Happy New Year

We just returned home from spending the weekend with family in Abilene, TX. We chose to take a shortcut from Houston using Texas' many intersecting highways, passing through many interesting small towns. But what we thought was the most direct route turned out to be a fairly long, 7-hr drive, longer than we expected -- which is saying a lot since my family and I have crossed Texas end-to-end by car many, many times over the last 28 years. We had no illusions about the size of Texas, but next time, we'll contemplate taking the less direct, but still slightly faster and more efficient interstate system!

However, it was a fun trip. We spent the early evening of New Years Eve watching a showing of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes on the original film at the restored 1930's Paramount Theater in downtown Abilene, and then we spent the rest of the night watching the Twilight Zone marathon with family. And yet, the trip was not without its frustrations... including a minor auto accident and an overflowing toilet in our hotel room. Grr... but such, at times, is life and sanctification. It was great to see family.