the blessing of friends!

For all the up front stuff I do in church, today was certainly the most awkward. Kevin preached at a nearby church to fill in for a pastor on vacation, and he announced our engagement. I got all red and wanted to hide. Then he wanted to swing by Spirit of Christ (his real church) to share the news with everyone there, only this time, during the final announcements, he tells everyone he proposed, they all gasp and cheer, then he gestures for me to come up to the front! AHH! So, I had to run down the aisle, flash the ring, hug him, and sat back down in my seat. Oh dear. No more spontaneous altar calls for this girl!

It was different being at church in Minnesota this week. I'm used to having some freedom in worship, and now I'm back in the heartland of Lutheran boredom. Oh my goodness, if it hadn't been for Kevin preaching this morning, I may have fallen asleep. The prayers were scripted and taken from a book, the liturgy was slow and lifeless, there was a woman from the back of the church who when the assisting dude said, "Lord in your mercy..." she growled in a loud harsh voice, "HEAR OUR PRAYER!" Well, I doubt the Lord is going to hear that prayer if you growl like that!

Luckily, the boredom was saved by a series of friends who we got to see tonight.

Hannah is in town for a few weeks, so we got to see her for a treat. Hal & Anna were in visiting for a week from Seattle. The second time in a month! Lovin' it! They took us out for a walk, gifted us two books for an engagement gift, and shared some tips and stories from their marriage. After that, Kevin's friend Kevin (yes, two Kevin's) met up with us at Jay's Cafe for supper. We drove from Minneapolis to St. Paul to see the long awaited Lieser's!! Andrea was excited beyond belief! I'm so thankful to have friends who get excited about our excitement. Andrea gifted me a bridal magazine, and I had it half read by the time we got home! We're going to have so much fun planning this wedding!