Confirmed in the Faith

Last Sunday, Abby and Emma were confirmed in the Faith.  Along with their classmates, they publicly confessed their belief in the one true God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  My parents, Sheri's father, and my sister (one of their godparents) were all present.  Now they take greater responsibility within the Church and are charged with continuing in the things they have learned and growing in faith in Christ, and love for God and their neighbor.

Last Day of School

Today is the last day of school - the last day of eighth grade - the last day of junior high.  I thought a photo might be a good idea to memorialize the moment:

And compare to the beginning of this school year:

On to high school!

Aria

Our eldest cat, Aria, died today.  Our best estimate is that she just reached her twentieth birthday - simply ancient for a cat.  She was the last of our first generation of animals - the generation we had before our girls were born.
Sheri found Aria - an abandoned kitten at Jackson State Community College in Jackson, TN.  The vet at the time estimated her age at about 9 weeks.  She was so tiny!  And she never really got very big.  She may have been the runt of her litter.  Aria was always a little different.  She liked to play fetch with rolled up pieces of paper.  She never liked to wrestle with the other cats - preferring to cuddle on someone's lap.  She was very shy around strangers - never coming out until the visitors had left.
During the last two years, her venerable age began catching up with her.  Her health declined steeply over the last couple of weeks.  And even more so during her last 48 hours.  So we made the difficult decision to put her down.
Aria left us full of wisdom and experience - having lived in 5 homes in three states.  But she will also leave a hole in this household.  She will be missed.

First Day of School - Eighth Grade Edition

Our traditional first day of school photograph:

Big difference from just a few years ago.

Top Ten Books

A member of my congregation is on staff at the local library.  And he asked me if I would be willing to supply a "top ten list" of books - my personal favorites.  They plan to post it somehow in the Friendswood Library.

I thought about it awhile and came up with the following:

1. Bible
2. The Lord of the Rings
3. Surprised by Hope - N.T. Wright
4. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
5. Creation and Fall, Temptation - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
6. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling
8. Red Dwarf - Grant/Naylor
9. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
10. The Sun Also Rises - Earnest Hemmingway

Summer Vacation

About every other year, we try to get up to Jackson, TN, and St. Louis to see our respective parents.  We left right after VBS concluded at church for Jackson - or really, to Medina.  Sheri's parents sold their 5 bedroom house in Jackson for a smaller, 3 bedroom in Medina.  Medina is just north and a bit west of Jackson - serving as a kind of "bedroom community" just outside of the city.  That Sunday, June 28th, I had the opportunity to preach and preside at Concordia Lutheran Church in Jackson - the congregation which sent me to Seminary.  Their pastor was still at the Mid-South District Convention that Sunday, so the timing was perfect.
After a few days spent their, we took the 4 1/2 hour drive up to St. Louis to see my parents.  While there, we went to the zoo, at Ted Drewes twice, and watched fireworks on a very lovely night in Kirkwood Park.
On our return trip, we stopped in Martin, TN to visit an old professor friend of Sheri's, Dr. Michael Hernon.  We spend that night in Medina, and then made the long 11 1/2 hour drive back to Texas.
It was a good trip, and great chance to visit old homes and new homes, and a chance to see faces from the past.

Bartok

Our remaining dog, Bartok died today.  He was at least 15 years old.

Bartok was a stray that was found and then offered to us.  At the time, we already had Mercedes.  So we took her over to him to see how they would handle one another.  After a brief showdown, they came to some sort of agreement and were friends for life.

We named him Bartok after the composer and after a character from the animated movie "Anastasia."  His name was Sheri's idea.  The vet estimated his age as about the same as Mercedes, so that's what we went with.  He was definitely a mutt - some sort of mix between Chow and Pit Bull and maybe some other breeds.  He looked intimidating, but in reality, he was all about love.  He wasn't all that bright.  He usually just followed Mercedes' lead.  I would say he lived in the bliss of ignorance.

He liked to roll in the grass, bark at other dogs, and had a "happy howl" when he wanted some attention.  He lived in three states (Tennessee, Missouri, and Texas) and was a fixture in our household.

He was pretty healthy his whole life.  But during the last year he started developing arthritis issues, became nearly deaf, couldn't see very well, and started losing weight.  The last couple of weeks he took a steep downturn, so we made the difficult decision to put him down.

After almost 16 years of having a dog or dogs in the house, it is very weird not having him around. 

Some may ask, "How many animals have you had?"  We've had a number of them, but there is now only one left from the "1st generation" of animals we acquired before the girls were born.  That would be our female cat, Aria.  We have three other cats we rescued from the local shelter here within the past 2 1/2 years.  We expect this "second" generation (I call them the "Three Stooges") to be around for awhile.

Bartok will be terribly missed.

Samson

Samson, or as we often called him, "Fluffy" died yesterday evening, December 13, 2014.  He was 13 years old.  We were gone most of that day.  When we came home later that evening we found him dead.  Our vet said it was likely a massive heart attack.
We brought Samson into our household about a year before the girls were born.  Samson was the only cat we ever purchased.  He was a flame-point Himalayan / Persian.  When we got him, he was a tiny puff of white fur.  He ended up being a large, heavy cat with a large personality.  He liked to lounge about most of the day.  He talked a lot as well - letting you know when he was ready for attention, when the water bowl was empty, and that it was time to bring out the food.  If he had a flaw, it was his grooming habits.  His long, luxurious fur was more of a liability to him.  It frequently matted - getting so bad that we would have to have him shaved to start all over again.  Afterward, he looked like a lamb that just had its wool shorn.
He lived in four homes: Jackson, TN, St. Louis, MO, Cape Giradeau, MO (vicarage year) and Friendswood, TX.  Like Truman, the Samson has always been a fixture in our girls' lives.  His sudden death was a shock to all of us.  He was a fun, lovable friend that will be greatly missed,

First Band Concert

Tonight, the girls performed for the first time in concert.  The Friendswood Junior High 6th Grade Band performed a Christmas concert - their first all together as a band.  The full band played, "Up on the Housetop" and "Jingle Bells."  Each section also performed a piece.  Abby, along with the rest of the flutes played, "The Dreidel Song."  Emma and the low brass (trombones, euphoniums, and tubas) played "Jolly Old St. Nicholas."
As best we could tell, the girls did a great job.  And the bonus was that the Grandparents, Rick and Cathy Ribble, were also present.  The girls also shared with us, "I'm glad it's over."

Truman

I have done a poor job of posting to our family blog. Over the past two years or so I have just stuck to writing about major life events rather than the every day things that happen.  Today, unfortunately, is another one of those major events.  Our eldest cat, Truman died early this morning.  He died at home, by natural causes; namely, very old age.  He was 17 years old - ancient for a cat.

Sheri and I got Truman during our first year of marriage.  He was rescued from a stable near Jackson, Tennessee.  He was born a barn cat.  But he was being abused by one of the owner kids.  We just took him.  They didn't care.  We named him "Truman" after the mascot of the University of Missouri (my alma mater) Tigers.  He held onto his barn cat ways for a while - stealing food from us.  (There was a infamous incident with a Popeye's chicken leg that is now recalled with fondness.)  He settled into the role of alpha cat in our house as more friends were added over time - holding that distinction nearly until the end.  He was a friendly, social cat who knew everything going on in the house and loved to sit on your lap to make your day better.  He has been around for our daughters' entire lives. He has seen all animals we have been blessed to care for come, and some go.  He lived in four different houses in three different states.  Throughout, he has been a steady fixture within our household.

His health began to visibly decline over the past 18 months or so, and then a steep decline over the last three.  His death was expected soon.  And today, our Lord graciously made that difficult call for us.  He was a wise, old cat, full of years and experiences.  No cat could ask for more.      

First Day of School - 5th Grade Edition

School began once again this past Monday.  Per our tradition, here is the the first day of school photo for 5th grade.

And just to compare,
Here is their first day of school pic for kindergarten:

Evening Friend

This remarkable fellow, has been showing up at our house nearly every evening for the past week.  He is some sort of Heron or Egret, probably the former.  He just shows up in our backyard and is quite calm - almost interested in what we are doing.  He stays a little while, hops up on the fence, then takes off.

Here are a few more pics:

Any ideas about what species he is?

Well Done Faithful Servants

On May 17th, my parents were honored with the Christus Vivit ("Alive in Christ") Award during commencement exercises at my alma mater Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.  The award is kind of like a "Lifetime Achievement" award in service to our Lord's Church.  I was honored to be a part of the nomination process for them and honored to be present when they received the award.  Here are some pics:

And here is the link to the story on the Sem's website.

Obviously a proud moment in my parent's lives and for me as well.  No small shoes to one day attempt to fill.

Christmas, Texas Style

Merry Christmas from the Petering Household!

And from our newest members:

Figaro...

And Piccolo...

Zoom, Zoom

It's been 12 years since we bought a new car, so it was time.
Behold - the Mazda 5

Our van was having too many mechanical problems - to the point that we couldn't
trust it anymore.  The 5 is a little smaller, gets great gas mileage, and is loaded with features at an affordable price.

Zoom, Zoom.

Camping Trip to Garner

A few days ago we took an extended-weekend trip to Garner State Park in southwest Texas.  Garner is the number one camping destination for all of Texas.  We had not gone camping for two years, so we were over-due.  This time, we went with four families from our small group at Hope.  We hiked together and explored the Rio Frio together.  We were blessed with beautiful weather as we enjoyed the wonders of creation that our Lord has given us.

Braces Free!

Abby had her braces removed today.  She has been waiting for this day for quite some time - counting down the days.  Look at that million dollar smile!

1st Day of 4th Grade

4th Grade: new school (Windsong Intermediate), new teachers, new friends...learn well Abby and Emma!

Goodbye Old Friend

Our dog, Mercedes, died today.  She was 12 1/2 years old.  She was our first dog.  Sheri and I bought her from a German Shepherd breeder when we lived in Tennessee (before Seminary.)  I don't remember her mother's name, but do I remember her father's - Ace of Spades.  I remember her father because he was very impressive - a huge, sable German Shepherd.  Thus, Mercedes had good genes.  And she demonstrated that fact well all of her life.  She was smart, I usually say, "too smart for her own good."  She was super easy to train.  I think we had her housebroken after only one or two accidents.  She picked up the game of fetch in just a couple attempts as well.  And once she understood that I was the alpha male of the house, she would always come with my whistle.  Mercedes was an excellent hunter.  I've never kept a perfect tally, but here is the record of her kills: 1 rabbit, at least 4 squirrels, a couple of rats, 2 opossum, and one bird that I witnessed her jump up and grab in midair.  Of course, she followed the instincts of her breed and always felt the need to herd something.  Whenever she came inside, she would always check to see where all the cats where.  I think she tried to herd the girls as well when they were just learning to walk.  She was always protective of them and the whole family.  She always kept watch - guarding the backyard in the four houses we called home during her lifetime.  Mercedes was the epitome of loyalty and faithfulness.  Whenever I was anywhere in the house or the yard, she was always right by my side.

During the past year, her health degenerated.  As German Shepherds are prone to do, she developed severe arthritis and weakness in her hindquarters.  She developed major problems with incontinence as well.  In the last of her days, she was in quite a bit of pain.  She lived a very long life by German Shepherd standards. 

Goodbye Mercedes, our loyal friend.  You will be missed.   

Livin' Right in the Lone Star State

We have lived in Texas for just over six years. In that time, we have become more immersed in the culture of the state. Yes, Texas has a culture all its own. We have discovered some "requirements" of calling Texas home. Here is a list of citizenship requirements I have discovered so far:

FOOTBALL - The most blessed sport ranks very close to the Divine in Texas. The state requirement is to participate in some capacity: play it, watch it, coach it, discuss it, etc. Your level of participation does not matter - little league, high school, college, pro - it's just important that you do it. Extreme team loyalty is expected, and encouraged.

BARBEQUE - This is the state food, really, state meal. There is but one proper menu, as follows - smoked beef brisket, baked beans, cole slaw and or potato salad, bread, sliced onion, pickles, iced sweet tea to drink, and for dessert, ideally peach cobbler. No variance or substitutions allowed. The state meal is almost universally served at any large gathering of people. Other meats may be smoked or grilled, but the previous menu is the only true Texas barbeque.

TRUCKS - Pickup trucks a versitle vehicles, that are very useful in many situations. If you have the means to afford and maintain a truck, it is highly recommended that you acquire one - even if you live in a metropolitan area. Brand loyalty (Chevy, Ford, Dodge, etc) runs high and is a source of personal pride.

HUNTING/FISHING - The hunting of deer is an annual event in Texas that almost knows no bounds. Everyday life and activities cease to exist at the opening of the season as equipment is purchased and prepared, trips planned, and weapons locked and loaded. Speaking of equipment, be prepared to open your wallet. That 100 or so pounds of deer meat will be the most expensive piece of meat you own once all costs are factored in. But that doesn't matter, it's all about the experience. Fishing, particularly along the Gulf Coast, is a year-round affair. It can be a less expensive means of recreation, unless you buy a boat, then your costs will exceed hunting exponentially.

RODEO - Not just any rodeo, but the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.  It's the largest in the nation.  Every early spring all of Texas gathers together for this 3 week event.  And it's not just cowboys riding bulls. There's acres of vendors selling their wares, amusement rides, agricultural education opportunities, and music concerts every evening.  No invitation required, just show up.

BOOTS - Cowboy boots are the required footwear. They go well with trucks, barbeque, and well, pretty much everything on this list. Just go buy a good pair.

BLUEBONNETS - the Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) is the state flower of Texas.  It blooms all over most of Texas in the early spring as wildflowers filling open fields in a sea of blue.  They are beautiful to see.  What is required of all Texans is to photograph your children sitting among them.  Your photos are to be placed on your wall or mantle, or on your Facebook page.

BUC'EES - It's a gas station and it is a required stop for all Texans.  A number of their locations are huge.  We're talking something like 40+ gas pumps, 30-50 thousand square feet of everything you can imagine for sale inside.  But the real reason you must stop at Buc'ees are their bathrooms.  We are talking stalls that go on to the horizon.  Buc'ees is the perfect stop before or after a long day of football, hunting, fishing, or rodeo.  And here's the best news: soon we will be able to fulfill our state requirements without traveling halfway across Texas!  They are building their largest facility, 60,000 sq. feet, in Texas City - but 15 miles from my home.  How awesome!

Texas friends: am I missing anything?  Let me know!