Odds and Ends

We'll start with the 'ends.' Today is the end of the month and the end of our longest unbroken string of posts. Whew!

The odds? Well, we've been listening to Christmas carols for a few days now and we've learned some things:

A snow man walking sounds like "thumpety thump thump thumpety thump thump."

Santa looks a lot like somebody's dad.

Grandma doesn't look both ways when crossing streets.

"There's a new kid in town" (I think they meant Jesus)

Presenting Trey Douglas Luecke, The Fir

Tonight after dinner we packed up 'fall' and brought out 'winter'. While sipping on chai lattes and listening to the sounds of the season, we dressed the tree.



Trey Douglas is a great tree to hold the decorations we have. It was fun to see all the decorations that Mr. and I have. Some with great stories, and some without much of a history. But they are all so beautiful.



We are excited to share our tree with our guests, it makes the house feel ready for long chats over a warm drink dreaming about what is to come.



The Misters new tradition....he is wondering if this skirt makes him look fat?

Names

When folks find out that the Mrs. is 'with child,' we often get asked if we have names picked out. We have selected a placeholder name: P. But we are fairly sure we won't actually use P as the full name.

I've decided, though, that I should practice naming things. The Mrs.'s car started it for me...her Honda is named Rhonda. So the car I usually drive now has a name: Pete (and no, he is not a Pontiac or a Pugeot...he's a Honda too.). I asked my elderly neighbor what his car's name is. He looked at me kind of funny and said, "Geo Prism." I was looking for something a little more personal. Mr. D then dubbed the Geo Prism to be "Bob." Frequently Rhonda, Pete, and Bob hang out together in front of the houses.

The Christmas tree is my latest effort. His partial name was previously mentioned on this blog as Trey Douglas. His full is actually Trey Douglas Luecke, The Fir.

Recently I've been noodling on the name for the vehicle we hope to buy in the next few months, a Honda CRV. CuRVy seemed good at first, but that just seems too obvious. The color we like for the CRV is Glacier Blue. It struck me then that if we like glaciers, we should take Al Gore seriously....so maybe "Al" is a good name.

God made pregnancy nine whole months for a reason!

Tiny P

I am starting to show a tiny bit. I just read that P has started peeing...and possibly sucking its thumb. Reading about what is happening as P develops is great, because at this point I barely even realize there is anything going on inside.

One of my friends has encouraged me not to wear sweat pants through the whole pregnancy. So I have been wearing jeans most evenings. A few weeks ago I bought a pair of 'regular waist' maternity jeans just to alleviate the tightness at the zipper of my normal jeans, and those are great; cute, stylish, dark jean color. But this weekend my Special K S-I-L gave me a pair of real maternity jeans with the thick waist band. These things are awesome, it's like wearing dressy sweat pants. I don't know why I didn't get some of these years ago, they are perfect for the holidays when there is so much great food around. I think they should start marketing these to all women, not just pregnant women.

Ladies, free yourself, get some maternity jeans...feel the FREEDOM!

This post brought to you by the number 2

It was a sunnier day than today when these sweet friends stood beside us as witnesses....




And all of our family and friends came to celebrate...



The joining of our two lives.

Tradition

Thanksgiving has just narrowly passed and with full bellies and our minds still thinking on the many things we are thankful for we are moving on the the next holiday. Already today Christmas music is pumping through our house and the smell of fresh pine is filling the space. The Special K's gave us a new Christmas CD when we were with them this last week. It is great to have 'new' music to add to the collection. What a lovely sound to fill the house as the Mr and I prepare together for Advent.


This time last year we were with my parents decorating their house after we wrapped up the Thanksgiving celebrations. And as tradition has been set in the Heybrock house...we always decorated for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving. So this is what Mister and I did with my parents last year. (this year dear dad is on his own- as mom's little helper...way to carry the torch dad!) We got off to sort of a rough start on the tree, but we pulled it together nicely I think!



This year Mister and I were home by Saturday afternoon which gave us a chance to relax a bit after our car ride, and get settled back into our home. (and since it was so chilly when we got back I even convinced Mr. to turn the boiler on!) After our Saturday relaxation which included Sushi (nothing raw) and a movie and a good nights rest in our own bed, we decided we would start our Christmas decorating. This started with a long conversation about where we were going to put the tree and what size it should be which led us to the possibility of buying a new piece of furniture to finish one space in the house...which led us to furniture shopping...which wasn't entirely fruitful, but we did find some options. But all this got us no tree.

Rhonda, Mr. and I finally headed to the tree shop and got the most perfect tree. Da Da Da....Introducing Trey Douglas and his journey to his new and probably final home. (I think mister is on a kick from thinking of baby names?)




to be continued....with pictures of the fully decorated tree...

Pontoon

For my birthday this year, the Mrs. got me a set of CDs of Garrison Keillor reading his latest book, Pontoon. I've been looking forward to listening to it for over a month now...and the drive to and from Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving was the perfect time.

We're about halfway through now and not much actually happened. But we have gotten to know about 20 folks from Lake Wobegon. They're an odd bunch, really. And one gets the sense that these 20 folks, and probably another 10 that we have yet to meet, are going to get to know each other in the midst of a crazy situation.

That crazy situation will most likely involve:
A dead women's ashes in a bowling ball
A parasailing grandkid
A pair of 18 foot fake geese
A parachuting Elvis
A hot air balloon
A Lutheran Pastor
And yes, a pontoon boat.

If you can figure out how to put all that together, well, you are probably Garrison Keillor!

Family!

I am the brother-in-law of Mr. & Mrs and I have been asked to appear as a "guest" blogger on their website. They suggest I write on the topic of Family given the fact that everyone has invaded our home for the Thanksgiving holiday. During the past couple of days I have wondered how interesting it is that total strangers from varied walks of life actually end up being fairly close family members thrust into spending holiday and vacation time with each other. Our family represents a unique cross- section of interests - from English professor to Art historian to project manager to lawyer to architect to mother and so on. Needless to say, conversation is interesting and thought provoking. However, despite this variance, one very important reality that binds this family and represents a common thread in all our lives is faith in our living Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This bond is especially important during Thanksgiving and the upcoming Christmas season when we can all focus upon the one constant in our lives and give thanks for all the blessings that have been continually sent to this Family! Have a wonderful holiday season - rest assured ours will be spent with Family!

How Much Did You Eat?

She may be small, but she can put it away!

making

bread...this is my first try at bread, the first loaf didn't turn out so well, I have my fingers crossed for loaf number 2....otherwise I guess we will turn to Pillsbury?


stuffing...it smells great! Hopefully it will taste as good as it smells!


and a scarf, well it started as a scarf, but seems like it might be more like a shall...but I am really excited about it!

Chef Master D

The Mister loves making his signature desert, *Creme Brulee au Plumbier*. So it is only fitting that Mr. D also Master this skill!



...and master he did....

Who's the monkey now?

Several months ago, my nephew Flash was sitting on my sister's lap as she read a review in the NYT of Alan Greenspan's book. Flash pointed confidently at the picture and announced, "Monkey!" Pretty funny.
Yesterday, Flash went to the museum with his mother. As is his want, he confidently called out what each painting depicted..."picture of guy," "scoopture of guy," "cross," "Flash's belly." (He was a little off on the last one apparently). Then he saw the picture below and confidently proclaimed, "Uncle Matt!" Corrections of "John the Baptist" were not well-received. I hope Flash isn't prophetic.

Fear and Love

I've always loved the passage about Jesus and the rich young ruler...not the sad part, but the part where we're told that Jesus looked at him and loved him. I want to be able to do that.

The trouble I have is that when I see young men approaching me on the street, my first reaction usually isn't love, but fear. I guess having a semiautomatic hand gun held to my chin by a young man last year has a lot to do with that.

This afternoon I was walking to my car across the street from the house and encountered a man walking down the sidewalk across from me. Not wanting to give in to fear, I intentionally greeted him and asked him how he was doing. Since I was hoping for a nice little head nod, I was startled when he stopped, crossed the tree lawn, and started talking to me.

I didn't look him in the eye and love him. Actually I'm not even sure what he said at first since I was studying every motion of his hands and asking myself what I had brought upon myself.

It turns out that what I had brought upon myself was a conversation about what I would do if I were on a bus downtown and suddenly needed to go to the bathroom. This man said he got off the bus and found an alley and, well, took care of business. Apparently someone had come across him and had scowled or cursed him or somehow communicated disgust. He was ashamed. He told me he had tried hard to find a place where no one would see him. He wanted to know if I understood. What would I have done?

I tried to say some reassuring things, but I have to admit, I was still thinking about how this could be a long, albeit very odd, introduction to a mugging. Apparently he felt some reassurance and decided to move on. I think we were both, shall I say, relieved, but for different reasons. He because someone seemed to understand his actions, and me because I didn't get robbed.

Tonight in church one of the readings was from 1 John: "There is no fear in love: but perfect love drives out fear because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us."

I want to be able to look at men approaching me on my street and love them.

Three Men and a Meal

207 used to the home of three bachelors. We cooked together quite a bit in those days. For the last many months/years, though, we've been cooking with our wives.

Tonight the wives were with friends, mothers, and daughters. What did we do? We ate red meat and drank beer (OK, and some red wine...and some white wine...and some Bailey's creme) and smoked cigars. And we thanked God for our wives...and toasted them with said beer.



We also practiced setting the table.

what color is that?

Today was a sunny, chilly, beautiful fall day. This type of weather is a favorite of mine. I love getting in the car on a day like today because it feels like it must be summer, the sun is so strong. And the leaves are absolutely beautiful- still- what a treat.

Since I have an office with a window (basically everyone does it isn't anything special!) today I spent some time staring out over the toll road. (while working of course!) I was struck by the color in the trees. A wee bit of green poking through the rust, ochre, magenta, burnt umber and sienna. Striking!

Religion and Politics

As a Christian who lives in Washington, DC, I've gotten used to having lots of good conversations about religion and politics. But every once in a while I'm reminded why these topics are usually considered taboo. One of those times was Thanksgiving with the family a number of years ago. At Thanksgivings since then I'm guessing we all give thanks that we didn't make that conversation a tradition! Another one of those times was tonight. From a woman we know a bit: "A woman can't be president of the United States because God chose a man to die on the cross."

Construction

I just got out of the 395 tunnel at New York Ave. ARGH - it is so frustrating! That road is always busy- it doesn't matter what time of day and on top of that they are repaving New York Avenue. Work begins for the pavers at about 9pm and goes through the night so they don't disrupt the heavy traffic times...which is basically all the time! It just chaps me that drivers are aware that the left lane is basically nonexistent at the light, yet they choose to drive in that lane because somehow it is faster. Finally once we get to the light at the end of the tunnel we have to merge, which is fine, but not when like three cars in the left lane want to come in the right lane because their lane ended. Common people, you knew that lane was going to end like 20 minutes ago when you got in it. Frustrating...that is all I can say!

The bright side, we had Tim the Welsh in the car with us entertaining us with stories. Tim the Welsh is actually the reason we were out and about at 10:30 pm on a school night, we got to pick him up from the airport, and he is staying with us through the weekend. We are lucky to have such a great friend, one who will even entertain us when I am running off my temper at the schnivers in front of me.

Welcome back to DC TtW! I guess DC wanted to give you a proper welcome as well. Traffic.

The Lecture Continues...it was quite long!

What some might call a 'decorated shed'....




...also appreciate this as 'Sacred Architecture'.

I tend to agree with the lecturer, on these two extreme examples, anyway. The point was that architecture happens in a moment of experience, in time and space. The chapel by Tadao Ando (in pictures- I have never been) has a soul searching quality that meets one person in one moment. Whereas the Crystal Cathedral was created to entertain many people- hopefully entertain them enough that they would feel like giving to the church (so they could pay for their structural engineer). just joking

You tell us...what do these two pictures of *religious* space bring to your mind about Sacred Architecture?

Wisdom

Last Friday we joined a couple of friends and went to a lecture entitled, "Untimely Meditations on the Need for Sacred Architecture." The lecturer was the picture of an eminent scholar...he has a "real" Ph.D...that is, he is an actual Doctor of Philosophy. When I learned that he was a 70-something-year-old white guy who had spent his entire adult life reading and writing philosophy at Yale, I unconsciously made a bunch of assumptions, many of which weren't kind: yes, he would be brilliant, but also probably boring, arrogant, and stodgy.

In some ways he did not disappoint. He was brilliant. Though I was lost a lot as my brain struggled to parse and sort out his long sentences, I kept up enough to see that he was really insightful about a whole range of real-life topics like religious practice in the United States. And yes, he was a little boring from time to time (but that probably reflects more my inability to take in everything he was saying.)

In other ways he did 'disappoint.' That is, he wasn't arrogant or stodgy at all. He made a bunch of self-deprecating remarks in the question and answer period and seemed to be genuinely humble, not even taking into consideration that he'd written 180 articles and 5 books. And his mental flexibility was amazing! Quite the opposite of stodgy, he seemed more alive than most folks I've heard in any similar context.

Two of his ideas stick out in my mind. First, he argued that everything about the evolution of western civilization has pointed toward freedom. We are increasingly able to control and reproduce everything and that allows us to do almost anything we want. As a result, we are increasingly 'unbound.' That is, there is little that holds us together. To the extent, then, that architecture simply reflects people's desire to control and reproduce spaces, architecture is merely functional...it does nothing to bind us together and only reinforces our current trajectory. As he would say many times, nice-looking functional buildings are merely "decorated sheds."

He holds out hope though. The sacred, he argues, is one force that can bind us together. He was not speaking as a believer, so he was quite vague about what the sacred is. But he referred a lot to an 'aura' or a sense that there is something greater than ourselves and greater than our control-obsessed civilization. Architecture can and should help create that aura or sense of the sacred he argues. When it does this, it is a force that slows our dis-integration and helps bind us together.

OK, so that description stretches the notion of "an idea." My takeaway: we need spaces that inspire awe and remind us that we are not as big a deal as we think we are.

The other idea was much simpler. After the lecture, a person asked him if he was optimistic about the future of architecture. His answer was something like, "Am I hopeful? Of course I am. Pessimism is self-indulgent."

Fun with wires!

With the exception of the kitchen, the few square feet behind the stereo have been the focus of more energy than probably any other in the house. Behind the four square holes you see below is the nexus of nearly every system in the house. Hot and cold water run up the behind the wall, waste water comes down, radiator pipes go up and down, phone lines, ethernet cable, and coaxial cable run to the upstairs rooms, component video cables run up a conduit to the projector, and 14 gauge stereo wires run to 11 outlet boxes spread around the floor and ceiling of the main room. No surprise then that it has taken a while to get it all working--and looking--right.
This picture was taken back in the 'dark days' when I'd come home late and run wires and pipes until 11:30 pm so that everything would be ready for the dry-wallers.


Once the essentials were working, there were about 50 other major projects that made it seem crazy to stop and take the time to sort out the wires.


This long weekend was the long-awaited time where I got to solder fancy gold-plated endings on to the stereo wires. After this step, a 'banana' clip get screwed on so that the wire can easily be plugged into the stereo and wall (and easily unplugged when things need to get rearranged.)


While this is hardly pristine, it's about as good as I can make 30 wires look!

"Fun with Sushies!"

The first time I ever had sushi, I think I was 25. But ever since, I've been a huge fan. In fact, the Mrs. and I had sushi on both our first official date and on the evening we got engaged.

So when we thought about what to get Flash for his birthday, it didn't take too long to think of sushi. Why should he have to wait another 23 years to discover sushi?

The folks at Amazon happened to have some in stock and were kind enough to send out an order that arrived the next day.

Flash was pretty excited to play with the assortment he got. We're quite confident that any future order he gets will taste better than this one...the chefs at Amazon can only do so much wood and paint.

The Power of Nebraska

In the last three years I've discovered that much of this country is actually run by people from Nebraska. So when the Mrs. stepped out of the room, I snatched the computer so I could post with her user name...wanted to feel powerful!

Just today I was reading a random magazine and came across an article about the founder of this very site...Blogger. Where's he from? Yep...Nebraska. He's now working on a new website apparently called "Twitter." Haven't been there yet, but I hear it is set up so that you can easily write short messages about what you are doing at any given moment. The idea is that while writing this blog post, for instance, I might get distracted and write a quick twitter to a friend about how I'm blogging right now. Apparently our innovative Husker guy gets the same comments about Twitter as he used to get about Blogger..."why would anybody want to do that?"

I had the same question for a friend in college who was using this new thing called an "internet browser." Clearly I'm not from Nebraska.

More on Enough

The Necessary Brevity of Pleasures
by Samuel Hazo

Prolonged, they slacken into pain
or sadness in accordance with the law
of apples.
One apple satisfies.
Two apples cloy.
Three apples
glut.
Call it a tug-of-war between enough and more
than enough, between sufficiency
and greed, between the stay-at-homers
and globe-trotting see-the-worlders.
Like lovers seeking heaven in excess,
the hopelessly insatiable forget
how passion sharpens appetites
that gross indulgence numbs.
Result?
The haves have not
what all the have-nots have
since much of having is the need
to have.
Even my dog
knows that - and more than that.
He slumbers in a moon of sunlight,
scratches his twitches and itches
in measure, savors every bite
of grub with equal gratitude
and stays determinedly in place
unless what's suddenly exciting
happens.
Viewing mere change
as threatening, he relishes a few
undoubtable and proven pleasures
to enjoy each day in sequence
and with canine moderation.
They're there for him in waiting,
and he never wears them out.

Happy Birthday Flash

We are looking forward to singing *Happy Birthday* to you on Saturday!! Though it is a little intimidating to compete with your usual diet of Iggy Pop and Puccini.

Seasons

It is getting cold here. Fall is fully upon us, and it seems that Winter isn't far off. When the seasons change it seems so rich that our lives are able to reflect that. Some times change looks like it is only happening to those around us, but when I stop to reflect on the leaves and their amazing color, I am reminded that we are all changing - our colors are changing too.

The mornings are chilly at our house, we haven't turned on the heat just yet. Mr. and I are both hating and loving the crisp air in the morning. It lends to more cuddle time under the layers of blankets, but it makes for a cold run to the warm shower! A warm cup of tea in the afternoon is a welcome treat, and when it is time for bed, I can't wait to get back under the covers.

Amazingly I get to feel and see my body change too as these seasons change. PLL might start protruding a bit with the coming of winter. And certainly the morning sickness (which happens all day!) has passed as the cool air blows in. I imagine that I will feel PLL with much more force as Spring arrives and just as Summer is coming so will this baby. I am excited about all these seasons, though I wish I could fast forward to the Summer!

Lately I have been saying to the Mr. I can't wait for Christmas (I mean seriously, have you seen the Pottery Barn catalogue?- so Dreamy!). And as soon as I say that I feel a little guilty, reminding myself how much I LOVE the Fall, and I get sad to think that when Christmas comes Fall will be gone. Living in the moment is difficult when I feel so ready for this baby to come- and the next season to come. (minus the essential things you need to care for a baby- none of which we have) But it is good to remember that it is just Fall. This little Luecke inside me is just a wee thing and it needs time to grow and nurture- Lord willing it will wait till the end of Spring.

Sockets

It will come as little surprise to anyone who knows me that I have a thing for tools. No news there! But I have a special place in my heart for socket sets.

It goes back a long way, apparently. When I was two, my dad was working on adding a back porch to the house (hm...who would do that?) and I, being 'helpful' decided to rearrange his socket set...around the backyard. I still remember the set...chrome sockets, one ratchet, a socket driver with a green handle, and green metal case.

The next socket set I got at least twenty years later (dad, if you remember when, let me know). It was a Popular Mechanics set that was at least 3 times the size of the set I first 'used.' The PM set has been great. If you stop by the house and I'll show you where all the bolts are that I've turned...they're holding the second floor up at the meoment, actually. It turns out, though, that the plastic case latches didn't age all that well. Even without the help of a two-year-old, the sockets fell out and have been scattered around in various nooks and crannies. Truth is, I think I have about 90% of them somewhere. But it causes me angst to think that I might have a need to turn a specific bolt and that bolt just might require one of the 10% of the sockets I'm missing. What if there was some sort of emergency bolt turning that had to be done?

The idea of buying a new set has been on my mind for a few years now, but the ridiculousness of the idea of the previous paragraph managed to ward off the purchase. But this year I gave in...a check from the Norfolk Heybrocks, a gift card from the Cleveland Lueckes, a check from the Arlington Heybrocks, and another check from the Fremont Smalls started to burn a hole in my wallet. Out a frugal desire to save my wallet, I made my way to Home Depot and bought myself a primo socket set for my birthday!

So far I've removed four lag screws and used the large extender as a lever to unscrew a big eye-hook. Oh, the projects we'll do!

Thanks family!

Chillaxin' at 207

Mr. D was over Monday. He looked like he had a pretty good shiner on his left eye. We asked about what the other guy looked like...he said "what?" His teacher apparently said he had a "star" in is eye. Every now and again his eyes do twinkle, but our best guess was that he actually had a stye. We have little medical training, but we hear that cucumbers are good for the eyes, so Mr. D took a little break from his homework to take care of his star.

What do these things grow into?

Every once in a while we think of adding on to our house...after all, come Spring time we'll have 50% more people in the house. It always seems like so much work though. I saw these bulbs at the hardware store the other day and though maybe this might be a nice way to grow some extra space..hard to tell a lot from the picture, but the house looks pretty nice to me..

Big Sound, Small Footprint

If you saw and heard the show, you might have thought the Sharps 'roll heavy'...maybe a van and trailer. But somehow all the musical gear, two adults, a one-year-old and a one-year-old's gear all magically fit into a Prius. So far they've clocked over 7,000 miles, and they're only halfway through the trip. Toyota should be a Cobalt Season sponsor!

It was Good!

If you made it to our place last night, you know what an enchanting evening it was! Music by the Cobalt Season filled with emotion to match the thought provoking video projected on them and behind them. It was music that has been created by Ryan (and Holly) from the depths of their souls, and they bared their souls to us last night as they sang about hurt, anger, love, and hope for the Kingdom. Here is a clip.

Showtime!

The great thing about planning way ahead is that you get to anticipate good things for a long time. We've been looking forward to Ryan and Holly (aka Cobalt Season) playing in our living room for months now...and November 2 has finally arrived! Now we just have hours left to count.

If you are reading this and can get to our house by 8 pm tonight (Boeing now makes planes that will fly you here nonstop from any city in the world), please come...you'll be glad you did!

up for it?

I am not sure if we can do this, I mean everyday? It could be a fun challenge! But since we tend not to be that dedicated to the old blog, I am just not sure. Anna might do it...maybe I will see if I can at least out last her!

And I guess a post is a post, so this is mine for the day.