Where does a month go?  When last I blogged the locale was in sunny Southwestern France, sitting on the top of the world in the village of Beynac, gazing at pie-plate-sized raspberry flowers and watching a matching colored hot air balloon floating past my cafe table.  Ahhh, the memories linger and don't worry, I have more journals to post about France in future days!
But today, I am sitting on the edge of the Zumwalt Prairie looking on the Wallowa Mountains, with not a cloud in the blue, blue sky.  The day promises to be extra fine, hitting 80+ temperatures.  I must say, it's a glorious time of year here on the Shire, with some of the finest weather of the year.  

Jason and Aileen's Country Weddin'


 So, what's been keeping me busy these last thirty days?  Well, sounds mundane, but mostly catching up with my family and life on Full Circle Ranch.  In that space of time we have had two major weddings to attend (Katie Boyd Moss and Aileen Rice Helsel) and every other weekend full. 


Katie G. Moss, ain't she gorgeous?

 I've made two trips to Moscow, Idaho to be with Henry and Anna, as her baby-time draws near. (I intend to be up there a lot more in the days and months to come! In honor of that, check out the cute, new little widget I've added to my blog!)  Yep, my life is settling into a pleasant hum centered around my loved ones, and I cherish it. 
On Tuesdays I help Christi with her two youngest, Isabella and Alden, while she is at our local homeschool co-op teaching high school history.  We have a ritual on that day of going to the library, picking out books and then on to Heavenly's, a favorite little Enterprise restaurant, for an ice cream cone--in that order!  On Wednesdays I pray with three other lovely ladies during the lunch. 


One of the cabins on Joseph Creek

  This weekend, our entire Wallowa County family is packing up and heading for the bottom of Joseph Creek Canyon to stay at Dub Darneille's Nine Bark Outfitter's lodge.  We are celebrating Isabella and Nana's birthdays down there.  Here's a sneak peak of some of the main dishes for the weekend:

Panko Burgers on the Grill (Check it out on the back of the Panko Box-DEEE lish!)
Black Bottom Birthday Cupcakes-an old fav!

Brazilian Chicken Curry Slow-cooker (Woman's Day issue June 2010)

Nine Bark Lodge Kitchen

Spaghetti w/ the ultimate quick & easy pasta sauce (Cooking Light Issue September 1998)

In the meantime...life calls!

A Yellow Truck, Red Shoes...And Happiness!

No doubt about it, the Hostetter's history with vehicles is checkered, at best.  People who really know us would say, "Hostetters and vehicles?? No, they just don't mix!"  Unless, of course, it would be Methusaleh, affectionately known as the old yellow bomber, which has been with us about as long as we've lived in Wallowa County. He's a survivor, that truck is!  It was already old and named that when we bought it from Wayne Pickens, our first pastor, about 26 years ago now.  Rahn was so proud of that old truck when he first wheeled it into our driveway, I thought he'd burst!  I was mortified when he informed me he only paid $600 for it.

Sad to say, it wasn't long before the dear husband (DH) blew the engine on Methusaleh. Even sadder to say, that was just the first in a lonnnnnnng line of "blown" engines!  (I could digress about all the engines blown by various Hostetter family members throughout the years, but that would be a whole different story.)  This true tale, is more about one tough truck that's managed to survive us.  

As I think about it the hunk of old, rusted out metal deserves a medal for being such a faithful constant in our covenant life. For one thing, it helped raise four kids.  One of my fondest memories is thinking back to when Christi and her cousin Elizabeth, who stayed with us one summer, would hop into Methusaleh and motor off to Joseph in him. 

It was a hard start, at best, and not an easy shift either.  I can still see those two Sweet Sixteens smacked up against each other in the truck, as one would turn the key and the other would put the pedal to the metal.  Methusaleh would lurch forward like a shooting yellow rocket!  It took both of them to shift it too. 

The first time they tootled off to town, they never bothered to check if it was okay with us. Rahn, ever the sage man, figured their punishment would be their getting stranded. He just waited patiently, knowing they'd be calling soon enough to ask for help.  To our surprise about an hour later they showed up back at the house, each holding a dripping ice cream cone, grinning from ear to ear while double teaming old yeller.

Besides providing hours of entertainment and character building for four kids, he would proudly show up at our weddings...a subject already mentioned on this blog!  I can't imagine what a Hostetter wedding would be if we didn't have Methusalah there to represent us. It's become a family tradition.  He now even shows up proud and spiffy at our friend's weddings too.  Methusaleh is a real attraction and a Kodak Moment, for sure!  In fact, this past summer the old boy posed with famous blue's singer, Eric Bibb and blue's guitarist ,Darrell Brann (our dear son-in-law), when Eric appeared at the RimRock.  I think it was an especially proud day for the yellow rock star--not to mention Darrell.

If yellow trucks aren't enough, then there would be the red shoes that are starting to also become a tradition at our weddings.   I don't know if it's the fact that yellow and red go together so well or what, but red wedding shoes are a must!  I admit Christi didn't have them, but she and Darrell did pose with Methusaleh--if only I could find the picture!  I must say, credit must go to Caitlin for starting the red shoe tradition, and as you can see by the photos below, Anna continued the theme at her wedding.

Methusaleh is now technically owned by Darrell Brann, our son in law, who has done his best to redeem our family where cars are concerned.  He's a crack mechanic and has forgotten more about engines than we'll ever know.  Rahn's no fool and when he saw the opportunity to get someone in the family who actually knew how to work on cars and take care of them, he jumped at the chance.  (Okay, I admit Darrell had a few hundred other qualities too!) Whatever the case, we figure the bomber will have a much better life now, and also a much better chance of being there for the Branns as they carry on the family traditions. Well, I suppose Meredith is a ways from a wedding, but here's hoping that when that day arrives we'll still be around to see the covenant line continue with...a yellow truck...red shoes...and happiness. 

The Anatomy of A Covenant Wedding

The latest issue of Christianity Today featured an article entitled "Lord of the Wedding Dance" which spoke to my heart and mirrored our view of what a wedding should be. The article quoted John Witte, a legal historian who has written much on marriage and family. He said:

The Reformers saw marriage as "a covenantal association of the entire community," wherein the pastor, families, witnesses, and the couple commit to a contract before God. Like the covenant between Yahweh and the Israelites, the marriage covenant establishes a bond that withstands all the difficulties of human life ("for better, for worse," and so on). God is present in the covenant bonds and becomes "party, witness, and judge" to the union; leaving out any of the parties is to effectively "omit God from the marriage covenant".


Having just experienced our youngest daughter's wedding on August 29th held at our restaurant, The RimRock Inn http://rimrockrestaurant.com, the memories are still fresh and delightful in my mind. I am definitely a partial observer, but judging the many comments we've received about Henry and Anna's day, something about this particular wedding was extra special.

I've scratched my head trying to figure out just what one thing made the day so unique. It's hard to say, probably because it was the whole of it and not the part. Still, each piece deserves mention. It could have been the crazy weather with thunder rolling and lightening flashing through Joseph Canyon right when the bagpiper opened the ceremony...the canyon's ethereal backdrop...the joy everyone found in watching and witnessing Henry and Anna's courtship and apparent love for each other...The fathers giving their children a "charge"...the purity seeing their first real kiss which happened on the wedding day (it was quite the kiss)...all our children performing beautiful sacred music during the wedding...the gorgeous decorations and flowers...the amazing food...the upbeat recessional while Jordan sang "For Once in My Life"-- complete with sunglasses...the incredible reception band,music and the dance floor groovin into the night...and the list goes on!

While we'd love to take all the credit for the day, I would like to think the real success lies in the fact that we desired it to be a covenant wedding, the thesis of Christianity Today's article.

"As it turns out, the key to a properly ordered wedding ceremony has less to do with us than we think. It begins with the Holy spirit, giving all the parties in the marriage covenant a desire to honor God, admonish and encourage one another, and invite to the day those who do not know the gospel, allowing the celebration to become a witness to Christ and his Bride and their own wedding day in the new kingdom." So, the article went.


In this spirit, a unique feature of the weddings performed by our Pastor, Terry Tollefson, is that after each vow uttered by the couple, Pastor Terry prompts the entire congregation to refrain a hearty "Amen!" This makes the group gathered not only witnesses, but part of the covenant community which--in a sense--holds the couple accountable.


These kinds of weddings are beautiful for all the reasons noted, but especially so because they demonstrate the anatomy of a covenant wedding. I, for one, am looking forward to many more taking place in our church in the years to come.

A FAITHFUL FATHER'S CHARGE

Anna. You were first placed in my arms in Seoul, Korea under the name Bae Yun Mee. They told me and your Nana, who was with me, that name meant “Forever Beautiful”. My charge to you is related to that name. Some will say you are the woman you are now in part because of me and your mom. And to the extent that is true I give all the glory to God. But I say I am what I am in part, because of you. What a blessing you have been to me from the first day you became a Hostetter.

I mean, look, I get to stand here and look at my daughter dressed in pure white, knowing that for you the white dress is not just a tradition or a symbol of purity…in your case it reflects what is true. You stand here a picture of faithfulness, obedience and purity. But this day did not come without pain. I think you understand that the pain that accompanies living unto God is temporary, while the pleasures and joy of doing so are everlasting. And the opposite is true; the pleasures of living not unto God are temporary (and there is pleasure) but the pain is everlasting. So, you stand here now ready to have your faithfulness translated this day into great pleasure and great joy. Today you are dressed in white and tomorrow you will be whiter than snow.

The Preacher asks in Proverbs 31:10 “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.” Henry, I think you found one. Now Anna you will be what you are not because of me or your Mom, but in large part because of Henry. And I know he is ready to follow his father’s good counsel. And Henry will be what he will be in large part because of you.

Here is my counsel. (And in saying this I already know you will be faithful to your pledges and vows—I know that.) But do it not out of obedience or duty, as good as those character traits are in a noble woman, but out of gratitude and thankfulness to please a Savior who gave His life for you and to please a husband who loves you and is ready to give his life for you. The Preacher also says: “charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

That is what will enable your husband to be respected in the city gates, that is what will cause your children to arise and call you blessed, and that is what will cause you to be what the Lord ordained when before we knew you, you were called Bae Yun Mee.


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