It's kept hitting me between the eyes over the last six months or so:
Everything in my house is adult-size. Everything.
Shoes.
Shirts.
Shampoo bottles.
Dishes.
Bodies.
Appetites.
Senses of humor.
Conversations.
TV viewing.
Bedtimes.
It's all BIG now;
grown-up.
Adult-size.
I have to THINK now, when I'm folding laundry,
which t-shirts and socks are Jim's;
they're all the same size (well, I guess Nate's are a bit bigger).
If the kids' friends are over, that batch of cookies or brownies
might last 24 hours,
provided I remember to set aside a little
for tomorrow's school lunches.
Non-essential items in cupboards and closets have had to find new homes
to make room for bigger shoes,
bigger clothes,
more food.
TV shows that used to be too scary are now
family viewing.
The night-owl children in my house
frequently outlast me
and THEY send ME to bed.
Dinner conversations are forums for
adult-size opinions,
views on world events,
and processing about the people and situations around us.
And the shampoo...
My kids all LIKE to be clean - even the boys.
Daily, there are seven showers taken in our home.
Yes, my boys each take a shower before and after schoool.
Does this cost more? Absolutely. But I'm not arguing...
I think it's a small price to pay for them to feel good!
Some days all this adult-sizedness boggles my mind.
At some mundane moment,
like when I open the door of the entryway closet
and am searching for space to put my shoes
because we just can't fit so many pairs in there anymore,
it will hit me...
How did we get HERE?
How did we get
from those scrawny helpless newborns
TO THIS:
Teenage drivers,
electric guitars,
GPAs,
jobs,
picking colleges,
discussions about life, love, faith and futures.
And how on earth did it go SO FAST?
It's a humbling thing for my household to be adult-sized.
I realize at the same time how much,
and how little,
influence I have as the mom.
I'm profoundly grateful for the God whom, I know without doubt,
holds my children in the warm, wise circle of His embrace.
No matter how big they grow.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
One Last Bit of Football Goodness
First, let me apologize for the randomness of my posts.
Football, football, something serious, then football again.
Any of you who started reading my blog way back when it began
will know you were duly warned that this was a blog of MUSINGS.
Random musings of whatever is rambling around my brain...
which could be just about anything.
But in the fall, you can bet one of the main things will be
FOOTBALL.
So bear with me for just a little while longer...
Our LC football boys have had a roller coaster regular season,
ending with two lopsided losses.
I'm not sure if even the boys themselves were excited about playing a postseason game.
But play they did.
Traveling to Kings to play on enemy turf,
in super-soggy conditions,
our boys pulled out a wonderful win.
Four second quarter TD's.
Five interceptions by the LC D.
No lost fumbles or interceptions by the offense
(a minor miracle, considering the conditions).
They came, fought and conquered. Yeah boys!
And I missed the whole doggone thing.
My son - my OWN kid -
as opposed to my adopted "football kids",
had a band concert.
A very short band concert.
Three songs to be exact.
(The eighth grade band added another three.)
35 minutes total.
Ah, if only it were possible to be in two places at once!
When is that Star Trek teleporter gizmo going into production?
The concert was neat. Very enjoyable.
I was so proud to see my boy up there doing his thing.
But I did miss being in Seattle for that glorious game.
So the LC boys lived to play another day.
The next game is against a highly-regarded and storied Orting program.
On Tuesday, in Sumner (which is practically in Orting's backyard)
our boys will have one ginormous football mountain to climb.
Barring some unforseen catastrophe, I'll be there.
And barring some unbelievable miracle, it will be the end of football season.
Win or lose, it will be one last bit of football goodness for 2008.
Go team!!!
Football, football, something serious, then football again.
Any of you who started reading my blog way back when it began
will know you were duly warned that this was a blog of MUSINGS.
Random musings of whatever is rambling around my brain...
which could be just about anything.
But in the fall, you can bet one of the main things will be
FOOTBALL.
So bear with me for just a little while longer...
Our LC football boys have had a roller coaster regular season,
ending with two lopsided losses.
I'm not sure if even the boys themselves were excited about playing a postseason game.
But play they did.
Traveling to Kings to play on enemy turf,
in super-soggy conditions,
our boys pulled out a wonderful win.
Four second quarter TD's.
Five interceptions by the LC D.
No lost fumbles or interceptions by the offense
(a minor miracle, considering the conditions).
They came, fought and conquered. Yeah boys!
And I missed the whole doggone thing.
My son - my OWN kid -
as opposed to my adopted "football kids",
had a band concert.
A very short band concert.
Three songs to be exact.
(The eighth grade band added another three.)
35 minutes total.
Ah, if only it were possible to be in two places at once!
When is that Star Trek teleporter gizmo going into production?
The concert was neat. Very enjoyable.
I was so proud to see my boy up there doing his thing.
But I did miss being in Seattle for that glorious game.
So the LC boys lived to play another day.
The next game is against a highly-regarded and storied Orting program.
On Tuesday, in Sumner (which is practically in Orting's backyard)
our boys will have one ginormous football mountain to climb.
Barring some unforseen catastrophe, I'll be there.
And barring some unbelievable miracle, it will be the end of football season.
Win or lose, it will be one last bit of football goodness for 2008.
Go team!!!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Which We Have Looked at and Our Hands Have Touched
MY hands have not touched Jesus' body.
I have not looked at His human face
or heard the sound waves of His voice.
But I hold in my hands the words written
by those who did.
The powerful testimony of those who
heard,
saw,
touched;
who witnessed Jesus Christ firsthand
and were compelled
by His presence
to believe.
I cannot adequately explain the mystery
of Christ IN ME -
without having physically
touched or heard or seen,
I, too, HAVE touched
and heard
and seen.
The internal testimony of the Holy Spirit
and the external testimony of God's Word
confirms it.
May the testimony of Christ's life in me
be as tangible and powerful
as that put forth in John's words:
"The life appeared;
we have seen it and testify to it,
and we proclaim to you the eternal life,
which was with the Father
and has appeared to us.
We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard,
so that you also may have fellowship with us.
And our fellowship is with the Father
and with his Son, Jesus Christ." (I John 1:2-3)
There is not one thing I want more in all the world
than for every person to experience
this glorious assurance of fellowship
with their Creator-Savior God.
That they may
hear
and see
and touch
THE TRUTH.
I have not looked at His human face
or heard the sound waves of His voice.
But I hold in my hands the words written
by those who did.
The powerful testimony of those who
heard,
saw,
touched;
who witnessed Jesus Christ firsthand
and were compelled
by His presence
to believe.
I cannot adequately explain the mystery
of Christ IN ME -
without having physically
touched or heard or seen,
I, too, HAVE touched
and heard
and seen.
The internal testimony of the Holy Spirit
and the external testimony of God's Word
confirms it.
May the testimony of Christ's life in me
be as tangible and powerful
as that put forth in John's words:
"The life appeared;
we have seen it and testify to it,
and we proclaim to you the eternal life,
which was with the Father
and has appeared to us.
We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard,
so that you also may have fellowship with us.
And our fellowship is with the Father
and with his Son, Jesus Christ." (I John 1:2-3)
There is not one thing I want more in all the world
than for every person to experience
this glorious assurance of fellowship
with their Creator-Savior God.
That they may
hear
and see
and touch
THE TRUTH.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Frittering?
It may seem like I'm frittering away this Monday.
I watched a movie,
took a nap,
enjoyed a leisurely lunch at home,
did a couple of Sudoku puzzles,
and began reading an article entitled "How Computers Work".
All of this in the silence of my empty house.
Glorious!
OK, I also
did laundry,
made breakfast and sack lunches,
brought kids to school,
and made another trip to school with a forgotten item.
Tonight we'll all go to Nate's play at school,
and somewhere in-between
I'll round up after-school snacks,
cook dinner,
make sure homework gets done, and
track down a small gas engine for Sean for school.
Since this is a significantly lighter load
than a day in which I "go to work",
I genuinely feel like I'm frittering.
Seeing it in print, it's really kinda funny.
I'm learning to remind myself that
it's good to seize opportunities to slow down.
When the kids were younger
and we were homeschooling,
a lot of time I was "on" 24/7.
I guess I feel like I've maybe earned
a little frittering. :)
I know I'm blessed to even HAVE
a lightening of the load...
some people don't.
Part of the reason I'm writing this
is for my young mom friends,
so they know it really does change some day.
Ladies - what you're doing right now with your kids
is SO important.
Hang in there.
And one day, you'll be where I am...
I'm definitely NOT ready to be an empty-nester yet,
but the quiet moments are oh-so-nice.
They charge my batteries for
when the kids walk in the door and
I'm "on" again.
Thank you, Lord, for today.
I trust I've done with it
something that honored Your purposes in my life.
Thank you for refreshing me.
Amen.
I watched a movie,
took a nap,
enjoyed a leisurely lunch at home,
did a couple of Sudoku puzzles,
and began reading an article entitled "How Computers Work".
All of this in the silence of my empty house.
Glorious!
OK, I also
did laundry,
made breakfast and sack lunches,
brought kids to school,
and made another trip to school with a forgotten item.
Tonight we'll all go to Nate's play at school,
and somewhere in-between
I'll round up after-school snacks,
cook dinner,
make sure homework gets done, and
track down a small gas engine for Sean for school.
Since this is a significantly lighter load
than a day in which I "go to work",
I genuinely feel like I'm frittering.
Seeing it in print, it's really kinda funny.
I'm learning to remind myself that
it's good to seize opportunities to slow down.
When the kids were younger
and we were homeschooling,
a lot of time I was "on" 24/7.
I guess I feel like I've maybe earned
a little frittering. :)
I know I'm blessed to even HAVE
a lightening of the load...
some people don't.
Part of the reason I'm writing this
is for my young mom friends,
so they know it really does change some day.
Ladies - what you're doing right now with your kids
is SO important.
Hang in there.
And one day, you'll be where I am...
I'm definitely NOT ready to be an empty-nester yet,
but the quiet moments are oh-so-nice.
They charge my batteries for
when the kids walk in the door and
I'm "on" again.
Thank you, Lord, for today.
I trust I've done with it
something that honored Your purposes in my life.
Thank you for refreshing me.
Amen.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Best Game E-VER.
I thought LC's OT football win at Friday Harbor last week
was the most exciting game I'd been to in ages.
Well, that was small stuff compared to tonight...
tonight's was maybe the best game ever.
E-VER.
On another occasion, you may see more scintillating offense.
Or more dominating defense.
Or improbable interceptions.
Or whatever.
But this win was all about context.
Meridian.
On their home field.
At their homecoming game.
Wet turf, rain, gusty breezes.
A 6-year drought against this opponent.
LC seniors who, in one player's words,
"Were sick of getting beaten by Meridian".
There was no question that the seniors
led this effort:
it was like watching a completely different team
than the first time LC met Meridian this fall.
And tonight, they WON.
The LC defense held,
and held,
and held...
for 6 interminable minutes at the end of the game.
They bent but never broke.
And with, literally, one second remaining,
the outcome was finally decided.
Props
To the O-line for protecting the quarterback
(amidst the mud, his jersey was still white at the end of the game),
and for busting Niels loose on those two awesome TD runs
to start the game.
To the D-line for tracking down the Trojan runners
with tenacity, and then wrapping them up.
To the D-backs for containing the Trojan receivers
and breaking up numerous pass plays.
To Special Teams for your best return coverage of the season.
To the coaches for some unbelievably gutsy play-calling
(namely the two-point conversion).
To Joey for being the gigantic target with soft hands
that made the two-pointer work.
To David G. for staying on his feet on the final kick-off return
and putting room between our offense's backsides and the end zone.
To all the offensive players that kept the ball moving up the field.
And to the LC fans who got on their feet
and made a whole bunch of noise
to cheer our boys on to give their all.
And that's just what they did;
they truly left it all on the field.
No regrets.
So, maybe instead of calling this the best game ever,
I should call it
"the best game...YET".
Who knows what could happen next week?!
I'm so happy for all of you guys.
WAY TO GO, fellas.
was the most exciting game I'd been to in ages.
Well, that was small stuff compared to tonight...
tonight's was maybe the best game ever.
E-VER.
On another occasion, you may see more scintillating offense.
Or more dominating defense.
Or improbable interceptions.
Or whatever.
But this win was all about context.
Meridian.
On their home field.
At their homecoming game.
Wet turf, rain, gusty breezes.
A 6-year drought against this opponent.
LC seniors who, in one player's words,
"Were sick of getting beaten by Meridian".
There was no question that the seniors
led this effort:
it was like watching a completely different team
than the first time LC met Meridian this fall.
And tonight, they WON.
The LC defense held,
and held,
and held...
for 6 interminable minutes at the end of the game.
They bent but never broke.
And with, literally, one second remaining,
the outcome was finally decided.
Props
To the O-line for protecting the quarterback
(amidst the mud, his jersey was still white at the end of the game),
and for busting Niels loose on those two awesome TD runs
to start the game.
To the D-line for tracking down the Trojan runners
with tenacity, and then wrapping them up.
To the D-backs for containing the Trojan receivers
and breaking up numerous pass plays.
To Special Teams for your best return coverage of the season.
To the coaches for some unbelievably gutsy play-calling
(namely the two-point conversion).
To Joey for being the gigantic target with soft hands
that made the two-pointer work.
To David G. for staying on his feet on the final kick-off return
and putting room between our offense's backsides and the end zone.
To all the offensive players that kept the ball moving up the field.
And to the LC fans who got on their feet
and made a whole bunch of noise
to cheer our boys on to give their all.
And that's just what they did;
they truly left it all on the field.
No regrets.
So, maybe instead of calling this the best game ever,
I should call it
"the best game...YET".
Who knows what could happen next week?!
I'm so happy for all of you guys.
WAY TO GO, fellas.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
On the Road
Am writing from the lobby of a Hampton Inn.
Cami and I are having a wonderful adventure.
Wednesday night and this morning with the Wilkenings.
Shopping this afternoon.
Dinner at Cheesecake Factory.
More shopping.
THE dress found and purchased.
Now settled at the hotel...TV, magazines and a dip in the hot tub.
Good times. Girl times.
I'm surprised we still have our voices...
we've been talking almost non-stop.
Tomorrow, football.
Woo hoo!!!
My husband is awesome for holding down the fort while
we shop and explore and bond. Thanks a ton, sweetie.
Cami and I are having a wonderful adventure.
Wednesday night and this morning with the Wilkenings.
Shopping this afternoon.
Dinner at Cheesecake Factory.
More shopping.
THE dress found and purchased.
Now settled at the hotel...TV, magazines and a dip in the hot tub.
Good times. Girl times.
I'm surprised we still have our voices...
we've been talking almost non-stop.
Tomorrow, football.
Woo hoo!!!
My husband is awesome for holding down the fort while
we shop and explore and bond. Thanks a ton, sweetie.
Monday, October 6, 2008
(Practically) Counting the Hours
Less than two days from now, I'll be out of town.
No, I'm not going to Hawaii or Mexico or any other exotic locale.
I'm just heading south with my daughter;
driving down to Seattle to visit friends,
shop for Cami's dress for the winter dance,
and then hit an LC football game (in Friday Harbor, of all places) on the way home.
A long time ago, the fam marked these dates off for an outing,
but plans fell through, and Cami and I were able to
take advantage of the days off of school to have an adventure.
What a blessing that we ENJOY spending time together,
can't wait for it, in fact.
And knowing that two years from now,
she'll likely be away somewhere at college,
I'm just savoring every moment of mom-and-Cami time.
So, let's see...I think we're down to about 42 hours...
and 17 minutes...
and 38...37...36...35 seconds...
but who's counting?!
ME!!!!!
No, I'm not going to Hawaii or Mexico or any other exotic locale.
I'm just heading south with my daughter;
driving down to Seattle to visit friends,
shop for Cami's dress for the winter dance,
and then hit an LC football game (in Friday Harbor, of all places) on the way home.
A long time ago, the fam marked these dates off for an outing,
but plans fell through, and Cami and I were able to
take advantage of the days off of school to have an adventure.
What a blessing that we ENJOY spending time together,
can't wait for it, in fact.
And knowing that two years from now,
she'll likely be away somewhere at college,
I'm just savoring every moment of mom-and-Cami time.
So, let's see...I think we're down to about 42 hours...
and 17 minutes...
and 38...37...36...35 seconds...
but who's counting?!
ME!!!!!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Tag - I'm "It"
If you're on my blog as a result of Tam's "tag", here's what you're looking for...
.5 You may or may not already know the basics about me...avid reader, love football, grew up on a dairy farm, turned 40 this year, married with 3 kids, employed PT at church. OK...
1. I've never been water-skiing, wake-boarding or inner-tubing behind a boat. Moving along water at high speeds and wearing very little protection does not sound like a good time to me.
2. I have a thing for valleys. Some people like the ocean or the mountains; I'm always enchanted by valleys. Don't know why, particularly, they just please my eye. Disclaimer: I'm NOT excited about valleys if they're deep and begin immediately past the shoulder of the road!
3. I love pickled beets. Especially my mom's homemade ones. YUMMMMMMM! My husband and children think I'm weird (for this - haha).
4. If I had extra money laying around, I'd buy myself a really nice camera. I'm fascinated by the possibilities of communicating through images and hope to learn more someday.
5. Whether or not they deserve it, I irrationally dislike the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers.
6. At age 11, I competed in a national track meet - the ARCO Jesse Owens Games. I finished in fourth place in the long jump, just out of the medals. I also met Jesse Owens. WAY cool. Side note...the other famous people I've met are Tom Landry (ironic, considering my dislike of the Cowboys) and Tom Brokaw (well, Jim and I shared an elevator with Tom Brokaw, I guess we didn't really "meet" him).
7. Perfect weather: clear skies, 75 degrees and a slight breeze, or clear skies, 35 degrees, sunny, crisp and cold.
So now you know. Thanks for the tag, Tam. This was fun. I don't know how to tag and link the other people (maybe that should be point #7.6 "I am technologically challenged but improving"); maybe my computer-genius husband can help me and I'll pass the tag along. :)
Happy day, all.
Megan
.5 You may or may not already know the basics about me...avid reader, love football, grew up on a dairy farm, turned 40 this year, married with 3 kids, employed PT at church. OK...
1. I've never been water-skiing, wake-boarding or inner-tubing behind a boat. Moving along water at high speeds and wearing very little protection does not sound like a good time to me.
2. I have a thing for valleys. Some people like the ocean or the mountains; I'm always enchanted by valleys. Don't know why, particularly, they just please my eye. Disclaimer: I'm NOT excited about valleys if they're deep and begin immediately past the shoulder of the road!
3. I love pickled beets. Especially my mom's homemade ones. YUMMMMMMM! My husband and children think I'm weird (for this - haha).
4. If I had extra money laying around, I'd buy myself a really nice camera. I'm fascinated by the possibilities of communicating through images and hope to learn more someday.
5. Whether or not they deserve it, I irrationally dislike the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers.
6. At age 11, I competed in a national track meet - the ARCO Jesse Owens Games. I finished in fourth place in the long jump, just out of the medals. I also met Jesse Owens. WAY cool. Side note...the other famous people I've met are Tom Landry (ironic, considering my dislike of the Cowboys) and Tom Brokaw (well, Jim and I shared an elevator with Tom Brokaw, I guess we didn't really "meet" him).
7. Perfect weather: clear skies, 75 degrees and a slight breeze, or clear skies, 35 degrees, sunny, crisp and cold.
So now you know. Thanks for the tag, Tam. This was fun. I don't know how to tag and link the other people (maybe that should be point #7.6 "I am technologically challenged but improving"); maybe my computer-genius husband can help me and I'll pass the tag along. :)
Happy day, all.
Megan
Friday, September 26, 2008
All Good Things Must Come to an End(even in football)
Meridian 21, LC 7
Tough game tonight.
I know there are some frustrated Lyncs boys,
And maybe some who are beating themselves up...
I hope not.
Meridian is NOT dumb,
and they ARE athletic,
and they successfully kept their d-backs in our receivers' hip pockets
(bet you didn't know football pants HAD hip pockets, did ya?).
I gotta give it to the Meridian defense;
they really had our passing game's number.
I try very hard to be respectful of the refs because I SURE wouldn't
want to be doing their job,
but there was some officiating in this game that I simply did not understand.
By the time the refs started calling pass interference against the Trojans,
it was essentially too late.
Also, it seemed we were robbed by a call voiding what appeared
to be a touchdown reception at a completely
critical juncture in the game, trailing 14-7.
Too many untimely penalties.
Too much Meridian D.
And, in my humble opinion, too much inexplicable play-calling by the Lyncs staff.
Enough said.
I really don't care if we win or lose, or what the score is.
I don't care, except for the hearts and minds of the boys who play.
I hope they don't lose their love of the game,
their determination,
their confidence.
I hope that,
despite all the work and time and sweat and dedication
they put in to be able to play, they can remember
IT'S STILL A GAME,
and only a game.
And it's a journey of learning...
learning about opponents,
learning about challenges,
learning about how to adapt
and persevere
and have fun
just for the love of sport and team and athleticism.
I'm proud of our boys.
As far as I could see from the sidelines,
they deported themselves well throughout,
toward each other, the refs and their opposition.
I hope they sleep well tonight
and enjoy the weekend
and re-enter football world on Monday
with eagerness.
Tough game tonight.
I know there are some frustrated Lyncs boys,
And maybe some who are beating themselves up...
I hope not.
Meridian is NOT dumb,
and they ARE athletic,
and they successfully kept their d-backs in our receivers' hip pockets
(bet you didn't know football pants HAD hip pockets, did ya?).
I gotta give it to the Meridian defense;
they really had our passing game's number.
I try very hard to be respectful of the refs because I SURE wouldn't
want to be doing their job,
but there was some officiating in this game that I simply did not understand.
By the time the refs started calling pass interference against the Trojans,
it was essentially too late.
Also, it seemed we were robbed by a call voiding what appeared
to be a touchdown reception at a completely
critical juncture in the game, trailing 14-7.
Too many untimely penalties.
Too much Meridian D.
And, in my humble opinion, too much inexplicable play-calling by the Lyncs staff.
Enough said.
I really don't care if we win or lose, or what the score is.
I don't care, except for the hearts and minds of the boys who play.
I hope they don't lose their love of the game,
their determination,
their confidence.
I hope that,
despite all the work and time and sweat and dedication
they put in to be able to play, they can remember
IT'S STILL A GAME,
and only a game.
And it's a journey of learning...
learning about opponents,
learning about challenges,
learning about how to adapt
and persevere
and have fun
just for the love of sport and team and athleticism.
I'm proud of our boys.
As far as I could see from the sidelines,
they deported themselves well throughout,
toward each other, the refs and their opposition.
I hope they sleep well tonight
and enjoy the weekend
and re-enter football world on Monday
with eagerness.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
More Football Fun (and other exciting news)
They've done it again.
The LC varsity football boys took on the significantly larger and storied
Vancouver College (high school) team, and did it again.
They won. Convincingly.
I think we can say that the Week One loss to Sehome
is officially a thing of the past. :)
What a fun, exciting, clean game it was!
Just a lot of good, hard play.
You gotta love that kind of game.
(And, oh did Cami and I ever love it!)
A duo of Cami's good friends,
Daniel (quarterback) and Jacob (receiver)
connected for 3 touchdowns.
THREE!
Daniel had over 200 yards passing and
Jacob had about 140 yards receiving,
plus a bunch of tackles on defense.
I honestly don't know how that kid (Jacob) was still
standing at the end of the game.
Since both teams attempted to convert
several fourth downs,
Jacob didn't come off the field for a LONG TIME.
When you're a receiver, running 15 or 20 yard routes
almost every offensive play (then having to run back),
shuttling play calls in from the sidelines sometimes,
then covering receivers on defense,
THAT'S A LOT OF RUNNING!
And then being able to stay focused enough to catch passes,
pursue ball carriers, and make good tackles...
let's just say I'm very impressed.
To see Jacob enjoy success by
making some huge catches,
racking up TD's,
and basically being a beast on defense...
well, it just couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
Obviously "happen" isn't really accurate terminology.
Jacob and Daniel and all of Cami's friends work hard
to MAKE this stuff happen.
And they're GOOD KIDS, too.
Cami, and our family, have been blessed by these good friends of hers.
As if all this scintillating football wasn't enough,
more excitement came our way during the game
(no, not the Vancouver College guy whose dislocated ankle
made his foot stick out at a 3 o'clock angle to his leg).
My nephew Dillon came by with his girlfriend Tiffany,
who was sporting an oh-so-shiny new piece of jewelry
on her left ring finger!!!!!!!!!!
WOOHOO!
Apparently, there's a long and involved story
regarding the engagement proceedings that we have yet to hear.
All we know so far is that it involves some "sad moments",
some "funny moments",
and an injury to Tiff!
This should be good. :)
A wedding next summer sounds like so much fun,
but the best part is that our beloved Dillon has found himself
such a lovely girl.
WELCOME to the fam, TIFF!
All the excitement of the night was capped off
with about 2 dozen high schoolers descending on our house
after the game.
I LOVE these kids. They're fun and "clean",
AND they're nice to me! :)
I couldn't care less if they eat all our Cocoa Puffs and
fill the house with noise far past my bedtime.
It's a delight to play hostess to them.
Needless to say,
a lot of adrenaline had to dissipate
before I was ready to nod off around 2 AM.
Then my infernal body clock (and, yes, I did intend to say "infernal", not "internal")
didn't seem to acknowledge that the calendar says "Saturday",
so I was awake bright and early.
Thankfully, it's a rainy, grey, perfect-for-reading-and-being-lazy day.
The glow from last night, however,
will be keeping me plenty warm
for a good long while. :)
The LC varsity football boys took on the significantly larger and storied
Vancouver College (high school) team, and did it again.
They won. Convincingly.
I think we can say that the Week One loss to Sehome
is officially a thing of the past. :)
What a fun, exciting, clean game it was!
Just a lot of good, hard play.
You gotta love that kind of game.
(And, oh did Cami and I ever love it!)
A duo of Cami's good friends,
Daniel (quarterback) and Jacob (receiver)
connected for 3 touchdowns.
THREE!
Daniel had over 200 yards passing and
Jacob had about 140 yards receiving,
plus a bunch of tackles on defense.
I honestly don't know how that kid (Jacob) was still
standing at the end of the game.
Since both teams attempted to convert
several fourth downs,
Jacob didn't come off the field for a LONG TIME.
When you're a receiver, running 15 or 20 yard routes
almost every offensive play (then having to run back),
shuttling play calls in from the sidelines sometimes,
then covering receivers on defense,
THAT'S A LOT OF RUNNING!
And then being able to stay focused enough to catch passes,
pursue ball carriers, and make good tackles...
let's just say I'm very impressed.
To see Jacob enjoy success by
making some huge catches,
racking up TD's,
and basically being a beast on defense...
well, it just couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
Obviously "happen" isn't really accurate terminology.
Jacob and Daniel and all of Cami's friends work hard
to MAKE this stuff happen.
And they're GOOD KIDS, too.
Cami, and our family, have been blessed by these good friends of hers.
As if all this scintillating football wasn't enough,
more excitement came our way during the game
(no, not the Vancouver College guy whose dislocated ankle
made his foot stick out at a 3 o'clock angle to his leg).
My nephew Dillon came by with his girlfriend Tiffany,
who was sporting an oh-so-shiny new piece of jewelry
on her left ring finger!!!!!!!!!!
WOOHOO!
Apparently, there's a long and involved story
regarding the engagement proceedings that we have yet to hear.
All we know so far is that it involves some "sad moments",
some "funny moments",
and an injury to Tiff!
This should be good. :)
A wedding next summer sounds like so much fun,
but the best part is that our beloved Dillon has found himself
such a lovely girl.
WELCOME to the fam, TIFF!
All the excitement of the night was capped off
with about 2 dozen high schoolers descending on our house
after the game.
I LOVE these kids. They're fun and "clean",
AND they're nice to me! :)
I couldn't care less if they eat all our Cocoa Puffs and
fill the house with noise far past my bedtime.
It's a delight to play hostess to them.
Needless to say,
a lot of adrenaline had to dissipate
before I was ready to nod off around 2 AM.
Then my infernal body clock (and, yes, I did intend to say "infernal", not "internal")
didn't seem to acknowledge that the calendar says "Saturday",
so I was awake bright and early.
Thankfully, it's a rainy, grey, perfect-for-reading-and-being-lazy day.
The glow from last night, however,
will be keeping me plenty warm
for a good long while. :)
Friday, September 12, 2008
Football is Fun Again
Hooray for football!!!
It's that time of year again...YEAH!
It's a happy night for the LC boys team,
having defeated Lakewood 34-14.
This is happy news because last Saturday
our boys had to endure a 54-0 drubbing
at the hands of a much larger school, and
sans a bunch of injured and suspended players.
According to Cami, the boys weren't
chomping at the bit for tonight's game.
After Lakewood scored on the game's opening drive
in just 51 seconds, I can only imagine what was going on
under those navy and white helmets...
here we go again?
Lakewood proceeded to score again for a 14-0 lead.
But then we started moving the ball.
And scoring.
And playing more aggressive D.
Not only did the Lyncs put points on the board,
they scored 5 touchdowns in various ways
on the ground and through the air.
There were interceptions, circus catches,
LC defenders in the Lakewood backfield,
and a lot of other good stuff.
For MY sake, I never really care what the score is;
I so love watching these boys play, that I always
"get my money's worth" no matter what.
Football never ceases to be fun for me.
But I'm glad, oh so glad,
that football is fun for THEM again.
Way to go, fellas! Enjoy.
It's that time of year again...YEAH!
It's a happy night for the LC boys team,
having defeated Lakewood 34-14.
This is happy news because last Saturday
our boys had to endure a 54-0 drubbing
at the hands of a much larger school, and
sans a bunch of injured and suspended players.
According to Cami, the boys weren't
chomping at the bit for tonight's game.
After Lakewood scored on the game's opening drive
in just 51 seconds, I can only imagine what was going on
under those navy and white helmets...
here we go again?
Lakewood proceeded to score again for a 14-0 lead.
But then we started moving the ball.
And scoring.
And playing more aggressive D.
Not only did the Lyncs put points on the board,
they scored 5 touchdowns in various ways
on the ground and through the air.
There were interceptions, circus catches,
LC defenders in the Lakewood backfield,
and a lot of other good stuff.
For MY sake, I never really care what the score is;
I so love watching these boys play, that I always
"get my money's worth" no matter what.
Football never ceases to be fun for me.
But I'm glad, oh so glad,
that football is fun for THEM again.
Way to go, fellas! Enjoy.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Viva la Olympics!
Oh my gracious...
Did you see the men's 4 x 100 freestyle relay (swimming) yesterday?
IN-TENSE.
Possibly the BEST sporting event I've ever seen
(and I've seen a lot!).
If you haven't gotten to watch the race yet, check it out on the internet.
Races like this are why I LOVE to watch sports.
I have to admit, I hadn't given much thought to the fact
that the Olympics were upon us.
Kinda thought I wouldn't watch a lot of it.
YEAH, RIGHT!
As usual, I'm addicted.
There's just nothing quite like the Summer Olympics.
All these wonderful sports come out of hiding
and into prime time once every four years.
Beach volleyball.
Gymnastics.
Swimming.
Track and field.
Rowing.
And, yes, badminton, table tennis, and synchronized diving.
I pretty much love it all.
It took me about 3.7 seconds of Olympic-watching
to fall hook, line, and sinker into the joy of this thing.
Who wouldn't love Michael Phelps' exuberance after the relay victory,
Marta Karolyi's confident "We're fine" to her young and off-kilter gymnasts,
Yao Ming's game-opening three-pointer that nearly sent the home crowd into cardiac arrest.
Even the USA Men's basketball "Redeem Team" has won me over.
I don't know how many times I've already said
"HOLY COW!", "NO WAY!", and "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!",
all two days into the competition. :)
These next two weeks are going to be a little tricky:
somehow I have to attend the local fair, put in a bunch of hours at work,
and get my children ready to start school.
But that's what commercials are for, right?
Did you see the men's 4 x 100 freestyle relay (swimming) yesterday?
IN-TENSE.
Possibly the BEST sporting event I've ever seen
(and I've seen a lot!).
If you haven't gotten to watch the race yet, check it out on the internet.
Races like this are why I LOVE to watch sports.
I have to admit, I hadn't given much thought to the fact
that the Olympics were upon us.
Kinda thought I wouldn't watch a lot of it.
YEAH, RIGHT!
As usual, I'm addicted.
There's just nothing quite like the Summer Olympics.
All these wonderful sports come out of hiding
and into prime time once every four years.
Beach volleyball.
Gymnastics.
Swimming.
Track and field.
Rowing.
And, yes, badminton, table tennis, and synchronized diving.
I pretty much love it all.
It took me about 3.7 seconds of Olympic-watching
to fall hook, line, and sinker into the joy of this thing.
Who wouldn't love Michael Phelps' exuberance after the relay victory,
Marta Karolyi's confident "We're fine" to her young and off-kilter gymnasts,
Yao Ming's game-opening three-pointer that nearly sent the home crowd into cardiac arrest.
Even the USA Men's basketball "Redeem Team" has won me over.
I don't know how many times I've already said
"HOLY COW!", "NO WAY!", and "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!",
all two days into the competition. :)
These next two weeks are going to be a little tricky:
somehow I have to attend the local fair, put in a bunch of hours at work,
and get my children ready to start school.
But that's what commercials are for, right?
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Staycation - Last, But Not Least
LOTR Marathon
So, here it is, finally, the third, and last, installment of Staycation.
Did any of you figure out the meaning of LOTR?
Consider the suspense ended...
it means "Lord of the Rings".
As in the movies.
All three of them.
Extended versions.
Yup, all 11+ hours.
The seed idea of an LOTR Marathon was planted through a conversation with our nephew, Jess, during Christmas break, and finally came to fruition during the summer staycation.
(Wouldn't want to rush anything, you know.)
We're not crazy enough to do this marathon all in one day/night, however.
I do think I would've lost my sanity,
not to mention that I probably would've slept through
nine of the eleven hours.
My techie husband took charge of the techie details:
procuring a projector, purchasing a $6 white sheet from Wal-Mart
and installing it as a big screen on the wall of our family room,
rearranging the surround sound,
albeit originally mistaking the right and left speakers
(which we discovered when one character galloped off the right-hand side of the screen while his voice traveled left),
adjusting the furniture and making a pretty darn good home theater (or theatre for our northward-leaning relatives).
I took charge of the domestic preparations:
food...yeah, that was pretty much it...that, and making sure the bathroom was clean.
We invited Jess and our other nieces and nephews, as well as Cami's BF, Jacob.
Night One:
Discs One and Two of "The Fellowship of the Ring",
plus Disc One of "The Two Towers".
Menu: Sloppy Joes, chips, pop, and 4 kinds of candy.
Attendance:10.
Wakefulness: I made it through all 5 hours, only dozing ever so slightly during the final 2 minutes.
Night Two:
Disc Two of "The Two Towers"
plus Disc One of "The Return of the King".
Menu: Leftover Sloppy Joes, leftover chips, pop, 2 kinds of candy.
Attendance: 6 and 2 halves. (Cami and Jacob only came for the last half).
Wakefulness: 20 minutes sleep, 4 hours awake.
Night Three:
Disc Two of "The Return of the King".
Menu: Water bottles, chip dust, Otter Pops.
Attendance: 8.
Wakefulness: 100% - barely - even though it was only 2 hours and 20 minutes of viewing.
Jim, Sean, Nate, nephews Jess and Derek, and I watched
the WHOLE THING.
We were joined at various times by Caitlin, Alicia, Cami and Jacob.
I thought the whole experience was great fun.
I LOVED spending time with my nieces and nephews, not to mention my immediate fam,
and I LOVED finally understanding this movie series that my boys enjoy so much.
I can only hope that the next time I take them on in our LOTR Trivial Pursuit DVD game, I'll achieve more than my usual one "pie piece" (to their 6). I must admit that, to this end, I attempted to sponge every bit of info I could as I watched...Theoden, Mines of Moria, Ents, Grima Wormtongue, et al. I'll let you know how this works out for me. :)
Our summer has been sprinkled with visits from faraway friends,
afternoons at my parents' pool (although with the casino newly opened down the road, the privacy level is SURE NOT the same as it used to be),
lots of reading,
some special birthday parties (a first and a fortieth),
and a fun and beautiful weekend camping with friends.
A few more adventures still await!
Hope your summer has been as enjoyable as ours.
Meg
So, here it is, finally, the third, and last, installment of Staycation.
Did any of you figure out the meaning of LOTR?
Consider the suspense ended...
it means "Lord of the Rings".
As in the movies.
All three of them.
Extended versions.
Yup, all 11+ hours.
The seed idea of an LOTR Marathon was planted through a conversation with our nephew, Jess, during Christmas break, and finally came to fruition during the summer staycation.
(Wouldn't want to rush anything, you know.)
We're not crazy enough to do this marathon all in one day/night, however.
I do think I would've lost my sanity,
not to mention that I probably would've slept through
nine of the eleven hours.
My techie husband took charge of the techie details:
procuring a projector, purchasing a $6 white sheet from Wal-Mart
and installing it as a big screen on the wall of our family room,
rearranging the surround sound,
albeit originally mistaking the right and left speakers
(which we discovered when one character galloped off the right-hand side of the screen while his voice traveled left),
adjusting the furniture and making a pretty darn good home theater (or theatre for our northward-leaning relatives).
I took charge of the domestic preparations:
food...yeah, that was pretty much it...that, and making sure the bathroom was clean.
We invited Jess and our other nieces and nephews, as well as Cami's BF, Jacob.
Night One:
Discs One and Two of "The Fellowship of the Ring",
plus Disc One of "The Two Towers".
Menu: Sloppy Joes, chips, pop, and 4 kinds of candy.
Attendance:10.
Wakefulness: I made it through all 5 hours, only dozing ever so slightly during the final 2 minutes.
Night Two:
Disc Two of "The Two Towers"
plus Disc One of "The Return of the King".
Menu: Leftover Sloppy Joes, leftover chips, pop, 2 kinds of candy.
Attendance: 6 and 2 halves. (Cami and Jacob only came for the last half).
Wakefulness: 20 minutes sleep, 4 hours awake.
Night Three:
Disc Two of "The Return of the King".
Menu: Water bottles, chip dust, Otter Pops.
Attendance: 8.
Wakefulness: 100% - barely - even though it was only 2 hours and 20 minutes of viewing.
Jim, Sean, Nate, nephews Jess and Derek, and I watched
the WHOLE THING.
We were joined at various times by Caitlin, Alicia, Cami and Jacob.
I thought the whole experience was great fun.
I LOVED spending time with my nieces and nephews, not to mention my immediate fam,
and I LOVED finally understanding this movie series that my boys enjoy so much.
I can only hope that the next time I take them on in our LOTR Trivial Pursuit DVD game, I'll achieve more than my usual one "pie piece" (to their 6). I must admit that, to this end, I attempted to sponge every bit of info I could as I watched...Theoden, Mines of Moria, Ents, Grima Wormtongue, et al. I'll let you know how this works out for me. :)
Our summer has been sprinkled with visits from faraway friends,
afternoons at my parents' pool (although with the casino newly opened down the road, the privacy level is SURE NOT the same as it used to be),
lots of reading,
some special birthday parties (a first and a fortieth),
and a fun and beautiful weekend camping with friends.
A few more adventures still await!
Hope your summer has been as enjoyable as ours.
Meg
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Staycation - Part Two
The day after returning from Harrison Hot Springs, we headed out bright and early to hit the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle and then the Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum. So if you want to put that in terms of acronyms, we had a WPZ/EMP/SFM day.
On our way, we picked up JK (Jacob Knibbe), Cami's cool BF (boyfriend).
We made our way down I-5 toward the WPZ.
Of course, along the way, we HAD to do a couple of crossword puzzles.
In Seattle, we inadvertently turned into Woodland PARK, instead of into the ZOO, but Jacob spotted a bird there, so we didn't miss out on the animals altogether.
Once situated at the WPZ, we traipsed all over, taking turns navigating
from the zoo's map (FYI - the map doesn't show ALL the paths, needless
to say, we got confused. Sometimes. Mostly when I was navigating.
The boys were better at it, and everything turned out OK).
We saw:
Gorillas,
Giraffes,
Hippos,
Monkeys (the screaming variety, oh joy),
A mountain goat,
Gigantic brown bears,
Flamingoes,
A Komodo dragon,
Brazilian cockroaches,
and much, much more.
The weather was pleasant and the kids were a hoot;
they made us LOL (laugh out loud) all day.
On to the EMP/SFM.
You just can't go wrong in a place with a 35 foot tall tower covered
with guitars of every shape, size, age, color, and manufacturer.
This piece of art is very cool.
We all jammed and learned on various drums, guitars and basses
and in sound-proof (thank goodness) rooms,
learned about Jimi Hendrix,
and checked out lots of memorablilia from movies and shows like
Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, etc.
Why Jim and I and the boys enjoy these slightly nerdy space shows, IDK (I don't know), but we do, and it was fun to see actual props and costumes. My favorite, without doubt, was the "tricorder" from the old Star Trek. Too cool!
The boys were dying to stop at Alderwood Mall to visit a Games Workshop store and check out Warhammer merchandise.
For the uninitiated, Warhammer is a miniatures game that's also a hobby.
Figures come in pieces, and it's up to the purchaser to cut, assemble and paint them. The figures are then used to play a battle/strategy game.
The boys love it!
Both found and purchased some desired items at the store
and were sincerely saying TYVM (thank you very much) for stopping there.
No trip south is complete without a stop in Burlington at KK.
You guessed it, Krispy Kreme.
We made it JUST before closing time. Whew - close one!
What a good day this was!
It was long and tiring, but lots of fun.
Those kids, I tell you, they keep it entertaining! :)
PLZ stay tuned for "Staycation - Part Three: LOTR Marathon".
On our way, we picked up JK (Jacob Knibbe), Cami's cool BF (boyfriend).
We made our way down I-5 toward the WPZ.
Of course, along the way, we HAD to do a couple of crossword puzzles.
In Seattle, we inadvertently turned into Woodland PARK, instead of into the ZOO, but Jacob spotted a bird there, so we didn't miss out on the animals altogether.
Once situated at the WPZ, we traipsed all over, taking turns navigating
from the zoo's map (FYI - the map doesn't show ALL the paths, needless
to say, we got confused. Sometimes. Mostly when I was navigating.
The boys were better at it, and everything turned out OK).
We saw:
Gorillas,
Giraffes,
Hippos,
Monkeys (the screaming variety, oh joy),
A mountain goat,
Gigantic brown bears,
Flamingoes,
A Komodo dragon,
Brazilian cockroaches,
and much, much more.
The weather was pleasant and the kids were a hoot;
they made us LOL (laugh out loud) all day.
On to the EMP/SFM.
You just can't go wrong in a place with a 35 foot tall tower covered
with guitars of every shape, size, age, color, and manufacturer.
This piece of art is very cool.
We all jammed and learned on various drums, guitars and basses
and in sound-proof (thank goodness) rooms,
learned about Jimi Hendrix,
and checked out lots of memorablilia from movies and shows like
Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, etc.
Why Jim and I and the boys enjoy these slightly nerdy space shows, IDK (I don't know), but we do, and it was fun to see actual props and costumes. My favorite, without doubt, was the "tricorder" from the old Star Trek. Too cool!
The boys were dying to stop at Alderwood Mall to visit a Games Workshop store and check out Warhammer merchandise.
For the uninitiated, Warhammer is a miniatures game that's also a hobby.
Figures come in pieces, and it's up to the purchaser to cut, assemble and paint them. The figures are then used to play a battle/strategy game.
The boys love it!
Both found and purchased some desired items at the store
and were sincerely saying TYVM (thank you very much) for stopping there.
No trip south is complete without a stop in Burlington at KK.
You guessed it, Krispy Kreme.
We made it JUST before closing time. Whew - close one!
What a good day this was!
It was long and tiring, but lots of fun.
Those kids, I tell you, they keep it entertaining! :)
PLZ stay tuned for "Staycation - Part Three: LOTR Marathon".
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Staycation - Part One
So I guess we're doing something that's trendy this year:
The "STAY-CATION".
For those of you who are unaware of this gas-price-induced phenomenon,
it means STAYing at home during your vaCATION
and having adventures from there.
Since when have the Clays been so happenin'? :)
We'll just pretend we were being "in" rather than the reality
of vacation for us being
"With-five-adult-sized-bodies-appetites-and-personalities-it-
wouldn't-be-a-good-idea-for-us-to-stay-somewhere-all-together-
for-any-length-of-time".
We all really like each other and want to keep it that way.
So here's how our stay-cation has looked.
Sunday morning:
Get packed up. Make a family trip to the grocery store for snacks.
Drive to Canada (about an hour total). Nice meal at White Spot.
Check in at Harrison Hot Springs Resort.
Sun conveniently comes out upon our arrival.
Lounge in pools. Late dinner. Ice cream at Baskin-Robbins.
Jim and the older two explore.
Nate plays in sand at the lake-beach until sundown.
I don't have a book along and am not dressed for the sand, so I sit.
I DO nothing.
I watch Nate build what's in his mind.
I look at the ridges and ridges of hills running down to the lake -
layer upon layer of blue-shadowed-evergreened ridges.
Water, sand, sky, clouds.
I watch a spunky two-year-old beach neighbor chase her siblings
and eat her sand-covered ice cream cone.
I laugh at a smart-aleck Jack Russell Terrier playing fetch with his owner.
I watch the created things and think of the Creator.
I am always close to Him here..."here" being "out in His handiwork".
I watch the sun set and walk with my son back to the hotel.
THIS is glorious. THIS is vacation.
We all watch TV together until midnight.
Sleep - sort-of - between rounds of the duvet
getting snatched by my 12 year-old.
(Sidebar: Sleeping arrangements in hotels or the trailer are always...ummm...challenging.
"X breathes too loud. Y steals the blankets. Z snores. Etc." Mom rolls her eyes and fits
the pieces together like a puzzle until everyone stands a reasonable chance of sleeping. Now that all my children can swallow pills, I resort to a half-dose of Nyquil for all willing participants in order to aid the sleeping process. It works.)
Monday:
Get up and out for breakfast around 10 AM. Sean has vowed to eat as much bacon as is humanly possible on this trip (since mom doesn't make it often enough at home). So as a follow-up to his BACON burger at White Spot and his BACON club sandwich for Sunday dinner, he eats another dozen slices from the breakfast buffet.
All-you-can-eat is a good thing for 14 year-old boys.
More pool time for the boys. Reading time outdoors for mom.
Reading/alone time indoors for Cami.
I join Jim and the boys in the pool eventually.
47 minutes after the breakfast buffet, give-or-take a few minutes,
Sean begins asking what's for dinner and when. Oh boy.
Dinner at the hole-in-the-wall pizza place we always visit when we're at Harrison.
Delicious food. The owner is a sassy East Indian
who keeps a running conversation with us
and gives Cami "the business".
He knows who the sassy one is in the family.
She dishes as much as she takes.
Stop at the mini-mart for treats.
Tennis...more laughing than actual playing, although we improved.
Watch the Bachelorette and other TV. Swim until late.
Rearrange sleeping assignments. Read. Sleep.
My 16 year-old did NOT steal the duvet.
Tuesday:
Cereal from home for breakfast (much cheaper than a restaurant).
Showers and packing up.
More time at the pool. Best weather of the trip. Bright sun. Beautiful.
63 minutes after entrance to the pool,
Sean is asking what's for lunch and when. Surprise, surprise.
The kids decide that the Taco Bell/KFC they discovered next
to White Spot would be just the thing.
Get dried and dressed. Load in the car and bid farewell to the hotel.
Good times. Two nights is just right.
We get our Taco Bell/KFC fix,
although Sean cannot seem to locate a dish with bacon.
We go back to the place where we can sleep in our own beds, check e-mail,
and be in cell phone range again sans roaming charges
(three guesses who that was important to!).
We go where we can spread out and love each other at arms length again.
This may sound mercenary, but it works for us.
And we love each other very, very much.
We've had a good time together.
Good laughing and wrestling
and Mad-Libbing and reading
and swimming and sunning and eating.
Good memories.
Good vacation.
To be continued...
The "STAY-CATION".
For those of you who are unaware of this gas-price-induced phenomenon,
it means STAYing at home during your vaCATION
and having adventures from there.
Since when have the Clays been so happenin'? :)
We'll just pretend we were being "in" rather than the reality
of vacation for us being
"With-five-adult-sized-bodies-appetites-and-personalities-it-
wouldn't-be-a-good-idea-for-us-to-stay-somewhere-all-together-
for-any-length-of-time".
We all really like each other and want to keep it that way.
So here's how our stay-cation has looked.
Sunday morning:
Get packed up. Make a family trip to the grocery store for snacks.
Drive to Canada (about an hour total). Nice meal at White Spot.
Check in at Harrison Hot Springs Resort.
Sun conveniently comes out upon our arrival.
Lounge in pools. Late dinner. Ice cream at Baskin-Robbins.
Jim and the older two explore.
Nate plays in sand at the lake-beach until sundown.
I don't have a book along and am not dressed for the sand, so I sit.
I DO nothing.
I watch Nate build what's in his mind.
I look at the ridges and ridges of hills running down to the lake -
layer upon layer of blue-shadowed-evergreened ridges.
Water, sand, sky, clouds.
I watch a spunky two-year-old beach neighbor chase her siblings
and eat her sand-covered ice cream cone.
I laugh at a smart-aleck Jack Russell Terrier playing fetch with his owner.
I watch the created things and think of the Creator.
I am always close to Him here..."here" being "out in His handiwork".
I watch the sun set and walk with my son back to the hotel.
THIS is glorious. THIS is vacation.
We all watch TV together until midnight.
Sleep - sort-of - between rounds of the duvet
getting snatched by my 12 year-old.
(Sidebar: Sleeping arrangements in hotels or the trailer are always...ummm...challenging.
"X breathes too loud. Y steals the blankets. Z snores. Etc." Mom rolls her eyes and fits
the pieces together like a puzzle until everyone stands a reasonable chance of sleeping. Now that all my children can swallow pills, I resort to a half-dose of Nyquil for all willing participants in order to aid the sleeping process. It works.)
Monday:
Get up and out for breakfast around 10 AM. Sean has vowed to eat as much bacon as is humanly possible on this trip (since mom doesn't make it often enough at home). So as a follow-up to his BACON burger at White Spot and his BACON club sandwich for Sunday dinner, he eats another dozen slices from the breakfast buffet.
All-you-can-eat is a good thing for 14 year-old boys.
More pool time for the boys. Reading time outdoors for mom.
Reading/alone time indoors for Cami.
I join Jim and the boys in the pool eventually.
47 minutes after the breakfast buffet, give-or-take a few minutes,
Sean begins asking what's for dinner and when. Oh boy.
Dinner at the hole-in-the-wall pizza place we always visit when we're at Harrison.
Delicious food. The owner is a sassy East Indian
who keeps a running conversation with us
and gives Cami "the business".
He knows who the sassy one is in the family.
She dishes as much as she takes.
Stop at the mini-mart for treats.
Tennis...more laughing than actual playing, although we improved.
Watch the Bachelorette and other TV. Swim until late.
Rearrange sleeping assignments. Read. Sleep.
My 16 year-old did NOT steal the duvet.
Tuesday:
Cereal from home for breakfast (much cheaper than a restaurant).
Showers and packing up.
More time at the pool. Best weather of the trip. Bright sun. Beautiful.
63 minutes after entrance to the pool,
Sean is asking what's for lunch and when. Surprise, surprise.
The kids decide that the Taco Bell/KFC they discovered next
to White Spot would be just the thing.
Get dried and dressed. Load in the car and bid farewell to the hotel.
Good times. Two nights is just right.
We get our Taco Bell/KFC fix,
although Sean cannot seem to locate a dish with bacon.
We go back to the place where we can sleep in our own beds, check e-mail,
and be in cell phone range again sans roaming charges
(three guesses who that was important to!).
We go where we can spread out and love each other at arms length again.
This may sound mercenary, but it works for us.
And we love each other very, very much.
We've had a good time together.
Good laughing and wrestling
and Mad-Libbing and reading
and swimming and sunning and eating.
Good memories.
Good vacation.
To be continued...
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
The Graduate
Last night Sean, my second-born, graduated from 8th grade.
The boy looked pretty spiffy in his black pants and red button-front shirt.
He looked...grown-up, sort-of...
A man-child.
Although he didn't come right out and say it,
I think he actually liked how it looked and felt to dress up.
But you DIDN'T hear that from me. Silencio, por favor. :)
It seems that with Sean's mild-mannered ways,
he usually gets paired, in every school event,
with the more difficult kids.
So I was glad for him that graduation proved to be
a diversion from that long-standing pattern.
He walked in with one of his good friends
and sat by another of his good friends during the ceremony.
Nice.
After the requisite post-grad picture-taking,
Sean re-outfitted muy rapido...
Shorts and a t-shirt, of course.
The after-party was shared with Sean's cousin and best friend, Derek.
In vintage Sean fashion, while everyone else was chatting and eating maple bar cake
in the family room, Sean was to be found in the quiet of the kitchen, conversing just with Derek.
The boys made such a haul of cash that it made me think I should find something to graduate from. Hmmmmm......
Needless to say, with the loot burning a hole in the grad's pocket and no school to attend or homework to do, today we started scoping out new guitars.
Grad night was a good night.
At the beginning of eighth grade, I couldn't imagine how Sean would be ready for this moment,
but he is.
It's time to move on.
High school. Wow.
These milestones are always good times to reflect
on the fascinating creations that God allows us access to.
On the faithfulness of His care all along the way.
Some of the future things that will happen in the next four to ten years
of Sean's life are admittedly intimidating.
But I see the faithfulness and power of my God so far.
I see the limited nature of my ability to affect the outcome.
I know that the ONE who loves Sean best and knows him most intimately
Is also the Only One who does have the ability to affect the outcome.
We're truly blessed to be called children of this One.
We're truly blessed to be His partners in the journey of
The Graduate.
Yeah, Sean. You made it!!!
We love and enjoy you LOTS. :)
The boy looked pretty spiffy in his black pants and red button-front shirt.
He looked...grown-up, sort-of...
A man-child.
Although he didn't come right out and say it,
I think he actually liked how it looked and felt to dress up.
But you DIDN'T hear that from me. Silencio, por favor. :)
It seems that with Sean's mild-mannered ways,
he usually gets paired, in every school event,
with the more difficult kids.
So I was glad for him that graduation proved to be
a diversion from that long-standing pattern.
He walked in with one of his good friends
and sat by another of his good friends during the ceremony.
Nice.
After the requisite post-grad picture-taking,
Sean re-outfitted muy rapido...
Shorts and a t-shirt, of course.
The after-party was shared with Sean's cousin and best friend, Derek.
In vintage Sean fashion, while everyone else was chatting and eating maple bar cake
in the family room, Sean was to be found in the quiet of the kitchen, conversing just with Derek.
The boys made such a haul of cash that it made me think I should find something to graduate from. Hmmmmm......
Needless to say, with the loot burning a hole in the grad's pocket and no school to attend or homework to do, today we started scoping out new guitars.
Grad night was a good night.
At the beginning of eighth grade, I couldn't imagine how Sean would be ready for this moment,
but he is.
It's time to move on.
High school. Wow.
These milestones are always good times to reflect
on the fascinating creations that God allows us access to.
On the faithfulness of His care all along the way.
Some of the future things that will happen in the next four to ten years
of Sean's life are admittedly intimidating.
But I see the faithfulness and power of my God so far.
I see the limited nature of my ability to affect the outcome.
I know that the ONE who loves Sean best and knows him most intimately
Is also the Only One who does have the ability to affect the outcome.
We're truly blessed to be called children of this One.
We're truly blessed to be His partners in the journey of
The Graduate.
Yeah, Sean. You made it!!!
We love and enjoy you LOTS. :)
Friday, May 30, 2008
Forty
Two hours and nine minutes ago, I turned 40.
I feel like I should be waxing philosophical
and reflecting on life...
But IT'S MY BIRTHDAY.
I just finished my "employed-outside-the-home"
work for the week,
my house is relatively clean,
I have some new books from Barnes and Noble,
and I reallly have no desire to be sitting in front of the computer.
I will tell you about being forty...later.
Seriously...
there's partying to do! :)
I feel like I should be waxing philosophical
and reflecting on life...
But IT'S MY BIRTHDAY.
I just finished my "employed-outside-the-home"
work for the week,
my house is relatively clean,
I have some new books from Barnes and Noble,
and I reallly have no desire to be sitting in front of the computer.
I will tell you about being forty...later.
Seriously...
there's partying to do! :)
Monday, May 26, 2008
Fourteen
Four days and one hour ago, my second-born turned 14.
Sean
My quiet one
with the dry sense of humor.
The one whose eyes sparkled as a 5-year-old kindergartener when the teacher would tell jokes that flew high over the other kids' heads.
Sean
the inventor, player and collector of games.
The reader of manuals.
The home-body.
The content one.
The lover of all things historical and geographical.
Sean
The master of wordplay.
My least verbal one, who, ironically, has contributed the most to the family vocabulary.
"Circle try" = motorcycle
"Magic Chowder" = powdered sugar
Et al.
A typical Sean exchange a number of years ago:
Mom "Wow. That was a huge bird. I wonder if it was an eagle or a hawk."
Sean "It was a hawk. I didn't see it, but it was a hawk."
Sean
My sleep talker.
Camping trips are always interesting, when we all sleep in close proximity to one another. Invariably a classic Sean-sleep-talking line emerges such as:
"I COLLECT COWS!!!!"
Sean
The one little kids LOVE.
It's a gift, most surely.
I continually marvel when this boy is around little kids;
he's literally a KID MAGNET.
They climb on him, hug him, want him when they're hurt.
He makes them giggle like nobody's business.
The little ones know he's one cool kid.
Sean
The musician.
The guitar was your salvation in 7th grade (thank you Mr. Smit),
and now I can't believe the sounds that emanate from your room
as your fingers fly across the strings.
Sean
The complex and quietly amazing one.
Not many people get to see how tender is your heart
and how much you despise injustice in the world.
Your creativity is not easily quantifiable, but it is THERE.
I think you're a closet Renaissance Man
and it will take a long time for the world to see and appreciate your special brand of sweet ingenuity.
You're the hardest of our three kids to characterize,
because of your many subtleties.
And therein lies the beauty of Sean:
We get to keep discovering more and more of you.
Happy 14th Seany J.
You are loved.
Sean
My quiet one
with the dry sense of humor.
The one whose eyes sparkled as a 5-year-old kindergartener when the teacher would tell jokes that flew high over the other kids' heads.
Sean
the inventor, player and collector of games.
The reader of manuals.
The home-body.
The content one.
The lover of all things historical and geographical.
Sean
The master of wordplay.
My least verbal one, who, ironically, has contributed the most to the family vocabulary.
"Circle try" = motorcycle
"Magic Chowder" = powdered sugar
Et al.
A typical Sean exchange a number of years ago:
Mom "Wow. That was a huge bird. I wonder if it was an eagle or a hawk."
Sean "It was a hawk. I didn't see it, but it was a hawk."
Sean
My sleep talker.
Camping trips are always interesting, when we all sleep in close proximity to one another. Invariably a classic Sean-sleep-talking line emerges such as:
"I COLLECT COWS!!!!"
Sean
The one little kids LOVE.
It's a gift, most surely.
I continually marvel when this boy is around little kids;
he's literally a KID MAGNET.
They climb on him, hug him, want him when they're hurt.
He makes them giggle like nobody's business.
The little ones know he's one cool kid.
Sean
The musician.
The guitar was your salvation in 7th grade (thank you Mr. Smit),
and now I can't believe the sounds that emanate from your room
as your fingers fly across the strings.
Sean
The complex and quietly amazing one.
Not many people get to see how tender is your heart
and how much you despise injustice in the world.
Your creativity is not easily quantifiable, but it is THERE.
I think you're a closet Renaissance Man
and it will take a long time for the world to see and appreciate your special brand of sweet ingenuity.
You're the hardest of our three kids to characterize,
because of your many subtleties.
And therein lies the beauty of Sean:
We get to keep discovering more and more of you.
Happy 14th Seany J.
You are loved.
Friday, April 25, 2008
By the Numbers
One
sick boy.
Six
days of fever.
Zero
hours spent at school (Sean).
hours spent in the office (Meg).
Ten
choices of beverages in the fridge
in hopes of keeping the sick boy hydrated.
Three
hours of History Channel viewing (average daily).
Six
DVD episodes of "Everest:Beyond the Limit" (four consecutively).
Too numerous to count
segments of "Spongebob Squarepants".
One-tenth (approximately)
the usual nearly-fourteen-year-old appetite.
Twenty or less
miles put on my car this week.
Hundreds
of precious minutes alone with my boy
bringing drinks,
monitoring temps,
editorializing on TV shows,
exchanging expressions of care disguised as sarcasm,
and taking care of my almost-high schooler
who doesn't require mom's services
for much of anything anymore.
One
morning without a fever.
One
recovering boy.
and
One
slightly cabin-fevered,
weary,
but happy
mom.
sick boy.
Six
days of fever.
Zero
hours spent at school (Sean).
hours spent in the office (Meg).
Ten
choices of beverages in the fridge
in hopes of keeping the sick boy hydrated.
Three
hours of History Channel viewing (average daily).
Six
DVD episodes of "Everest:Beyond the Limit" (four consecutively).
Too numerous to count
segments of "Spongebob Squarepants".
One-tenth (approximately)
the usual nearly-fourteen-year-old appetite.
Twenty or less
miles put on my car this week.
Hundreds
of precious minutes alone with my boy
bringing drinks,
monitoring temps,
editorializing on TV shows,
exchanging expressions of care disguised as sarcasm,
and taking care of my almost-high schooler
who doesn't require mom's services
for much of anything anymore.
One
morning without a fever.
One
recovering boy.
and
One
slightly cabin-fevered,
weary,
but happy
mom.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Just One
I wish I could start AND finish a project at my house.
Just one.
I don't even care WHICH one;
Any of the many will do.
I'm a great starter and a lousy finisher.
"Highly distractible" perhaps.
Can you spell A.D.D.?
Maybe putting this JUST ONE desire in writing
will be the motivation I need.
I'll keep you posted. :)
Just one.
I don't even care WHICH one;
Any of the many will do.
I'm a great starter and a lousy finisher.
"Highly distractible" perhaps.
Can you spell A.D.D.?
Maybe putting this JUST ONE desire in writing
will be the motivation I need.
I'll keep you posted. :)
Monday, April 7, 2008
You Win Some, You Lose Some
I really like March Madness.
I actually got to watch a number of games and most of the Final Four this year.
I was rooting for Memphis; don't know why, I just was.
Tonight's championship was a great game, overtime and everything.
Both teams performed admirably.
Memphis blew a moderate lead.
Kansas hit the do-or-die shots.
You win some, you lose some.
Memphis didn't manage the clock well.
Memphis didn't make their free throws.
Memphis' big guy fouled out.
Memphis lost the game.
I know how you feel, Memphis.
A lot of days, I don't manage the clock well either.
I don't hit the clutch "shots" when the pressure's on.
I even take myself out of the game for making too many mistakes sometimes.
Some days I feel like I've lost "the game" for my team -
whether that team is my family, my friends, my work colleagues, or even the Lord.
But the reality is that
You win some, you lose some.
I'm not going to be as "on" everyday as I'd like to be.
The high expectations I have of myself may not reflect
the Lord's expectations of me.
My idea of "winning" may not be winning at all, the way He sees it.
And my perceived "losses" may not be losses at all in the Lord's eyes.
A few failures, even those connected into a chain of negative events,
doesn't diminish what HAS been done
and what is YET TO BE.
My perception of what IS must be submitted to the One who alone sees the divine "final score" of each day.
The win is Christ living in me;
an invitation for Him to reign in me;
to work for, in, over, around, before, behind, and through me.
Chin up, Memphis;
It was a fantastic ride,
and who knows -
maybe the best is yet to come.
To any of my friends who feel like they've been losing more than they've been winning lately -
Press on.
I know first-hand that we don't have to be defined by
past failures,
weaknesses,
or brokenness of any kind.
Tomorrow, I still may not win,
but I can be a better competitor.
I CANNOT lose the most important thing -
the loving salvation of my Lord Jesus Christ.
Chin up, friend.
I actually got to watch a number of games and most of the Final Four this year.
I was rooting for Memphis; don't know why, I just was.
Tonight's championship was a great game, overtime and everything.
Both teams performed admirably.
Memphis blew a moderate lead.
Kansas hit the do-or-die shots.
You win some, you lose some.
Memphis didn't manage the clock well.
Memphis didn't make their free throws.
Memphis' big guy fouled out.
Memphis lost the game.
I know how you feel, Memphis.
A lot of days, I don't manage the clock well either.
I don't hit the clutch "shots" when the pressure's on.
I even take myself out of the game for making too many mistakes sometimes.
Some days I feel like I've lost "the game" for my team -
whether that team is my family, my friends, my work colleagues, or even the Lord.
But the reality is that
You win some, you lose some.
I'm not going to be as "on" everyday as I'd like to be.
The high expectations I have of myself may not reflect
the Lord's expectations of me.
My idea of "winning" may not be winning at all, the way He sees it.
And my perceived "losses" may not be losses at all in the Lord's eyes.
A few failures, even those connected into a chain of negative events,
doesn't diminish what HAS been done
and what is YET TO BE.
My perception of what IS must be submitted to the One who alone sees the divine "final score" of each day.
The win is Christ living in me;
an invitation for Him to reign in me;
to work for, in, over, around, before, behind, and through me.
Chin up, Memphis;
It was a fantastic ride,
and who knows -
maybe the best is yet to come.
To any of my friends who feel like they've been losing more than they've been winning lately -
Press on.
I know first-hand that we don't have to be defined by
past failures,
weaknesses,
or brokenness of any kind.
Tomorrow, I still may not win,
but I can be a better competitor.
I CANNOT lose the most important thing -
the loving salvation of my Lord Jesus Christ.
Chin up, friend.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Really, REALLY.
Our boy is back.
Tired, but otherwise intact.
Glad to be home.
Decompressing - quietly, as is his wont.
Overall - a good trip.
Souvenirs - in typical Sean fashion -
two crowns from Burger King and
a bag from Stanford Bookstore. A plastic bag. The kind you get when you buy something, only he didn't bother to buy anything (too expensive, in his estimation).
Stories so far - a few. It might take a few weeks or months before they make their way out.
And while I'm oh-so-tempted to sit and pepper him with ten thousand questions,
I'm restraining myself.
We'll hear about it in Sean's own laid-back time and way.
His re-entrance back into our lives has, so far, been VINTAGE SEAN.
Glad to be home. Glad to be among his stuff.
Did you have a good time?
Yep.
Alrighty-then. It must've been good.
Oh, I love this kid!
It's good to have him back.
Really, REALLY.
Tired, but otherwise intact.
Glad to be home.
Decompressing - quietly, as is his wont.
Overall - a good trip.
Souvenirs - in typical Sean fashion -
two crowns from Burger King and
a bag from Stanford Bookstore. A plastic bag. The kind you get when you buy something, only he didn't bother to buy anything (too expensive, in his estimation).
Stories so far - a few. It might take a few weeks or months before they make their way out.
And while I'm oh-so-tempted to sit and pepper him with ten thousand questions,
I'm restraining myself.
We'll hear about it in Sean's own laid-back time and way.
His re-entrance back into our lives has, so far, been VINTAGE SEAN.
Glad to be home. Glad to be among his stuff.
Did you have a good time?
Yep.
Alrighty-then. It must've been good.
Oh, I love this kid!
It's good to have him back.
Really, REALLY.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Really, really?
Did I really send my 13 year-old off to California this week?
Without me...or Jim...or any other immediate family members?
I did.
Really, really.
Did he really fly on an airplane,
with his school group,
share a Bible verse with all of them,
go to Alcatraz,
the Exploratorium,
Pier 39,
Stanford U.,
the GGB,
and Monterey Bay Aquarium?
Did he
manage his money,
buy his own meals,
keep track of his wallet,
manage not to lose any clothes (or other necessities),
buy souvenirs,
take good notes,
shoot some pictures,
learn a lot,
make good memories,
and store up
great stories to tell?
We'll find out at 1:30 AM tomorrow.
We'll see if (and how) he did it.
I CAN'T WAIT.
Really, really.
Without me...or Jim...or any other immediate family members?
I did.
Really, really.
Did he really fly on an airplane,
with his school group,
share a Bible verse with all of them,
go to Alcatraz,
the Exploratorium,
Pier 39,
Stanford U.,
the GGB,
and Monterey Bay Aquarium?
Did he
manage his money,
buy his own meals,
keep track of his wallet,
manage not to lose any clothes (or other necessities),
buy souvenirs,
take good notes,
shoot some pictures,
learn a lot,
make good memories,
and store up
great stories to tell?
We'll find out at 1:30 AM tomorrow.
We'll see if (and how) he did it.
I CAN'T WAIT.
Really, really.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
I Can Get Used to This
Guess where I was at 8:10 AM today?
At home.
Uh-huh.
Normally I would be in the car with my two eldest kiddos, en route to school.
But I wasn't yesterday...or today...nor will I be most days between September and June in the forseeable future.
This is the really good part about your kid getting their license.
The car left, headed for school, and I wasn't in it!
Weird...but oh, so cool.
I think it took me all of 13.5 seconds to get used to the idea.
I've always liked bringing the kids to school and picking them up afterwards, and I thought I'd be feeling pretty melancholy about missing out on that.
But, surprisingly, like I said...13.5 seconds, give or take a second.
I'm just seeing this as sibling bonding time now. :)
When my 3 kids were age 4 years and under, this day wasn't even on my radar.
I thought I'd be taking them everywhere, forever.
Yeah, I can get used to this.
At home.
Uh-huh.
Normally I would be in the car with my two eldest kiddos, en route to school.
But I wasn't yesterday...or today...nor will I be most days between September and June in the forseeable future.
This is the really good part about your kid getting their license.
The car left, headed for school, and I wasn't in it!
Weird...but oh, so cool.
I think it took me all of 13.5 seconds to get used to the idea.
I've always liked bringing the kids to school and picking them up afterwards, and I thought I'd be feeling pretty melancholy about missing out on that.
But, surprisingly, like I said...13.5 seconds, give or take a second.
I'm just seeing this as sibling bonding time now. :)
When my 3 kids were age 4 years and under, this day wasn't even on my radar.
I thought I'd be taking them everywhere, forever.
Yeah, I can get used to this.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Not In the Driver's Seat Anymore
Our firstborn is not only 16 -
as of 1:12 PM Pacific Daylight Time today,
she's licensed to drive.
Yep, she did it. First try.
I wish I could've bottled the glow she had when she came through the door. Her 100-watt smile lit up the DOL.
So Jim and I aren't the only ones in the driver's seat anymore.
And, yes, I mean that in the many-layered way it can be interpreted.
Our girl is growing up.
One more step of independence.
While waiting for the examiner to come to the car, I looked at Cami's learner's permit and read the fine print that said "Age 18 on 12-15-2009". Yeah, yeah, whatev...WHAT??? Hah, hah (nervous laugh). That can't be right...that would be NEXT YEAR. Uh, yeah. Next year - next December - Cami will be 18 and halfway through her senior year of high school.
Not the only ones in the driver's seat.
It's reality.
I don't know how it happened - she was JUST in second grade!
And now...
she's talking about junior AND senior year classes,
talking about college,
delivering job applications and resumes,
splitting time between schoolwork, friends, home and Jacob.
She's beginning to carry the weight of her own choices and decisions,
studying God's Word for herself,
and figuring out what's important in this world.
Cami's driving.
Jim and I are splitting navigation duties with God.
And we're cherishing the moments -
From the passenger seat.
as of 1:12 PM Pacific Daylight Time today,
she's licensed to drive.
Yep, she did it. First try.
I wish I could've bottled the glow she had when she came through the door. Her 100-watt smile lit up the DOL.
So Jim and I aren't the only ones in the driver's seat anymore.
And, yes, I mean that in the many-layered way it can be interpreted.
Our girl is growing up.
One more step of independence.
While waiting for the examiner to come to the car, I looked at Cami's learner's permit and read the fine print that said "Age 18 on 12-15-2009". Yeah, yeah, whatev...WHAT??? Hah, hah (nervous laugh). That can't be right...that would be NEXT YEAR. Uh, yeah. Next year - next December - Cami will be 18 and halfway through her senior year of high school.
Not the only ones in the driver's seat.
It's reality.
I don't know how it happened - she was JUST in second grade!
And now...
she's talking about junior AND senior year classes,
talking about college,
delivering job applications and resumes,
splitting time between schoolwork, friends, home and Jacob.
She's beginning to carry the weight of her own choices and decisions,
studying God's Word for herself,
and figuring out what's important in this world.
Cami's driving.
Jim and I are splitting navigation duties with God.
And we're cherishing the moments -
From the passenger seat.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Things That Make Me Happy, Valentine's Edition
A Happy V-Day card that looks like a word search (perfect for a word-lover like me).
Candles (good-smelling).
Watermelon Jelly Bellies (green on the outside, pink in the middle; my favorites).
A heart-shaped tin of chocolates (yum).
A Barnes and Noble gift card (I could LIVE in that store).
A splendid basket, lined with a fluffy soft, vibrantly red hand towel, and containing all of the above.
The time and care my husband took to create such a personal, thoughtful, perfect gift for me.
The smile on my husband's face when he saw how much I loved this gift.
God's good plan of one man for one woman forever,
Or as one human said...
"The game of love is never called on account of darkness or rain."
I am one blessed lady.
Candles (good-smelling).
Watermelon Jelly Bellies (green on the outside, pink in the middle; my favorites).
A heart-shaped tin of chocolates (yum).
A Barnes and Noble gift card (I could LIVE in that store).
A splendid basket, lined with a fluffy soft, vibrantly red hand towel, and containing all of the above.
The time and care my husband took to create such a personal, thoughtful, perfect gift for me.
The smile on my husband's face when he saw how much I loved this gift.
God's good plan of one man for one woman forever,
Or as one human said...
"The game of love is never called on account of darkness or rain."
I am one blessed lady.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Follow-up
Thanks to all of you who took time to read and comment on my post about Nate's adventure to the chess tournament. Many people have asked how it turned out, so I thought I'd give a follow-up.
Nate did indeed travel with the team to the tournament in Ferndale.
He got checked in and then settled his backpack into a spot at a table in the rec area.
And then he waited. (We found out there's a lot of waiting in a chess tournament.)
The thing is, Nate did a lot of waiting ALL BY HIMSELF.
Yeah, no other 6th grade teammates made it to the tournament...
and all the other team members were competing in a different division...
in a completely separate building on the campus...
and the coach was otherwise occupied as a "floor judge" for...
you guessed it...the upper division in the other building.
(Oh, the things moms are glad they don't know beforehand!)
And yet, Nate just handled it.
By the time I came to watch at noon, he'd played 2 matches (lost one, won one), eaten all his snacks :), and spent his long waits between matches reading his book. What a good kid!
The competition was being held in a cafeteria where about one-third of the room was set up with the chess sets. The students would be in that area during their matches. That end was open to the rest of the room where competitors sat between matches, along with coaches, parents, siblings, and whatever other assorted people happened by. There were probably 90 or so total competitors in the K-3 and 4-6 divisions. Needless to say the "rec" area was very lively and noisy with all the people hanging out there. In and of itself, Nate's ability to tolerate that environment is a huge testament to his growth. And to manage it by himself...awesome!
After all the waiting throughout the day, we decided to forgo an extra 2+ hours of waiting for the completion of the upper division and for the awards ceremonies. We headed home with Nate having finished with a record of 1 win and 4 losses, with some hard-fought matches in the process, and with the winning and losing met with equal grace.
It was a day with much to be thankful for. But for me, as the mom, there was one thing that particularly stood out about that day; something I felt God did just for me. You see, out of the 60 competitors in Nate's division of 4th-6th graders, Nate knew exactly ONE other student. Guess who Nate's first round "randomly chosen" opponent was?
Yeah. The one kid Nate knew.
I don't know that that mattered much to Nate,
but I felt it was God's little message to me,
"See how much I can do, Megan?
I've got it ALL under control."
A friend who has watched Nate through all his years, and who read the chess tournament post said he was reminded of the Ephesians verse that talks about "Him who is able to do abundantly more than we could ask or imagine". Our God is the giver of ALL these good and perfect and compassionate gifts. He is the One who loves and nurtures Nate more than Jim or I ever could. He is the One who has given our family the hands and smiles and voices of so many dear ones through whom Nate has felt His warmth.
We're grateful to Him, and grateful to you.
And we're oh, so proud of Nate.
Nate did indeed travel with the team to the tournament in Ferndale.
He got checked in and then settled his backpack into a spot at a table in the rec area.
And then he waited. (We found out there's a lot of waiting in a chess tournament.)
The thing is, Nate did a lot of waiting ALL BY HIMSELF.
Yeah, no other 6th grade teammates made it to the tournament...
and all the other team members were competing in a different division...
in a completely separate building on the campus...
and the coach was otherwise occupied as a "floor judge" for...
you guessed it...the upper division in the other building.
(Oh, the things moms are glad they don't know beforehand!)
And yet, Nate just handled it.
By the time I came to watch at noon, he'd played 2 matches (lost one, won one), eaten all his snacks :), and spent his long waits between matches reading his book. What a good kid!
The competition was being held in a cafeteria where about one-third of the room was set up with the chess sets. The students would be in that area during their matches. That end was open to the rest of the room where competitors sat between matches, along with coaches, parents, siblings, and whatever other assorted people happened by. There were probably 90 or so total competitors in the K-3 and 4-6 divisions. Needless to say the "rec" area was very lively and noisy with all the people hanging out there. In and of itself, Nate's ability to tolerate that environment is a huge testament to his growth. And to manage it by himself...awesome!
After all the waiting throughout the day, we decided to forgo an extra 2+ hours of waiting for the completion of the upper division and for the awards ceremonies. We headed home with Nate having finished with a record of 1 win and 4 losses, with some hard-fought matches in the process, and with the winning and losing met with equal grace.
It was a day with much to be thankful for. But for me, as the mom, there was one thing that particularly stood out about that day; something I felt God did just for me. You see, out of the 60 competitors in Nate's division of 4th-6th graders, Nate knew exactly ONE other student. Guess who Nate's first round "randomly chosen" opponent was?
Yeah. The one kid Nate knew.
I don't know that that mattered much to Nate,
but I felt it was God's little message to me,
"See how much I can do, Megan?
I've got it ALL under control."
A friend who has watched Nate through all his years, and who read the chess tournament post said he was reminded of the Ephesians verse that talks about "Him who is able to do abundantly more than we could ask or imagine". Our God is the giver of ALL these good and perfect and compassionate gifts. He is the One who loves and nurtures Nate more than Jim or I ever could. He is the One who has given our family the hands and smiles and voices of so many dear ones through whom Nate has felt His warmth.
We're grateful to Him, and grateful to you.
And we're oh, so proud of Nate.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
You Won't Believe What I Did This Morning
Let me give a little disclaimer at the outset: This post will only make sense to those who know my family reasonably well. My apologies.
So...what I did...
I dropped Nate off at school this morning. Yes, I know it's Saturday.
I dropped Nate off so he could go to his first chess tournament today.
All day.
8 AM until he gets dropped off at home at 6:30 PM.
Released to the chess coach.
Riding in a van for 25 minutes with the other middle school players.
Riding in a van for 25 minutes with some high school players.
Checking in at the tournament; at a place he's never been before.
5 rounds of chess.
Downtime with kids from other schools in between rounds.
Awards ceremony.
Carrying money in his pocket.
Buying his own pizza for lunch.
Stopping for fast food with the team on their way home.
Nate WANTED to go.
He knew that all of the above would be involved.
He knew that his best friend, Logan, would not be going.
He knew there would be no sleeping in today.
He knew he would be gone ALL day.
And he WANTED to go.
No hesitation.
No fear.
No anxiety.
He's just doing it.
And mom is fine. Flabbergasted, but fine.
My boy is coming into his own,
And we are amazed
And grateful.
To all of you who have come alongside our Nate,
who have loved him and helped him,
who have joked around with him,
and kept running conversations with him over months and years:
This is your triumph too.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
So...what I did...
I dropped Nate off at school this morning. Yes, I know it's Saturday.
I dropped Nate off so he could go to his first chess tournament today.
All day.
8 AM until he gets dropped off at home at 6:30 PM.
Released to the chess coach.
Riding in a van for 25 minutes with the other middle school players.
Riding in a van for 25 minutes with some high school players.
Checking in at the tournament; at a place he's never been before.
5 rounds of chess.
Downtime with kids from other schools in between rounds.
Awards ceremony.
Carrying money in his pocket.
Buying his own pizza for lunch.
Stopping for fast food with the team on their way home.
Nate WANTED to go.
He knew that all of the above would be involved.
He knew that his best friend, Logan, would not be going.
He knew there would be no sleeping in today.
He knew he would be gone ALL day.
And he WANTED to go.
No hesitation.
No fear.
No anxiety.
He's just doing it.
And mom is fine. Flabbergasted, but fine.
My boy is coming into his own,
And we are amazed
And grateful.
To all of you who have come alongside our Nate,
who have loved him and helped him,
who have joked around with him,
and kept running conversations with him over months and years:
This is your triumph too.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Monday, January 7, 2008
God's Palette
It all started with a chicken.
For a brief few hours in the middle of this January day, the sun came out and it was one of those crisp, beautiful winter days that simply couldn't be spent indoors; at least since it was Monday - my day off - and everyone else in my household was at work or school. (Yeah, I know...I'm spoiled.) So I just HAD to get outside - look around a bit - specifically, look at God's world up close and personal, and just soak it in. Mmmmmm...I need a dose of that regularly, and the more often, the better.
Off to Hovander Park I went. Not as sunny there as at home, but still beautiful in the stark way of a snow-less winter landscape. And there I met THE CHICKEN.
First I met A chicken (not to be confused with THE chicken). It was a fenced-in chicken, mind you. This first chicken was truly a specimen - it was HUGE! Biggest chicken I've ever seen. Its legs were probably as big in diameter as a quarter. Its feathers were primarily white with some black - nothing particularly eye-catching - but the size, oh my!
I started noticing how many varieties of chickens were there: 10 at least, plus a couple kinds of ducks and a number of geese (they all seemed to get along fine, by the way, but the geese came unglued when a gal walked by with her puppy!).
And then, I saw THE CHICKEN.
OK, I'm the first to say that chickens are NOT lovely looking creatures. I've always thought they're kind of creepy, with their scaly legs and their red combs and the herky-jerky way they walk around. But being safely on the other side of the fence, I could just observe. And what I saw, I began to like. This chicken had the most amazing colors in its feathers. Long, narrow, delicate feathers covered its head and cascaded down its neck. They ranged from a deep rust color at the top, to gold, and back to yet another rusty shade before meeting the larger black feathers of the chicken's body.
I was fascinated! Whoever thought a chicken could be SO beautiful. I looked and looked at the richness of those colors and knew they were uniquely God's - His palette. Humans can try all they want but can never duplicate the amazing colors, textures and shapes God crafted into His creation.
I watched more, and walked (sauntered, really), and looked, and breathed, and soaked it all in. I stopped long enough to see the fantastic colors of one chicken's eyes. To watch a chicken waking up from a long sleep. To hear the sparrows chattering to each other. To watch the placid river flow and to listen to the wind in the winter tree branches.
I had brought my Bible along to read, but I didn't need to. God's Word was written all over everything I saw, everything I heard. The rich, deep palette of His creation spoke all I needed to know: God made all this, He made me.
And He loves it all.
For a brief few hours in the middle of this January day, the sun came out and it was one of those crisp, beautiful winter days that simply couldn't be spent indoors; at least since it was Monday - my day off - and everyone else in my household was at work or school. (Yeah, I know...I'm spoiled.) So I just HAD to get outside - look around a bit - specifically, look at God's world up close and personal, and just soak it in. Mmmmmm...I need a dose of that regularly, and the more often, the better.
Off to Hovander Park I went. Not as sunny there as at home, but still beautiful in the stark way of a snow-less winter landscape. And there I met THE CHICKEN.
First I met A chicken (not to be confused with THE chicken). It was a fenced-in chicken, mind you. This first chicken was truly a specimen - it was HUGE! Biggest chicken I've ever seen. Its legs were probably as big in diameter as a quarter. Its feathers were primarily white with some black - nothing particularly eye-catching - but the size, oh my!
I started noticing how many varieties of chickens were there: 10 at least, plus a couple kinds of ducks and a number of geese (they all seemed to get along fine, by the way, but the geese came unglued when a gal walked by with her puppy!).
And then, I saw THE CHICKEN.
OK, I'm the first to say that chickens are NOT lovely looking creatures. I've always thought they're kind of creepy, with their scaly legs and their red combs and the herky-jerky way they walk around. But being safely on the other side of the fence, I could just observe. And what I saw, I began to like. This chicken had the most amazing colors in its feathers. Long, narrow, delicate feathers covered its head and cascaded down its neck. They ranged from a deep rust color at the top, to gold, and back to yet another rusty shade before meeting the larger black feathers of the chicken's body.
I was fascinated! Whoever thought a chicken could be SO beautiful. I looked and looked at the richness of those colors and knew they were uniquely God's - His palette. Humans can try all they want but can never duplicate the amazing colors, textures and shapes God crafted into His creation.
I watched more, and walked (sauntered, really), and looked, and breathed, and soaked it all in. I stopped long enough to see the fantastic colors of one chicken's eyes. To watch a chicken waking up from a long sleep. To hear the sparrows chattering to each other. To watch the placid river flow and to listen to the wind in the winter tree branches.
I had brought my Bible along to read, but I didn't need to. God's Word was written all over everything I saw, everything I heard. The rich, deep palette of His creation spoke all I needed to know: God made all this, He made me.
And He loves it all.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
More Wisdom from "Snog"
All lovebirds young or old: take note of this little gem from Antoine de Saint-Exupery, via "Snog: A Puppy's Guide to Love"...
"Love does not consist in gazing at each other,
but in looking outward together in the same direction."
"Love does not consist in gazing at each other,
but in looking outward together in the same direction."
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