Ordination

Ordination Day, 5 December 2010

 PREPARATION
In June of 2008 I was ordained a deacon by Bishop (now Archbishop) Robert Duncan.  Knowing I was leaving for my second trip to Uganda in just a few weeks, Bishop Duncan direct me to ask Bishop George Katwesigye of the Diocese of Kigezi (where I would be serving) whether I should come as a priest, or wait and be ordained in Kabale.  Not surprisingly, the latter and wiser option was chosen.

I have therefore had the rather unusual honor of being a deacon for 2 1/2 years prior to "being priested," as they say in Anglican circles.  I am grateful for this time as it has ingrained in me the foundational and unchanging role of being a servant to God's people.   ("Once a deacon, always a deacon," is the reminder given to me -- and to many others -- by my friend and former colleague, Archdeacon Mark Stevenson.)

More recently, I have come to these first few intensely difficult months in Uganda as a significant and deep part of my preparation for ordination.  It has been a sustained season of radical self-emptying and utter, desperate reliance on God, and a deep yearning for the presence of Jesus and infilling of his Spirit.  Here my weaknesses loom large and my strengths seem paltry.


To aid in my preparation, Bishop Katwesigye "attached" me to St. Peter's Cathedral.  For about a month I participated in leading the English services, under the guidance of the Revs. Amos, Obed, and Joshua.  These are men I would love to know better, and men worth following.

In the weeks leading up to the ordination, I kept listening to and singing two songs in particular, both by an artist named Randall Goodgame introduced to us by one of Leslie's brothers (thanks James!): John 11 and The Wind (Ignore the video on this one, and just listen to the music).  Both pieces sing simply and poignantly of our weakness and brokenness being met by the grace and quiet power of Jesus.  I also received several emails from family and friends with prayers and wisdom, and I printed many of them out and carried them around in my pockets as reminders and prayers.  One sentence in particular resonated with me:  "The goal of worship is to bring the gathered into the transforming presence of Jesus" (Bishop Doug Weiss).  That's the kind of priest I want to be.

David with me at the retreat

In the last few days, I participated in a retreat with the other 17 (yes, 17!) ordinands, with almost every word of the retreat being spoken in Rukiga, the tribal tongue of this region.  Regardless of the language barrier, I love being surrounded by these men and women.  This time gave me a strong sense of being brought into a community of clergy.  The teaching (translated in bits and pieces for me by a fellow ordinand and his wife) covered a wide range of topics, but kept circling back to 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 (God choosing the foolish and weak to shame the wise and strong) and Romans 8:26-39 (nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ) -- words I needed to hear.  Leslie was also able to join us from time to time, and toward the end my long standing, deeply loyal, dear friend David Sunukjian arrived from California to be with me.


ORDINATION

I am so glad we have video and photos to capture this day, but they lack the smells, the emotion, the sounds of robes and murmured conversations, the intensity of the sun, the discomfort of the rash forming on my neck, the gradual filling of the cathedral with people and they energy they brought, the breath of the translators in our ears and noses, the weariness of the long service, the quick and inadequate glimpses of our kids in the congregation, the kaleidoscope of face, with flashes of black and brown brilliance....

If I tried to recount the entire experience -- well, it's better just to share some highlights:

Leslie with me, sitting behind me, kneeling beside me, present throughout the entire service.  We entered this together, when so much of this process has only been piecemeal in its togetherness.

Taking my vows before the bishop, in Rukiga!  Bishop George would ask the question, then one-by-one  we answered in Rukiga.  I was grateful to be standing in the middle, because I was able to listen to about 8 people respond first! I stumbled a bit, felt very hot and self-conscious, but loved the whole experience.  And it went straight to the heart of the people.  They laughed, clapped, and cheered each time I responded. I was told later that this was in surprise and joy, not only that I was reading Rukiga, but that they could understand me!

The weight of the hands. I wish I had a picture of this moment. Moments before I had been taking vows, declaring true words that convey the source and shape of my life, of our lives.  Then, as I stand before the bishop, Subdean Amos unties the deacon's knot of my stole, drapes the stole around my neck and shoulders, adjusting it until it is appropriately "smart" (is what he whispers in my ear).  Leslie and I kneel in front of the bishop, and he places both hands, warm and strong, on my head.  Then comes the weight, a weight my neck muscles strain painfully to hold. 30 or 40 priests have surrounded us completely, joining their hands to those of the bishop's.  It is hot, very hot.  The bishop prays in Rukiga.  I know the content of the prayer from my reading of the 1662 Prayer Book, and I follow it loosely in my mind, then into slip my own prayer.  There's no strong emotion for me; just a quiet yearning, a steady readiness, an openness, a quiet mind, gratefulness, contentment.

The hands lifted, and my head lifted, dizzy from the sudden lightness. The bishop placed in my hands a bible sent and signed by Archbishop Duncan, and he charged me to preach the whole counsel of God, and to administer the sacraments.  I stood a priest, Leslie by my side, and took my place with my brothers and sisters, adding my hands and prayers to theirs as each of the other 17 were ordained.

And then the dancing.  No way this picture captures it.  Watch the video at the end of this blog for the real deal.  A Rukiga chorus was sung repeatedly, hands clapping in alternating rhythms, voices in harmony.  Leslie and I were in the throng before the Table, enjoying the joy.  Then the dancing began -- a few of the new priests' wives bent over in their white dresses with blue sashes, took off their shoes, then hands and arms began pumping, moving rhythmically, then the feet began dancing, then jumping!  Soon the men joined in, then members of the congregation.  Suddenly the bishop was behind Leslie and me, pushing us firmly and urging us loudly, "You dance with them. Go!"  And we went!  We tried!  We move, we jump, we laugh -- we are with them, still very different, very apart, but with them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is so much more I could add about the service --- the sermon by retired Bishop William Rukirande on walking with our older brother Jesus as forgiven men and women, David being called to the front to greet the congregation, serving communion, the experience of the kids (not so glorious as mine), the recessional in which we walked hand in hand with the bishop's wife -- but I'll leave it for the more curious.

There was also the wonderful post-ordination celebration!  Leslie and I invited members of the community who had been particularly significant not only in the ordination process, but in welcoming us to Kabale.  It was a time of giving thanks to them and to God for all the goodness we have received.  We shared a wonderful dinner with these friends at Birdnest, our new favorite restaurant and hotel in Kabale, on Lake Bunyonyi.  Gitta and Raf, the proprietors, did a marvelous job hosting us, and Chef Paul continued to impress us with the best food we've had yet in Uganda.  Among the great joys of the evening was having friends together in one place who normally wouldn't be together, especially having our workers with us!

My friend David asked me the following day whether I felt more spiritual now that I'm a priest.  "No," I answered, "but I feel grateful and content."  I'm content -- we are where God wants us, growing ever more into the people he wants us to be, younger siblings of Jesus relying on the Father's grace, joining with his Spirit in drawing people into the transforming presence of the Son.  I'm grateful -- look what the Lord has done.

Snippets of Life

Here are some random goings-on in the life of the Hines Family, in no particular order.

Rwanda Trip
Until we get our work visa, we have to use a tourist visa that must be renewed every three months.  The simplest way is to drive about 30 minutes over to the border of Rwanda.  We decided to make a full road trip out of it, and go down to Kigali for a brief exploration of Rwanda's capital, and in hopes of finding tasty food and palatable coffee.  Here's an email Leslie wrote that captures part of the trip:

The Kigali report:  short drive, nice paved roads - you could tell the minute we crossed the border - kind of crazy... you're just driving past these tea plantations and rice fields and hundreds of women working harvesting the crops on these beautiful green hills and then you see the city skyline and hotels... the roadside is cleaner on the Rwandan side and once we got to the city it's very metropolitan, lots of European influence (I think b/c after the genocide they received so much foreign aid and it really shows in the infrastructure)  The shopping mall and coffee shops and restaurants looked more like what you would see in the ritzy part of Dallas - prices to match!  Jesse said, "how come there are so many white people here?"  The whole city felt modern and organized and the service was fast and friendly... lots of Europeans and westerners - several Koreans... I didn't use my french much... but it was nice to think I could understand what people were saying and I could read the signs.  Wendy and I felt like the country/village hicks coming to the Big City!!!!  The border crossing is prohibitive though, and you have to fill out a lot of paperwork, not just passports & visa checkpoints, but vehicle registration, separate car insurance for Rwanda and customs for luggage... 3 windows all told and we waited in the car 1 hour each way... driving time 2 1/2 - 3 hrs... so 4 hrs total travel one way - it was a lot to do in a day with all the kids in tow, but we made it!  I'm so glad we had a Ugandan driver b/c it made it so much easier to navigate the border crossing - he drove us all day and we paid 20, 000 shillings ($8 dollars).  So - I think between the border crossing and the exchange rate, we will not go frequently, but it is better than the 8 hour nastiness drive to Kampala and the city of Kigali is much nicer - less congested and beautiful.

And part of an email I sent:

Thank you for your prayers for our travels today.  We had a full but uneventful trip down to the border, into Kigali in Rwanda (where we found some very good coffee), and back again with renewed visas in hand.  We are especially grateful for David Habaasa, our driver, who made the trip so much easier for us.

By the way, Habaasa told me something I found encouraging, and thought you would as well.  He and I were talking of how we're settling in Kabale.  At one point he said, "They know you in town, now.  If I'm there and you drive by, they say, 'There goes your muzungu!' This makes us feel good, because we know they know you belong to us, so we know you are safe.'"

Fruit of the Land
Our garden, planted and tended by our faithful friend Protase, is beginning to bear fruit.  The girls and I enjoyed cutting, transporting, and washing our own lettuce, and Leslie turned it into a wonderful salad!

Art

The more homes we visit in Kabale, the more we realize how hard Bishop Barham University College worked to provide us with a comfortable, attractive home.  We are so grateful to them!

Nevertheless, concrete floors, borrowed, mismatched furniture, and bare walls become somewhat depressing after a while.  We've been yearning for beauty in home.  This yearning first began to be met through Leslie's sister, when she sent via a traveling friend beautiful prints that we put on the walls of our house.

Next, our shipment from home arrived after almost 4 months in transit, and a few pieces of art were quickly hung.  Our favorite is this piece prayerfully and lovingly created by Jesse's godmother for his baptism.

Then we met Edward Ssajjabbi.  We first saw his paintings of African wildlife hanging in a hotel here in Kabale.  Georgia LOVES zebras, and Jesse is very drawn to cheetahs, and so we began negotiating via text messages with the unknown artist for the purchase of two of his works.  This went on for a couple of months, and it was time to make a decision.  We went to the hotel to look at them one more time, and they were gone!  In a slight panic, we called the artist, and he told us he had them at his studio, and was preparing to take them to the States for an exhibition.  We drove quickly to his studio in Kabale to meet him face-to-face at last, and to see the paintings again.


We parked in front of rather dreary store front, squeezed between two buildings, then entered a courtyard where a woman was washing clothes and cooking over her charcoal stove.  There was Edward's studio, a tiny room with almost no light.  Then he began pulling out his artwork to get to the zebras and the cheetahs...but, oh!  The other artwork!  Here are our favorites, and they're now hanging on our walls, turning a house into a home, bringing beauty, life, and color.

The Vendors

Untitled, but you can see the women going to market with children on their backs.

Wedding Portrait

And here are the pieces that led to the discovery of Edward, now hanging in Georgia's and Jesse's rooms.  (The art, that is.  Edward is not hanging in their rooms.)

Acacia Dwellers

Brotherhood

Edward is native to Kabale, and is a self-taught artist.  His wife teaches at a secondary school we pass every morning on the way to the kids' school.  We're becoming friends with both of them, and both they and we see our meeting as clearly the result of God's work in our lives.  The timing, the relational connection, the provision for our family, the provision for their family...it's a beautiful thing on several levels.

Ordination

One final tidbit.  On Sunday, I will be ordained to the priesthood by Bishop George Katwesigye at St. Peter's Cathedral, Rugarama.  I'll write more about this later and what I see God doing in preparing my family and me for this time.  One part of that preparation, however, is a pre-ordination retreat with another 12 or so ordinands and their spouses.  The retreat began today (Thursday), and is conducted almost entirely in Rukiga (roo-CHEE-gah), the language of the tribe of this region.  While we are only understanding about .2% of it, I am loving it.  The overall sense I keep having is: This is beautiful; this is where I belong; these are the people I want to be with.  I look forward to more.

It has been too long since I've posted an update, so let me share with y'all some highlights from the past couple of weeks:

 THE KIDS

Girls sorting peanuts (or "g-nuts" as they're called here)

It has been a painful to joy to watch how quickly our kids are growing, especially the girls.  Julia, the 2-year-old, is wearing Lucy's clothes, joining in games, speaking like a 3-year-old, and making us laugh.  All of Lucy's dresses suddenly look like mini-skirts, and she is writing out letters and numbers like a pro, and has made unexpected and sudden leaps in her artwork.  Georgia sometimes dazzles me with her beauty, has come to enjoy school (she actually cried last week when we were surprised with a Muslim holiday that closed down the schools), and is becoming a voracious reader.  (Recent favorite quote: "I love this book now that I can read it!")

 

 

 

Julia, Georgia, and Lucy in "dress-up" clothes

Jesse teaching Protase the intricacies of the DS

Jesse and Micah in Warrior Stance

Jesse continues in his loyalty to all things Star Wars (with particular attention to the Clone Wars), and he has completely mastered the two DS Star Wars games we brought with us.  Thankfully, our shipment from the United States finally arrived, which meant for Jesse renewed access to his Tin Tin books.  Jesse steadily improves in his academic performance at and enjoyment of school, but by far his favorite pastime is playing with Micah.  They hardly leave each others' side, and bound around Rugarama Hill, or huddle over Legos, or engage in long, ardent plans for their future country of Saville.  This is a serious focus for them -- journal pages, maps, plans, designs, vision statements -- Saville is going to bring peace to the world, and until there is peace, it is going to have the most advanced defense system the world has ever seen, with several humorous touches.  They have recently realized the enormity of their project, and have scaled it back to begin with the purchase of an island.  They'll grow from there!

LAKE BUNYONYI

I'm sure we've written already of our times on Bushara Island on Lake Bunyonyi.  The lake is about a 20 minute drive away, and the island has been a getaway for us.  A couple of Saturdays ago, however, we tried something different.  Rather than dipping down to the lake, we drove up to Arcadia to see the view from above.  Here's what we saw:

Mallory, Lucy, and Julia loving the flowers

Lake Bunyonyi from above

Beauty

Yes, this will be one of our new get-away-and-rest spots.  The kids run free on the green hillside, and we sit at tables and enjoy lunch, tea, and conversation.  We've fast learned the importance of resting and having fun as a team.  We need these times!  It's amazing what comes out -- clarity with regard to unspoken conflict we've been having, plus simple laughter and enjoyment of being together.

On the BirdsNest Deck at Breakfast

For my 40th birthday (just yesterday!) we discovered another wonderful place called BirdsNest.  Yes, it really looks like the pictures on the web page.  Leslie and I went there for lunch on Friday, then decided to stay overnight while the Morrows watched the kids.  What a wonderful escape!  A very sweet Belgian couple runs the place, and a well trained chef fed us some of the best food we've had yet in Uganda.  Our server also was just wonderful.  We're ready to go back!

Turning 40 has been more difficult than turning 30 was. I won't spend much time here reflecting on entering this next decade, but what has been challenging for me is not so much that I'm doing what I expected to be doing by 40, but that I'm not fully who I want be by the time I reached this age.  There is a yearning in me to be freer from my perception of people's expectations of me, to be giving so much less energy to image-management, to be more quietly and simply present to people and to God, listening and responsive rather than being impatient and internally defensive.  Believing in Jesus, loving people, and really and deeply doing both of these is at the heart of my yearning right now.

VISIT FROM GRANT
All of my Trinity friends will remember the Rev. Dr. Grant LeMarquand, professor of New Testament and Mission at Trinity School for Ministry, my seminary alma mater and place of employment for the 8 years preceding our move to Uganda.  Grant significantly shaped my understanding of Scripture, and his love of East Africa is one of the seeds planted in our lives that has grown into what has become our life here.  So it was pure joy to have him come for a visit last week as he finished up his 6 week tour of Africa (Tunisia, Egypt, Kenya, Uganda).  Adding to the fun was having dinner with our next door neighbor, Gideon, who is the chaplain of BBUC and who attended Trinity the year we arrived in Ambridge!

Gideon, Travis, Grant

LESLIE

My view at my birthday breakfast

Leslie has been doing so well the past couple of weeks.  Actually, she has been doing better than I have!  Not only has she begun to bring beauty and order to our home, but she has really come into a space of greater rest and confidence.  She is making the trip into town on her own and bringing home the bacon (figuratively and literally).  She is deepening friendships with our workers, sharing and laughing with them.  The wisdom and prayer she brings to our team meetings consistently reshapes our thinking and our approach to life here.  Her attitude and spirits have lifted my own, and she keeps bringing clarity to my often cloudy wrestling with decisions.  And -- since I'm writing this blog I get to say it -- she continues to grow in beauty as well, even though she's frustrated with the lack of western hair stylists in Kabale!

Leslie painting the toenails of our house-help/friends/sisters!

ATTACHED TO THE CATHEDRAL
So much of our work in these first few months is simply settling in and learning what it means to be the Hines family in Kabale, and what it means to be Team Kabale (Hines and Morrows) in Kabale.  We're focusing on learning to love each other in this new season and place, and beginning to learn to love the people of BBUC and Kabale.  I have begun to meet with faculty and sit in on a few classes and connect with students and explore joining committees, and we are beginning to dabble in learning Rukiga, the local language.  Mostly, however, we're just settling into knowing and being known by the community, and figuring out how to eat, get around, communicate, and take care of ourselves.

St. Peter's Cathedral

One area where I have branched out a bit more is at St. Peter's Cathedral here on Rugarama Hill.  On December 5, I will be ordained a priest by Bishop George Katwesigye on behalf of my bishop, Archbishop Duncan.  Bishop Katwesigye graciously and wisely has assigned me to the cathedral so that I can begin to understand more of how the Anglican Church of Uganda functions, and so that he and his staff can with integrity affirm my call to the priesthood.  It has been a wonderful time.  Mostly I participate in the 8am English service, leading the liturgy or leading the prayers.  I love serving under the Revs. Amos, Obed, and Joshua -- men of character, humor, and wisdom who have been serving God and his church for decades.  I am learning a lot just watching them.

The highlight for me so far was a couple of Sundays ago when the Bishop surprised me by asking me to preach on the Sunday he confirmed over 200 people at the Cathedral.  I preached through an interpreter to a crowd of over one thousand people.  The interpreter was the Rev. Canon Jovahn, the Deputy Principal of BBUC and the man who has been my main contact for the past 5 years.  He is the one who has waited and prayed for us the longest, so it was a joy to stand beside him and speak out the words God had given me to say on that Sunday.

PACKAGES AND SHIPMENT
No pictures for this one, but a lot of gratefulness.  Over the past few weeks we have received packages from family and friends, plus our own shipment of items we sent to ourselves back in August!  The packages from family and friends have included things like prints of paintings for our walls, candied corn, autumnal decorations, wonderful sandals for Leslie (thanks Mary Ellen!), and salty snacks.  Every little bit is like a bright jewel that brings smiles to all our faces.

And what joy it was to receive our shipment at last!  A wonderful friend in Kampala arranged for getting our boxes from the capital to Kabale, and opening them was so much fun.  The girls dove into their dress-up clothes and dolls; Jesse hugged stuffed animals, spilled out his legos, and immediately began re-reading his Tin Tin books; Leslie rummaged through various foods and spices and kitchen accessories; I embraced books and began stacking them beside our bed.  The only challenge was discovering one trunk in which a container of Hershey's chocolate sauce had exploded and drenched toys and other items in chocolate.  I spent 4 hours cleaning the mess, but it was worth it (I only licked my fingers twice).
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We are beginning to settle in to life in Kabale.  We still have days that are up-and-down, tempers flair, tears fall, chaos erupts, water stops, surprises come....  We are not as weary, however, and with increasing frequency we find ourselves enjoying Kabale, and every now and then we feel the rhythm of the life that is coming.

Here are a few more photos to enjoy:

Lucy and Mallory

Cat-burglar Caught!

Julia helping with laundry

Georgia and Lucy with newly arrived shirts from Tia Maria

Julia!

Scene from BirdsNest Balcony on the eve of my birthday

Same scene, further out...

Photographic Tour of Home

Inspired my our teammates' blog (visit Rugarama Hill to get a tour up the hill to where they and we live), I thought I would post a stream of photos that will give you a feel for our home.

Before I begin, a quick update:  

• Many of you know that Julia was diagnosed last week with shingles.  Yep, shingles!  Now that we have the right medication, she is improving and doing very well.  Thanks for your prayers!
• Sadly, Lucy is evidencing the same symptoms.  We're watching her, and at least this time we know what to expect.
• I'm on my third day of undiagnosed illness -- a virus of some sort -- but I'm actually feeling better today.  Those that are praying for us, pray for an end to all this illness.  There has been at least one person ill in our home for the past 3 weeks.  Leslie especially is quite weary, and we're ready for a season of health!
• I pressed through on Sunday and participated as deacon in my first service at St. Peter's Cathedral. I'm very excited about working under the cathedral staff.  Two of the three have just arrived (all Ugandan), and they have the energy and vision you would expect of new leadership.  There is much to learn from them.
• Kids have only 2 weeks of school left, and we need to figure out homeschooling for December-January so we can get them caught up for the next school year.
• Leslie's aesthetic has reawakened, and she has begun to organize the home as best as possible with what we have.  The more homes we visit, the more we realize that the university here worked hard to give us a good, beautiful home.  Here's a glimpse:

This is the path up which we walk from BBUC to our house. The kids know it well and traipse up and down alone on their way to the Morrow's house or to chapel. (They take a different route to school.)

Turning left from the top of the path, you can see our gate hanging just a few meters away.

I love this gate.  It has its own mottled beauty.

These steps lead you up to our house.

Another shot of this view...it's one I love, and I often pause here before going further.

A couple of steps past the gate, and you can see our duplex to the right.

We live on the right side of the duplex, next door to the chaplain of the university.  (He and I actually met each other Trinity almost 9 years ago!) You can see clotheslines and electric cables strung across the yard.  The satellite dish is for our neighbor.

Front view of our home. The window to the right of the door is the master bedroom.

Side view of our home. You can see Sharon doing some washing. Just past the satellite dish are the steps you saw earlier.

Looking down the side of our house, you can see the water tank that provides water for the bathroom.  This area we will be turning into a flower garden.

When you walk out the kitchen door at the back of the house, this is what you see.  Our back yard, of sorts.  I think it's a lovely patio area, but it slopes too much to use it for much.  To the left we're planting another flower garden. Up higher are banana trees and a vegetable garden our helper Protase has planted.  There is another vegetable garden just behind the "boys' quarters," the building immediately to your right.  The small structure higher up is the outhouse, and a garbage pit is to the right of it.

Here's a view of the "boys' quarters."  The first door on the left is Sharon's kitchen.  She does all her amazing cooking on three charcoal stoves like the one below. The door to the right is where our workers take their breaks, and also where Maureen naps her son Jeremiah.

The charcoal stove.  From this perspective it almost looks like a misshapen jack-o-lantern!

Going up the patio area, you can see the first vegetable garden to the right, behind the boys' quarters.

A bit higher up is the second vegetable garden, with Protase typically hard at work.

This is the view standing at the top of the steps behind our house, looking back down at our house.

Coming back down the steps, you can see the doorway into our kitchen.

This photo actually tells so many stories! The blue bucket is our water filtering system...the green bucket is the garbage that gets burnt or shared with neighbors to feed animals...the produce is a daily adventure in the market to find and purchase...the cabinets that were long awaited and made by a man of remarkable quality and character....

The coffee shelf in our kitchen. A very important place. The odd little box is actually an antiquated but highly functional converter bequeathed to us by a departing missionary, along with her coffee grinder.  We will be forever grateful. Yes, the star on the mug is the badge of the legendary Texas Rangers.

Our dining room table.  Note the contrast of technology: our laptop alongside the wooden utensils for making chapatti, the local flatbread.  The art on the walls is the only art we currently have, made by the girls using supplies sent by our missionary care giver of Global Teams.

This is the view from our front porch. In the mornings it's completely shrouded in mist. Almost every day I tell the kids to stop, look, and enjoy the beauty we have here. I love just sitting on our porch.

The tree in our yard is an avocado tree! We've been enjoying its fruits.

To the left of our yard (our compound, as they say here) is a long fence made of bushes and barbed wire, with a vine of morning glories creeping all along it. It protects us from a highly traversed path just on the other side. We hear the voices of passers-by throughout the night going further up the hill.

A close-up of the morning glory.

And just past the morning glories you can see another hill with more beauty -- and a couple of hotels which have provide a nice getaway for us! We order tea and french fries (chips) and sit in the lawns while the kids play.