Weekend with the REB

 
Katie and I spent the weekend in Dallas visiting Robert, who will be my best man at me and Katie’s wedding, please God.
 
We had a great trip, including praying the Rosary together in the car and me prank calling Katie’s friends. I put on my Texas country accent and left a voicemail on her friends’ phone asking her where we should deliver the deer corn she had ordered.
 
We met Robert’s cousins and aunt and watched one of his cousins play in a baseball game. That night, we smoked cigars and drank beer! On Sunday, we went to Mass and listened to an excellent homily from Robert’s pastor–Father Church is his name, which is funny–about the Catholic Church having the deposit of Faith in both the Scriptures (Bible) and in Tradition, and that Tradition is not some old, musty thing but the living, dynamic action of the Holy Spirit through the successors of the Apostles (the Bishops).
 
Robert and I went to play tennis in the heat of the day, and it was hot. His car said it was 118 degrees, which was probably about how hot the tennis court felt with the heat reflecting off the court’s surface. Katie sat under the shade and gave me water and tennis balls when she caught them, offering encouragement and admiration. I got overheated and when we got home felt a bit sick. Katie was a dream and put cold towels on my neck and head to cool me off, and I felt better after a few hours!
 
Finally in the evening, we went to Texas de Brazil, a churascuria where you eat all the meat that you can–good meat like filet mignon (I had 4 of those) and sirloin (2) and lamb (1) as well as chickens and sausages and a very good salad bar. We had a half-off coupon so the price was reasonable for such delicious fare. It was great!
 
Katie read to me the full story of the Martin family–Louis and Zelie–parents of St. Therese of Lisieux, from a book on holy married couples. They have incredibly inspired us with their example of love in their marriage and in how they reared their children. It was really cool to hear, as my patron saint is St. Therese, her being the first saint I learned about in detail just before converting to Catholicism from being a Baptist. Katie and I hope to be holy spouses like they were and be saintly parents to our future children, please God.
 
We have a busy week this week as well, with our house closing in just a few days and marriage preparation continuing. Blessed be God in this graced time!