All Saints'
-
Mardi Gras at All Saints’
Six years ago our priest, Father Mike, began a tradition of celebrating Mardi Gras at All Saints’ on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Previously we had celebrated the day as Shrove Tuesday, and held a pancake supper to raise money for the Episcopal Youth Community (EYC) mission trip. Father Mike is from Louisiana, and he explained to all of us, that there was a better way to celebrate! We have a parade. Families create floats, kids decorate their bicycles, people dress up with crazy hats, and everyone wears lots of beads. After the parade we go into the parish hall and have our pancake supper. Three years ago Father Mike…
-
Maybe, if I’m really quiet, they won’t see me
Last weekend I went camping with some friends at Canyon Lake (a little west of San Marcos). Lee and I carpooled out to the campground. We loaded the car with gear and tied everything down before we loaded the dogs. Ela and Cali made the ride down without incident and with only a little whining. Saturday turned into a lovely day at the lake as we set up camp, made dinner, played Apples to Apples, roasted marshmallows, and counted stars – all the stuff that makes for a good camp out. We got up the next morning, everybody cooked breakfast, chatted for a while, and a little before noon decided…
-
Canoeing on Lady Bird Lake
The All Saints’ Twenties and Thirties Group went canoeing on Lady Bird Lake on the same day as Daniel’s First Birthday Party! We had the perfect size group. Just enough people for three boats. Joey and I had a kayak. Don, Misty and Ewan had a canoe, and Brian, Robert and Greg had a second canoe. We started on Barton Creek, and headed down toward the lake. We turned upstream, since it is nice to have the current working with you on the way home. We paddled a good way upstream, but were forced to turn back downstream before we reached the MoPac bridge, because there was a regatta going…
-
Spiritual Growth Retreat
I attended the Episcopal Church Women Spiritual Growth Retreat this weekend. Our workshop leader was The Reverend Bobbie Knowles, vicar of St. Philip the Joy-Giver Episcopal Mission in Austin, Texas. I had an amazing time, and made lots of new friends. I also took lots of pictures. The photo to the left of this text is of me and my good friend Pam, who is from Tyler, TX. She keeps everyone honest, and has a blast doing so!
-
Covenant Players
Joey and I had surprise guests this weekend. Members of the Covenant Players came to All Saints’ to perform during our services and Sunday School hour. Their planned accommodations fell through, and our Director of Religious education, Elizabeth, called Joey and me to find out if we could host the players, Chuck and Miranda. We did have one problem. For some reason, Saturday, 07 March 2009, was a very popular weekend. Joey’s mom, Nancy, was in town, we had a TnT design team meeting, and we had to turn down invitations from two different sets of friends! I called the Covenant Players and let them know they were welcome to…
-
Ordination of a Priest
Joey and I had the pleasure of attending the Ordination of John Wharton Newton, IV on Saturday, 31 January 2009. John was a member of Canterbury, the Episcopal Student Center, during the last couple of years that Joey and I were in college, then he was the program coordinator for Canterbury, and then he attended seminary. Now he is back at the Episcopal Student Center as the chaplain. The Ordination of a Priest is always an impressive service, and John’s ordination was especially beautiful. The church was absolutely packed. It was a fantastic blend of All Saints’ high church style, and the more casual music and atmosphere of the Episcopal…
- All Saints', Camp Allen, Diocesan ECW, Friends and Family, Lee and Billy, Lindsay and Don, Misty and Brian, Twenties and Thirties
Episcopal Church Women Annual Meeting and Retreat
Many of you know that I was president of the Episcopal Church Women at All Saints’ Episcopal Church back a few years ago. The last year of my tenure, our church hosted the Annual Meeting of the Diocese of Texas Episcopal Church Women. The meeting was well received, and everyone had a great time. It was a really tough job, and I was glad to take a break and relax once it was done. Apparently people sat up and took notice of the job I did as Annual Meeting Chairperson, because this past spring I got a call from the president of the Diocesan ECW, Anne Hart, asking me to…
-
Prudence, the underrated virtue
Joey and I are long time members of All Saints’ Episcopal Church. We love the All Saints’ community, and are glad to be able to be part of it. Several years ago (could be five, could be six – I can’t believe it has been that long) a new rector (priest-in-charge) came to All Saints’. Our rector is a wonderful man: thoughtful, caring, good administrator, and he loves a good football game, and a glass of beer. Joey and I have had the pleasure of getting to know him as we participated in parish life. He preaches every few weeks (we have several priests who rotate the preaching responsibilities), and…
- All Saints', Friends and Family, Lee and Billy, Lindsay and Don, Misty and Brian, Twenties and Thirties
TnT trip to the Blanton Museum of Art
The All Saints’ Episcopal Church Twenties and Thirties decided to take a trip to the Blanton Museum of Art as a group. Most of us had never been there before, despite its location right in the middle of Austin. Misty found an engraving with a chubby Jesus. Lindsay was terrified that she might meet the same fate as St. Agatha. Trenton found a car that he could connect with. Joey found a penny. Jeff, Trenton, Joey and I got lost in a bunch of yellow noodles. Fun was had by everyone. After exploring the museum, we wandered over to The Dog and Duck for some dinner and beer. It was…
-
Hamilton Pool – June 2008
On Saturday LisaDiane and I went with some of our friends to Hamilton Pool. LisaDiane, Don, Coye, and Sydney drove out to the pool at about ten o’clock. Both Misty and I had commitments in town that left us free to leave at noon, so I hitched a ride with Misty and her boys. Brian is currently a pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago in the Pyrenees, so he was not able to join us this year (Brian – I’m looking forward to seeing pictures from Spain). Misty, the boys, and I got to Hamilton Preserve at about one o’clock. We had to wait about half and hour for a…
-
An Anole at St. Matthew’s – May 2008
This week I am attending a workshop retreat titled “The Art of Engaging Holy Scripture” at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Austin. I noticed this anole in the window of our workroom just before our lunch break today. I was so pleased to catch a series where he changed color!
-
TnT Design Team Meeting – 10 May 2008
Joey and I are members of the All Saints’ Twenties and Thirties Design Team. The Twenties and Thirties group is mainly a fellowship group at our church, and despite anything Rachel says, it is not a singles group! The design team is a group of couples who get together to plan the upcoming events for the larger group. Happily, the other couples who are involved, Don and Lindsay, Billy and Lee, and Brian and Misty, are all really great people who enjoy the same things Joey and I do – good food, good wine, and good conversation. The design team gets together once a month, whether we need to or…
-
Camping Trip – March 2008
The All Saints’ Twenties and Thirties Group went to Guadalupe River State Park for a camping trip. The weather was cool. We took a couple of hikes around the park. Joey and Don, the boyscouts of the group, took charge of building a great campfire. We roasted marshmallows and ate s’mores. Don and Lindsay made hobo dinners, which are aluminum foil packets filled with ground meat, ramen noodles, veggies and spices. The foil packets get tucked into the coals of the fire to cook. They turned out to be delicious! You can see Lindsay’s in the pictures below. Joey made hot cocoa for everyone before we turned in for the…
-
Acolyte Festival – February 2008
Milton Bell and I took pictures at the Acolyte Festival at All Saints’ on Saturday morning. Teams of Acolytes traveled from across the diocese (some drove all the way in from Houston – they must have been up *very* early, the festival started at 8:30 AM) to participate in the workshops and the acolyte olympics. The thurifer workshop, a perennial favorite, was particularly popular this year. Here is a collection of our photos.
-
Vestry Retreat – February 2008
We had two special guests at the All Saints’ Vestry retreat on Saturday. Our discussion focused on the buildings at All Saints’ and our perception of how well they serve us. BJ Andrews was our first guest and she helped set the stage for our discussion by telling us about the history of the buildings, past and present, on the All Saints’ campus. After lunch we met for a Q&A session with a second guest: The Buildings. All Saints’ Chapel and Gregg House came to our meeting!
-
Mardi Gras at All Saints’ – February 2008
The annual Mardi Gras celebration at All Saints’ was a big hit again this year. We had a big crowd, lots of floats, a good parade around the block, and our EYC raised a fair amount of money for the mission trip. This year included the giant hamster float (driven by giant hamster wheels): Many families participated as part of the Krewe All Saints’ parade. And the Dragon made it out to the parade for a third year! Here is a photo of the Dragon leading the King through the parade.
-
All Saints’ Twenties and Thirties at Hamilton Pool, Austin, TX – August 2006
The All Saints’ Twenties and Thirties group had a fruit-filled time at Hamilton Pool today. We carpooled out to the reserve and spent the day talking, swimming, eating, and lounging 🙂 It was nice. Coy, Henry, and I made a few attempts to swim to the bottom (no success). Henry was smart enough to ask one of the park officials how deep the pool was – 40 feet. No wonder. Lee brought some things that looked like lemon bars but were made of yellow cake, cream cheese, and a sifted cup of heaven. Must ask her for the recipe. So here are a few pics from the trip.
-
Acolyte Festival at All Saints – February 2005
The Austin Convocation Acolyte Festival, which took place at All Saints’ Episcopal Church Saturday, February 26 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m, was a tremendous success! Over 100 registrants attended the workshops, during the festival Eucharist Bishop Daniels offered a perfect homily for the occasion, and thirteen parishes from across the Diocese were represented in the Acolyte Olympics.
-
Daughters of the King – Baby Shower – July 2004
The St. Catherine’s Chapter of the Daughters of the King is lucky enough to have two new mothers in our midst. We were all so pleased to have an excuse to pamper these wonderful ladies!
