“My Evening” or “The Lovely Isabelle Loux Names a Band”

I had the most totally awesome hang out night ever last night. First, realize I just had a really fun, easy going time, and try to ignore the fact that in telling you just how cool this family is, I am going to sound like a stalker. It’s not me, it’s them. They are just that cool.

Remember on my last post where I said I was going to show up on Tracie Loux’s door step with a pizza and a sad look? I didn’t have to, she just let me come over without the pizza. In fact, she made me dinner too!

I went straight over after work, didn’t even get lost on my way. I walked up to this great house, and Tracie and I sat on the floor, with juicy baby Elia, who was extra juicy because she was teething, and teething apparently makes you drool.  Apparently it’s pronounced el-EE-ah, go figure, I’ve been saying it wrong in my head this whole time. Tracie told me the adoption story and showed me the great pictures of the packet her adoption counselor put together for them.

Elia is smiley and cute, and leans out to me first thing and is generally super smiley and very cuddly. While we are sitting, I feel something, or somethings, hitting my lower back. I rotate around to look, and sure enough, two cats are cuddled up, using my buttcheeks as cat nesting material. Or maybe I was just warm and not moving, so they were using me as a human space heater. Either way, I was very happy, as I deeply miss not having pets of my own. Cats, a baby, and finally talking to Tracie. Could it get better? Yes. Yes it could. And did!

Slowly, one kid at a time appeared, starting with the youngest boy, Taylor. Taylor is a very talented artist, and I told him after he showed me some drawings, that I think he should do some big drawings, and have Dennis put them up at Higher Grounds. His stuff is seriously good, and I think it would be a nice touch in the coffee shop.

Then came Nick, their oldest son, who was almost immediately put to work finding a pacifier for baby sister. He wandered around, being very big brotherly, and eventually came back successful. Nick and I bonded over his geometry book and our general dislike for geometry, how math speak is very nonsensical, and how I would like to quit my job to teach Creative writing at the Daniel Academy.

Isabelle came home early from her prayer room hours with the Nightwatchers to be there for dinner with me, which I thought was really sweet. John came with her too (tracie’s husband and all around fantastic guy), after his set, and it was great to meet him again. I always love the sets he plays (he is a worship leader, plays killer guitar) so it’s nice to actually meet him (again)!

Isabelle showed me HER drawings, which were way good too. This whole family has crazy artistic ability, Nick did this drawing in the prayer room during one of John Thurlows sets that has awesome color in it.

Nick, during geometry, exclaimed that his band needs a name, and I should name it. Isabelle immediately piped up with her suggestion.

“What about the Awesomely Dangerous Hot Disciples?” she proclaimed. I laughed, and approved immediately. Best band name ever.

Nick, like all good big brothers, gave it the old eye roll, but I loved it, and agreed that it was a spectactular name for a band. I would totally wear that on a t-shirt. Isabelle and I were unable to convince him that the name rocked (check out the acronym it makes.) Isabelle saw it on the whiteboard during de-brief with her dads’ team. Hah!

Nick- I think you should name your band “Spotless Minds”

We sat around a spectacular dinner of pasta with all kinds of goodies on it, talked about how the heck I got here, etc and so forth. I think I talked too much. It’s just that this family are all really good listeners, and I feel compelled to keep talking as long as someone is listening. It’s a problem of mine, I admit it!

It’s not often you find people who are one in all totally welcoming. You always have that one shy person, or the one person who isn’t that into you hanging out. Not so with this family. Every single one of them had that “welcome to our house, now let’s draw something together” vibe. Even the cats, one of whom made my lap her permanent home, by going limp and stretching out, asking to be pet. All of those various elements made it so much fun to be over there.

I finally headed out because I HAD to get some sleep (and I think I kept some kids up past their bed time), and I promised everyone they should come over for Nintendo, movies, drawing and cookie making sometime soon.

Isabelle wanted me to spend the night, but alas, I had forgotten my toothbrush. She suggested she had one I could borrow. I told her I would, totally, but that I had to go to work the next day, and shouldn’t show up in the clothes I’d been wearing the day before.

I would have stayed Isabelle, I really would have.

All in all, it was a really great night. Thanks’ Loux family! You’re the best.

In other updates, Aaron is off being Intrepid, so pray for him and Bootleg Ferguson. I don’t want them to freeze to death in the passes of the mountains. More to come later, gotta go stage some laptops.