Anywhere there is a free event with food, music, and hordes of people in costume, you’ll find us. And thus, Ken and I enjoyed the fantastic 70 degree evening at the 24th annual Greek festival tonight.

The festival features arts and crafts, jewelry, church tours, children’s activities, dancing, and a wide selection of Greek food — from appetizers to entrees to desserts and pastries. There was a great crowd there tonight enjoying a beautiful evening outdoors, and the fun and festivities continue all weekend.

Admission is $2 at the gate, or you can print free tickets here.

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We had a great time being Greek for an evening!

After an exceptionally busy week last week, we finally had a chance to celebrate Ken’s birthday, in some other way than getting injections, by eating at our favorite sushi restaurant. For those of you who don’t like sushi, Wild Wasabi is the perfect sushi restaurant for you.

My favorite rolls are the Maui and Hawaiian, which have no raw fish, but instead have either cooked shrimp or crab, cream cheese, rice, etc., wrapped in soybean paper, and most importantly topped with FRUIT. It is so delicious! Ken got a “strawberry sweet” roll, which was similar, but did have some raw salmon in it. It was scrumptious!  He also got a “couple roll” which was way out of my league in the sushi category. Raw fish, seaweed, and I don’t know what else because while I can handle one or the other, the combination of the seaweed and raw fish is too much for me. Call me a sushi wimp. No, call me a fruit sushi wimp.

One of the best aspects about going to Wild Wasabi is the wait staff. There is one sweet waitress who remembers us, always asks us about hockey, and usually gives us a free appetizer. When she found out it was Ken’s birthday, she went to the back and brought out a gift for him — a box of chrysanthemum tea wrapped in a gift bag. Hmmm. I think she just outdid me as far as birthday gifts go . . . 

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Most of all, it was nice just to be able to finally have a couple of hours to spend together after a hectic summer and a crazy busy couple of weeks!

The year was 2000, and we were poor. We were in the midst of a period of time in which Ken was not allowed to work, due to an Immigration error. (And yes, they admitted it was their fault, but he still couldn’t work anyway. He was allowed to be in the United States, but he couldn’t leave or work.)  We had managed to scrape together enough money to take a vacation, but it had to be cheap.

But we really wanted to go to the beach.

Not an easy task.

I searched areas of the beach that were within driveable distance from Indiana, and I came across a review for Old Saltworks Cabins in an area called Cape San Blas, Florida. The cabins were a bit rustic, as in no television or internet, but cheap (at least they were back then). And they had a full kitchen, so we could bring food with us to save money on eating out. The cabins were near the beach, and we would have beach access. The reviews reflected on the charm of the property, the little museum, the relaxed pace of the area. All of these were very good things.

We spent a week in early May in Florida in a cramped cabin for less than $500 total back then, I believe. And even though we didn’t have what are now considered staples of entertainment, we had quiet. We had relaxation. We had a great time. We came to realize that Cape San Blas was not like what one typically thinks about in a Florida vacation.The beaches were empty. On a busy day, we might see one other family a half mile away or a horse galloping in the distance. Occasionally, there would be a person jogging with a dog off-leash. In fact, Cape San Blas has miles of pet-friendly beaches. There were no hotels. No high-rise condos. No amusement parks. Restaurants were few and far between. The only grocery store was a small-town Piggly Wiggly. The highlight of the whole Cape was a beautiful state park with miles and miles of empty sandy beaches.

It was the Florida that time forgot. And to us, it was paradise.

Before we had even left, we knew we had to come back. We planned a spring break trip for our college students to go camping there the next three years in a row. It was a perfect place for a sizeable group because there was almost no one else there! We could build sandcastles, play ultimate frisbee, or just relax with a good book without others around. We played silly games, planted sea oats, and played movies in the campground pavilion after dark.  The water was always still cold in early March, but we didn’t care. The rhythmic swells of the ocean would soothe a semester’s-worth of stress away with each crash on the shore.

We even managed to go to Cape San Blas a couple of times during PA school, but after I graduated, vacations became more difficult to take. We were away from the Cape for almost 5 years.

Finally in 2009, we decided that taking vacations needed to be a priority to us, since we rarely get days off together, and never get to sneak away for a weekend. We returned again to Cape San Blas just after Christmas.  It was like returning home. Now with dogs in tow, we try to make it to Cape San Blas once a year for some relaxation and renewal. We pay a little more to have cable and internet, and stay in a space a bit bigger than the studio-sized cabin we first stayed in.  We’ve been there for three years in a row now at Christmastime, and natives to the area now recognize us, and especially Buddy and Holly.

This year will be different. Rather than vacation, we hope to spend part of our winter in the Democratic Republic of Congo. But my heart can’t help but look forward to the time when we can return to “our” vacation spot, with two kids and two dogs. We hope that it will be a place for new traditions and memories to be made.

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With me being an American, and Ken being Canadian, I’ve been asked a few times over the last few week: How did the two of you meet?

It actually all started with a business card . . .

 
Nearly 16 years ago, I got my first box of professional business cards. I was working at The Wesleyan Church headquarters in the Youth Department. I got 1000 business cards. Why in the world a writer/editor would need 1000 business cards, I’ll never know.

Our department had just finished Catalyst, a conference held annually for Wesleyan youth pastors, and I was settling back into normalcy when a tour group came through our office. It was a group of Canadians. As I got to talking to them, I realized that one guy in particular knew a lot of the people I knew. The rest of the group was moving on in their tour, but he stayed behind as we talked about common friends and young adult ministry trends. When his group came back to get him, I handed him one of my business cards. Maybe we’d finish our conversation later.

He got on a van, and headed back to Canada.

Ken had stayed in the Youth Department that day because he had seen headquarters before, and it wasn’t that exciting the first time around. And he met a girl who could use the word “dude” in a sentence and not sound weird. He got back on his van to Canada and headed out for the long ride back to Ontario.

When he was nearing the border, he decided to call his sister to check in on his mom. She was terminally ill with ovarian cancer, and though he had just visited her, he was worried. He was right. The doctor had just given the news that she would soon pass away, and he needed to hurry back to New Brunswick to say goodbye.

Ken boarded a plane in Detroit, and sat by his mom’s side that night. He described the conference, and without even thinking confessed that he met a girl named Robin, and somehow he thought she was “the one.” Feeling a bit silly, he tucked that away in his “we’ll not mention that again” file. He was by his mother’s side when she entered the gates of heaven on October 1, 1995.

As he sought out a way to sort through his emotions, he remembered the suggestion of a friend to journal his thoughts during difficult times. So he began to write. The funeral. The visits from friends. The meals brought by. The sadness in his loss and the mysterious joy for his mother’s crown of glory. At the end of the week, he decided he needed to share it with someone. Tucking his thoughts into a drawer somewhere just didn’t seem right. He should mail it to a friend. But he was at his parent’s house, not his own, so he didn’t have his address book.

But he did have a business card of a girl named Robin at headquarters. She’d likely think he was crazy, but she lived in another country. It was completely possible, if not likely, that he would never see her again. He put a note to her at the top, and dropped it in the mail.

A month after the Catalyst conference, a hand-addressed envelope arrived in the mail at my desk at work. It was a thick letter. Curious.

As I read the words that were beautifully written about a man experiencing his mother’s death, I had two emotions: sadness for his loss, and bewilderment on why he would share this loss with me. I went to my boss to report this unusual letter.

“Oh, Ken Jewett. Yeah, I know him. He’s a really solid guy, I’ve known him since he was a kid. His mom and my sister were close friends. I’m a little surprised that he wrote that to you, but you should get to know him.”

A Youth Department secretary’s husband, who was a traveling speaker for the Wesleyan Church, had known Ken since his early teenage years. He had so admired Ken’s spiritual walk that he asked him to autograph his Bible, so he’d always remember him. “You should get to know him. He’s a solid guy.”

And so I called him. And Ken called me back. We began to exchange letters, phone calls, and faxes. Friends who knew us both began to say we would be perfect for each other.

On December 24th, 1995, on our second date, Ken asked for my hand in marriage. Saying yes was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Somehow God had brought us together, given us assurance of His plan, and mutual friends to support us.

And it all began with a business card.

If you know me, you most likely know my husband. What you may not know is all the reasons why I’m so thankful that God brought him into my life to be my husband. There are thousands, but here are 50 of my favorites.

1. He loves God more than he loves me.
2. He is my best friend.
3. He walks our dogs twice a day, rain or shine.
4. He is an excellent preacher.
5. He doesn’t mind buying almost all of our clothes at Goodwill, because he knows he’s making an investment in others.
6. He tells great stories.
7. He’s not afraid to lead a controversial discussion, but never loses his cool or becomes offended.
8. He participates in my not-always successful plans for Saturday adventures.
9. He wears sunscreen, which is my favorite scent.
10. He fully supports my frugality, but allows me to splurge on the rare occasions that I want to.
11. He loves to learn about just about anything, but most of all, other people.
12. There is no such thing as “women’s work” when it comes to household chores, because he realizes work is work, whether at home or in the office.
13. He laughs at my jokes.
14. He’s great at opening jars and killing spiders.
15. He is an extremely hard worker, but never feels the need to let on how much he really works.
16. He’s great at math. Some people can do math, and others think mathematically. He’s the latter.
17. He’s not afraid to laugh at himself.
18. He never pushes me to move on until I am ready.
19. He can figure out how to do just about anything, and isn’t afraid to try.
20. He makes me feel important.
21. When I feel like I’m a horrible person, he reminds me that I’m not.
22. He has done a fantastic job teaching in our program this semester, and has come to love and appreciate the students as much as I do.
23. He is an excellent writer.
24. He lets me read to him on road trips to make the ride easier on us both.
25. He can single-handedly maintain order with 80 middle schoolers, and even have fun in the process.
26. He threw me a re-wedding for our 6th anniversary, because our first wedding was surrounded by darkness and controversy, because every girl should have one day of bliss in her life.
27. He supports my interest in hockey, but understands when I’ve had enough.
28. He is never harder on me than I am on myself.
29. He’s great at grilling.
30. He never makes a big decision without me.
31. He is a wonderful artist.
32. He treasures our marriage and is careful avoid all appearances of impropriety.
33. He is always kind to wait staff and tips generously.
34. He’s never complained about the changes he’s had to make because of my allergies.
35. He makes great coffee.
36. He compliments me in front of others.
37. He finds other people to watch shoot-em-up movies with.
38. He is better at ironing than I am.
39. One of his favorite groups is senior adults and he loves spending time with them.
40. He doesn’t see our jobs as “his job” and “my job,” but as “our jobs” so that we can help each other out when needed.
41. He gives me permission to not be perfect.
42. He can name almost all of the stars in the sky, and tell stories about where they are and how they got their names.
43. He left his country to marry me.
44. He never complains about how much I work, or how much I blog.
45. He clips coupons, and helps me with complicated shopping orders. Willingly.   
46. He’s the best parallel parker I have ever seen. First try. Six inches from the curb. Straight.
47. We work very well together as a team.
48. He cares about the cause of the poor, fatherless, and widows, and leads others to care about them too.
49. His biggest weakness is for ice cream.
50. His biggest strength is Jesus inside of him.

 And those are just a start . . . 

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One of the fabulous things about living in Nashville is how many awesome things there are to do for free, if you keep yourself aware of what’s going on. Case in point: The Star Trek Convention at Opryland Hotel. Located less than 5 miles from our house, Opryland features a wealth of people-watching opportunities on any ordinary day.

But this was no ordinary day.

Hundreds of people from around the country gathered to celebrate science fiction’s finest: Star Trek.

Having accidentally gone to a Star Trek movie opening night back in 1996, we have come to realize a true Trekkie has a passion for not only knowledge of the series, but of costuming as well. While we are not Trekkies or even Trekkers (Did you know the difference? Neither did I, until Ken explained it to me this afternoon.), Ken has seen every Star Trek episode of every series. I, on the other hand, have probably seen all of the original series, most of Next Generation, and well, it really trails off after that.

What we do really appreciate is the enthusiasm of Star Trek fans, who celebrate a subculture that is rich in characters, scientific theory, and imagination.

Plus their costumes are pretty cool.

After a tip from an employee, we made our way to Opryland Hotel, and found free parking, but paid ample compensation for its use in the hefty walk that we had to embark on to get there. We had no idea where we were going to, until said employee tipped us off to which ballroom we were looking for.

With determination on our faces, and curiosity in our hearts, we walked through at least three other conventions with purpose, so as not to be suspected as intruders. Finally, we made it to the mothership: a lobby lined with booths filled with Star Trek merchandise, and costumed adults and children wandering around with pride.

We have no idea if we were allowed in, but seeing no signs posted otherwise, we walked in. We soon found a booth selling ID tags from every nerdy drama series on television from 24 to Big Bang theory to NCIS. And of course Star Trek. We purchased two tags to identify our own inner nerdhood. Ken chose an ID tag from the USS Enterprise, and me, from the Dharma Initiative. Oh yes. They supported all forms of science fiction.

Once we had our tags and made it around the booths, we began to feel more comfortable and started to take pictures. One thing that we immediately noticed . . . okay, that Ken immediately noticed. . .  was that FANS were dressed in costumes, where STARS were dressed in street clothes.

Ken attempted to get his picture with some guy who played a mythical creature from Deep Space Nine, but instead ended up with a costumed guy who HAD just taken his picture with said mythical creature.

Then I saw a gathering of ladies from various generations of Trekking, and I had to take pictures. Then I asked if I could join for a photo. Ken took a picture, and then I noticed that there were close to a dozen other people who had gathered and were taking pictures of me with them as well.

I was totally confused. Why would they want my picture?

Until Ken pointed out to me that STARS were in street clothes. My apparel, combined with my non-matching name tag had apparently pegged me as a Star Trek STAR!

Oh no, I thought, if they ask me a single question about Star Trek, I’ll fold. I can’t maintain the fan facade if they question me or ask for an autograph! I became desperately aloof.  Ken started an engaging conversation with the agent who represents all Star Trek Captains, and I wandered off, praying that no one would ask me anything, even though I was apparently famous.

Soon, the crowd thinned out as William Shatner began his apparently hilarious keynote address. We too, went our own separate (and free) way to the remainder of the hotel. Though the photo ops were now gone, we had just had a great Star-Date.

(Get it? Star? Date? Stardate? We had a great Star-Date? Oh well, go ask a Star Trek fan.)

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