Kevin, Like Marlon Brando, Is "The Godfather"

The shameless reference to The Godfather is simply to draw in readers, I admit. Raise your hand if you're reading this post now solely due to its intriguing title. Anyone?

Nevertheless, I am a godfather to my cousin Herbert's son, Christopher. Herbert's parents are Leroy and Marcella, who is one of my mom's sisters. They used to live in Williston, ND, some forty-five minutes away from the farm upon which I grew up, so I saw them all with regularity throughout my childhood. For the past many years, they have all (including Herbert's wife, Aree, and their daughter, Jennifer) lived in Kennewick, WA. Marcella has been good about staying in contact through the years, often sharing school- and sports-related newspaper clippings about Christopher as he has developed into the 19-year-old man he is today.

We last saw them all about three years ago when we stopped by Marcella and Leroy's house on our way through Kennewick en route to my sister Cathy's home in Gresham, OR (at the time). Well, tonight was their turn to visit us! Marcella sent us a card in August saying they would be in ND September 10 and would stop to visit us in Dickinson. Susan prepared a turkey/mashed potatoes/stuffing/gravy/sweet potatoes/corn/Jell-O salad + chocolate cake supper last night in case they arrived on the 10th and could dine with us. They arrived this evening instead and phoned us from their hotel after they'd eaten.

So, after the girls were done with ballet lessons, we met them at their hotel and visited for several hours. Christopher didn't really remember our visit three years ago, and Herbert had been at work and wasn't able to see us back then . . . and hadn't seen me since moving to WA, so he had never even met Susan or the girls! We had a good visit and got caught up on the big goings-on in one another's lives. I was looking forward to seeing Marcella because she resembles her mom, my grandma Mary (deceased), so very much that seeing Marcella is like seeing Grandma Roloff again! She even has Grandma's hands and soft arms (my sisters will know exactly what I mean by that). The girls took to her right away, too, hugging her and sitting in her lap and treating her like a grandma.

So there was much hugging and handshaking all around. There was also much giggling on the part of the girls at Herbert's jokes and good-natured teasing and goofiness. And, of course, there were many photos taken. Here's one of the Roloff relatives:

front row: Christopher, Herbert, Marcella, Hillary, Abigail, Suzanna
back row: Kevin, Leroy

In addition, Marcella came bearing gifts: an afghan and two doilies that she herself had crocheted:

As you can see, they're beautiful, and I very much appreciate their keepsake value: they will always remind me of her and her lifetime of needlework, something that I associate, too, with Grandma Roloff (as well as many other relatives, for that matter). It was good to visit with them all and to see Christopher again, who just keeps getting taller and more muscular with every passing year and who seems to be a very fine young man. It's difficult to imagine that he's the same guy I held as a baby at his baptism nearly twenty years ago!

They will leave tomorrow to continue their travels through ND, reintroducing--or, in some cases, introducing--Christopher to his relatives from this part of the world. We're so glad they included us in their itinerary!

Piecing It Together

A great (and traditional) way to spend a Sunday evening? Working with your family to put together a puzzle. The girls all headed to the table in the homework/crafts/scrapbooking/stamping/cardmaking corner of the family room downstairs. Hillary spent her time coloring while Suzanna and Abigail put together a colorful puzzle. They borrowed the digital camera to capture their handiwork in perpetuity:

Abigail

Suzanna

A New Home for Us

Today at St. John Lutheran Church was Rally Sunday--the day each September that the church kicks off its fall worship and class schedule. Various series of classes for adults and families (on becoming new members, on being good stewards, on studying the Bible, on strengthening one's marriage, etc.) will begin soon. Today also marked the return to the school-year schedule of worship services: one at 8:00 A.M. and one at 10:30 A.M., leaving time in between for coffee at 9:00 A.M. and Sunday school at 9:15 A.M.

Because Sunday school doesn't begin until next week, that interim span of time today was dedicated to "rallying" parents to sign up their children for Sunday school. The lawn on the west and south sides of the church was set up with a gigantic inflatable slide and another inflatable castle for children to play on and in while their parents approached the tables set up on the lawn to register children for Sunday school, to get a doughnut, to see photos from a recent church mission trip, and then to visit in the beautiful, cool, end-of-summer/beginning-of-autumn morning weather.

We "rallied" up our courage, too, to fill in the paperwork to become members of St. John. Related dates to add to our calendar:

• Wed., Oct. 10, 7:00 P.M. -- new member information session: learn about the history of St. John, meet the staff and clergy, meet other new members
• Wed., Oct. 24, 6:00 P.M. -- pizza with the pastors: casual meal with time for conversation and a special service project
• Sun., Oct. 28, 9:50 A.M. -- new member reception and introduction to sponsors, followed by welcome to the church during 10:30 A.M. service

Although St. John is no Calvary Lutheran Church, our beloved church that we left behind when we moved to Dickinson, it does seem to be a good church with active members and plenty of programs to encourage and nurture one's faith. (Calvary just has such energy--from its young and old members alike--and optimism and an innovative perspective on serving its members, the community, and the world. When we told our friend and fellow Calvary member, Judd, last weekend that "St. John is no Calvary," he said, "No church is like Calvary.") Susan's grandma, Laura, is a member of St. John, as are several of my colleagues from the university. It seems, too, that each time we attend a service, we note more people whom we recognize from the girls' school or as parents of the girls' friends. After a year of sampling and delaying, we're looking forward to having, finally, a church home in Dickinson.

P.S. With five simple words following church today, Suzanna resurrected a tradition from our years at Calvary: the weekly post-church dining-out experience. On our way back to the vehicle this morning, Suzanna asked, "May we go to Jack's?" Jack's Family Restaurant and Catering is a great little place, not far from the university, that Susan remembers fondly from her childhood when her aunts would take her there for a treat. Years ago it had drive-up service, but now it's a sit-down restaurant with surprisingly tasteful rooster decor throughout and a decidedly "small town café" feel about it, including a seat-yourself-if-you-can-find-an-available-table policy (even if the table is currently dirty--the server will clear it off once she finally gets around to bringing glasses of water and menus to the table).

I've enjoyed Jack's ever since my days of first dating Susan; each trip back to Dickinson from then on included a stop at Jack's for a bowl of their homemade borscht (their version: a creamy ham and vegetable soup with cabbage and just enough beets for color) and a Jack's burger (essentially a cheeseburger with Thousand Island dressing and coleslaw on it). Those items were on our table today, too, along with broasted chicken and potato salad for me (two more items that Jack's does exceptionally well). Jack's never has enough servers on staff, so the wait to get a menu and place an order can test one's patience. However, the food always arrives quickly thereafter, and it's always delicious and satisfying.

By the way, does anybody who knows us fairly well recall our daughters' favorite restaurant to go to after a Calvary service? Not-terribly-helpful-hint: It's a restaurant that Dickinson does not have. Click "comments" below to venture a guess. The winner gets a bowl of borscht at Jack's. (Susan, you do not qualify to play.)