week 1. Alabama won a squeaker against run-happy Texas A&M to stay #1 in the polls. And the Illinois Central College women's volleyball team (including two of my nieces) shook off an 0-2 deficit to win the match we watched on Friday, and went on to take the championship on Saturday.
While at the ICC match we hung out with old friends Kirsten & Mike Schaub and their three adopted children. The kids were more inquisitive than your average district attorney, literally a hundred questions about the plays I'm in, sports I like, and the ins and outs of volleyball. It reminded me how fun it is to be an uncle, even though I'm not technically their uncle. As I look around at the dozens of children small and teenage in my life, I'm amazed at the favorable odds I have in terms of good behavior. Jackson Stevens, for example, who's not quite six months old, is the quietest baby I can recall... despite sitting amidst what is essentially a Christian rock band, he never fusses.
The LifeTeen band added a new member this week to help keep our vocal balance of 2 men and 2 women. Our sound was especially crisp this morning if I say so myself, and a good portion of the credit for that goes to Mike Lieder, the man of many talents who mans the sound board and fills in at guitar when there's an opening. I've been in enough bands to know how underappreciated a good sound guy is. The creative energy was flowing today, and next week is primed to be better yet.
In the midst of Mass, there was an announcement about an upcoming retreat. I'm grateful that there are so many avenues for people to find meditation, affirmation, or rediscovery in their lives. Whether or not its within a religious environment, I've become a big believer in exercises that promote peaceful thinking.
Other new people are coming into my life. Yet another student will be starting with me next week who found me through the Wyzant site. I've come to enjoy the pair of tutors that I work with in the HCC walk-in math lab. Daniel Hill is a jack-of-all-science-trades with plenty of experience to share, and Evan is an eager learner who, for example, dove in with me into a "TI-89 Calculator for Dummies" book to figure out how to do a certain type of graphing.
At the same time, familiar faces continue to warm us up. My former co-worker Carol Gilmore is retiring in October; my actuarial brother Tyson Mohr and I got caught up over lunch; our LMC alumni friend Denise Geske found us at the appreciation lunch for the first time in years.
Little joys punctuate the days... the diversity of our condominium neighborhood... the taste of pumpkin-flavored ice cream... the surprising popularity of last week's thankfulness post, which has 300 views and so is the most-viewed original post I've ever had. I'll chalk that last one up to good timing rather than elite writing, but the fact is that Hidden Blog's averaged 200 views a day thus far in the month of September. Like this beautiful pre-Fall day, I'll give a nod of thanks to God and as my sis Dona would say, carry on to another blessed week ahead.
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