Present Realities (And a Sibling Photo!)

I'm sitting on a couch. 

I'm writing on my own computer. 

Just those two things are amazing to me right now. Today was a long day, though not in a bad way, per say. 

I went to church with a friend who so kindly picked me up from Moody this morning, since Caleb and Haley were out of town this weekend (I usually go out to church with them). Right after church, it was off to the Apple store for me, since last night my computer decided not to reboot completely. I had no access to getting into my computer, so there wasn't anything else to do but seek help from the experts. 

The people at Apple were so kind, but with the busy weekend, I had to wait for two and a half hours before getting an appointment. I dawdled around the neighborhood, popping into shops and Trader Joe's for lunch. 

Eventually, a few hours later, someone at the store was able to figure out the problem with my Mac. He had to wipe my computer and reinstall the software, so that's unfortunate, but I'm just thankful I still have my own Mac in my hands right now. I was not expecting that at all, and it's a gift from my Father to have had help with that today. 

When I came home to my apartment, a couch awaited me in our tiny living room. One of my roomies and her friends picked it up today (Yay! for Craigslist!) and it couldn't have been a better welcome after a long (and hot!) afternoon in the city. 

I got my computer at least slightly back into sorts this evening, and uploaded a few photos from these past couple of days - this one being my favorite.

This looks like a group of five, but in fact, it's a group of six. Soon the next generation will join this photo. Lara is due at the beginning of November, which is coming up so soon! We talked giddily about baby Patty and what he's going to look like, who he's going to be.

All of us Patty's are actually in a stage of transition in one way or another. Caleb and Haley only have one more semester at Moody. I've just moved into an apartment and am already thinking towards my internship, which I have to complete for my major. And then of course Tyler and Lara are expecting a little boy and their lives will be forever changed, in the most beautiful way.

Every Patty Party marks a stage of life, and this one was no exception. It's a gift to live through these years together and to all grow side by side, in different contexts and ways. Caleb and Haley won't be in Chicago much longer, so we savor these days all the more. The joy is that our Patty Parties will just get bigger...perhaps more seldom, but more lively altogether!

(And just for fun, here's a couple of the little flourless chocolate cakes I got to make. Recipe HERE. The mint is just for fun. I found it growing semi-wild/uncared for by the street on a walk back to Tyler and Lara's).