It's July 11!

As I get older, I find that sometimes it's difficult to keep track of the date. Days slip by so quietly that I don't notice an entire week has gone by until I look up at the calendar and promptly fall out of my chair. How is it that an hour can seem like an eternity, but then you check and another week has disappeared, never to be seen again? Existential crisis much? Blah.

Emily was here yesterday. We went to the coast. Not knowing Salem very well, it's difficult for me to think of anything else to do. Our first stop was at some tourist shops. It was chilly and since our trip was rather spontaneous, neither of us had warm clothing, so Emily bought a fleece and I bought a hoodie. Big surprise: new hoodie! The best part is that this one screams "TOURIST!!!" and I plan on wearing it everywhere around Salem, even if the temperature is over 100 degrees. It's a personal mission.

After walking down the beach for a while, we headed to Kyllo's Grill for lunch, where we were seated by a window overlooking the ocean and ate a delightful meal. I had Dungeness crab alfredo. It was delicious! Emily laughed at how much I was enjoying my food, but after the disgusting meal I had at Maxwell's only two weeks prior, Kyllo's was wonderful. For only three more dollars than my meal at Maxwell's, I got food that actually tasted great and didn't make my stomach all wonky.

When we got back to Salem, we went to the mall to see "Get Smart." There were only about twenty people in the entire gigantic theater, so we got prime seats to enjoy the film and our smuggled in candy. The movie wasn't a constant laugh riot, but it was definitely entertaining. If you like the awkward humor of Steve Carrell, I would definitely recommend a matinee. Don't pay $10 for an evening show.

Other than my visit with Emily, the rest of the week was busy with church stuff. I've been planning events for kids and this past Wednesday we all learned more about patience and kindness by baking brownies. The kids seemed to enjoy themselves and I was glad when it was over. It's not that I don't enjoy them, but I get more worked up than I should be sometimes. Fortunately, I had some great helpers who cleaned up after us so that I could keep my head in the game instead of worrying about the messy trail we were leaving behind.

I also had a brief encounter with a concerned mother who was worried that I might be teaching her children it's okay to be gay. I was able to assure her that whatever my personal opinions, I wasn't going to be doing any sex education with kids whose parents I barely know and who barely know me. It wasn't a conversation I expected to have this summer, but I'm glad she came to me rather than pulling her kids out of the program and not telling me why. Perhaps I was naive to think that I wouldn't have to deal with sexuality issues this summer considering how much they are being talked about in the Presbyterian Church USA these days.

Now I should get to writing my children's sermon about the different kinds of soil. Did I ever tell you I hate children's sermons? Well, it's true.