Someone is 11!

It was the most hastily-planned party ever. (I'm into record-setting!) Evelyn really wanted to have a sleepover with friends in the teepees at RVR. And that sounded like fun to me!

October was busy, and on Oct.26th I sent an e-vite for an Oct. 30th sleepover. Miraculously, 11 girls were able to attend!

Instead of bags of candy as favors (how could we do that to parents the night before Halloween?), Evelyn chose dollar-store mugs, personalized them artistically using sharpies, and filled them with packets of hot cocoa and glow sticks. We thought it was pretty cool.

I wish I had more pictures of the night time picnic on the top level of the RVR treehouse, where we had apple crisp by candlelight (the battery-operated kind) and drank hot chocolate with cool whip in our mugs (which we re-used in the morning to drink hot apple cider around the fire.)

We popped Jiffy Pop over the fire (which demands a good bit of perseverance!) and played "Guesstures." They were energetic but polite and well-behaved, which was good since I was flying solo as the only grownup.

We took a late night walk through the woods to a clearing where the moon was so bright it cast shadows. The flash on my camera was even brighter, though, as shown by my attempt to photograph Evelyn and her friend, Colette. I wish I had more pictures of the whole thing! The girls were FILTHY, the night was COLD (about 34 degrees!), and a few girls ended up getting in bed with one another. But we all had so much fun. And I didn't even come close to over-feeding anyone (I'm great on the camping and fire-lighting part of stuff like this, but lacking in the snack department.) Again, good thing their parents picked them up in time to go trick-or-treating the next day!

On Evelyn's actual b-day, two weeks prior, we did our traditional opening of presents first thing in the morning. Aunt Betty, Grandma & Grandpa Blackman, and Aunt Becky all send gifts that Evelyn enjoyed unwrapping. Aunt Betty wrote this book about the Paraguayan lace called Nanduti.

If you ever send Evelyn a card, she will read - and savor - every word. She is savoring her Old Navy card from Grandma and Grandpa, and she LOVED the American Girl goodies from Aunt Becky!

She was given the last diary that her Great Grandma Lucille Evelyn ever used. Great Grandma wrote faithfully in a diary every day for years. This last one, however, was lightly used, as it was hers at the very end. But her name sake has already been writing in it. :)

An 11  year old person. Wow. Evelyn, you continue to awe us with your open and sincere heart. You are creative and energetic, and you love reading, writing, and playing. Your teachers love you and you love them right back. Because you live life in High Gear, you are often hot and hungry, but it is a joy to feed you, cool you, and know the rewards of having you in our lives. 

Happy Birthday!

Summer Trip: Part 2

So we said farewell to Mindy, Raleigh, and Jessica, and headed east a few hours to another local resort. Seems upstate NY is peppered with ski resorts that have found ways to be summer resorts, too. Sir Alan The Planner of Trips took full advantage.

This one had a MOUNTAIN COASTER! Alan first discovered mountain coasters watching Rick Steves travel shows about Europe. Well it turns out there are some here, too! It's basically a roller coaster track on which your individual cart follows the mountain.You get pulled UP, then gravity does the rest and you come down at your own pace, as each car has a manually-controlled braking system.

But really, the brakes are not necessary. Especially for these die-hard coaster riders.

I was determined to get our money's worth out of the "unlimited ride" tickets we bought (even though Alan scored a deal on them.) I demanded that all four of us ride it 10 times. It was, after all, my birthday.

So we each rode it 18 times. :) We rode it as individuals, in pairs, with our eyes open, with our eyes closed, without the brakes, and with the brakes in an attempt to keep within sight of one another. 

It was a pretty fun way to spend a birthday.

Then we enjoyed one of the resort's pools. Its water slide didn't rival the one at Mindy & Raleigh's Peek-n-Peak resort, but it was still fun.

Alan and I rode all the water slides, too. No one took pictures of us, though. Which is probably good. Middle aged people in bathing suits coming off water slides are not always great subject matter for still photography.

We stayed in a hotel (our only hotel night of the week), and enjoyed the completely empty pool next to our own digs that evening and again the next morning after breakfast. Again, had to get our money's worth. :)

No water slide at this one, but the outdoor pool connected to the indoor pool via a swim-under-the-plexiglass panel. I think this inspired some imaginative games in which mermaids had featured roles. 

And thus passed the second part of our summer 2015 trippety-trip-trip.

Summer Trip: Part 1

We headed to upstate NY for a week this summer. It was a friends and family trip--the kind where you get to catch up with people you love, people you miss, people you don't see enough.

One spends a lot of time driving through PA to get to upstate NY. So we stopped in State College for lunch, where the girls were introduced to "Shirley Temples."

When we arrived at destination #1, Mindy & Raleigh's homestead in Clymer, NY, we met up with the Smiths, who were in the area to go to Camp-Li-Lo-Li. We had one night with all of them before saying farewell to the oldest three (plus one Dunkerton--under the Under Armor hat--and one White--you can only see the whites of his eyes in the pic.) They headed to camp and we stuck around.

But not before checking out Chautauqua for an evening--which we heard termed, "Camp for Rich People." We were just glad they had a beach and a Starbucks. :)

The family in Lake Chautauqua. Love times like these!!

We got to visit Tom and Marilyn Dumm in their beautiful log home just outside the Chautauqua Village. He's been playing viola in the Chautauqua orchestra for over 40 years!

The next day we made cucumber sandwiches! Jess and Mindy and I posed with a plateful. I'm bummed I didn't take pics of AMY, as we got to visit with her, too! She was there with her husband's family, and it was a joy to see her for a few hours!

We enjoyed an evening swim at the Peek-n-Peak resort, just a few miles from Mindy & Raleigh's. The water slide was quite nice.

An early morning walk refreshed me on our last day.

This is Mindy & Raleigh's Beautiful Manse on the Dairy. :)

The kittens were a daily draw--even for people who are allergic! (We're hoping that, through repeated contact, we'll get rid of this cat allergy thing. Is it possible?)

I really wish I'd taken more pictures while we were there--our Sunday church service in Mindy & Raleigh's parlor was a favorite memory, with Alan playing piano and all the kids reciting verses after a devotional by Raleigh.

The meals, the laughter (SO much laughter!), seeing Clarice, eating HOT wings (burning my lips off, really), time with Anneke (who was so gracious with our girls!), and lots of conversation...fellowship is such a good thing. And we enjoyed it in Clymer for those first few days.

Tonight's Wish

Tonight Evelyn said she really, really, really, really wished...

...that Hogwarts was a real place.

(photo taken while riding a mountain coaster on our trip to upstate NY earlier this summer. More pics of that to come.)

Flashback--National Harbor

I love making the journey part of the destination.

Earlier this Spring we were heading back from somewhere (I can't even remember where) and we decided to stop at the National Harbor on a whim. I love that sort of thing.

They have a carousel that costs $5 to ride--all day. So Alan and I sat and talked while the girls rode and rode. And then they asked us to get on and ride, too.

So we did.

Here's to many more spontaneous moments of fun with these girls. How I love them.

Looking toward a New Chapter

Alan took this picture at a gig--I'm not sure what the switch was for, but I have to love the label.

As of today, July 1st, I begin a new employment chapter. For the first time in 10 years, I'm working one full time job instead of one or two part time jobs. For the first time in 25 years, I'm not a teacher. For the first time ever, I'm a Director of Development.

Gulp.

I am very thankful that my two-part-time-jobs era is here and gone. It is bittersweet that my teaching era is here and gone. And as I look to the era of Development, I am at the same time thrilled, awed, humbled, and yes, scared.

It is a new era of HERE.

HERE I am "for such a time as this," to seek to honor the Lord in listening for His voice, in seeking wise counsel, and in diligently working for the betterment of a ministry I deeply respect, admire, and to which I feel a fundamental and powerful connection.

"For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, 'Do not fear; I will help you.'" (Is. 41:13)

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deut. 31:6)

"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.'" (Luke 2:10)

HERE I am to be helped, strong, courageous, inspired by the presence of God and the good news of Christ.

HERE I am to have joy, and to make sure other people know they can have it, too.

So often in the Bible there are stories of people being called--Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Samuel all say, "here I am" at various points, most often to God. Isaiah says, "Here am I. Send me," when God asks, "Whom shall I send?"

And then, later in Isaiah comes my favorite "Here I am." It is not from the lips of a person, but from the mouth of God. In a passage where God proclaims what is acceptable to Him--loosing the chains of oppression and injustice, caring for the poor and hungry, and doing away with finger-pointing and malicious talk--He then says,

"Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and He will say, 'HERE I am.'" (Isaiah 58:9)

So HERE I am, asking God to help me do what is acceptable to Him, that I may know His presence, His help, His guidance, and His pleasure in this new chapter. 

Because I know all too well that this chapter, too, will someday be gone, and I would like to know that it brought honor to God while it was here.

Winter Memories, Part 3

Alan surprised me with a one-night getaway to the Antrim in January. I love these surprises.

An additional surprise was that our original room--a cozy little space under the eaves of the main house--had a leak in its tub. I asked about it and was given a choice between waiting over an hour for the maintenance man, or moving (at no extra charge) to occupy an entire suite in a fabulous little outbuilding. 

Uh, no contest. Below is the bathroom of the suite--yes, the bathroom! That thing on the wall behind me is a fireplace. I'm not sure I'd ever been in a bathroom with a fireplace before. We also had a sitting room and a library with a desk. It was quite lovely!

This is the view from our outbuilding's porch up to the main house (where you can just make out the little third floor windows--one of those was our original room.)

The moral of this story: if your tub leaks, tell the front desk and ask what can be done about it. :)

Winter Memories: 2

Believe it or not, this is just a mile from our house. Behind the camera is a busy main road, and behind Amelia and me (standing on the hilltop) is the local man-made Lake Montebello.

But here it looks other-worldly and starkly beautiful. It was cold, wet, and the four of us were the only ones out there sledding. Here comes Evelyn:

Alan bought the inner tubes at a local auto shop last winter. Fabulous purchase.

I like winter. I like snow. I like how invigorating it is to spend time outside in weather like this, and the feeling of returning home to thaw.

Good memories. 

Winter Memories: 1

This series is inspired by the fact that I cannot figure out where on the computer to find the more recent pictures. Technology is not my thing.

But I found some pictures that hail from when the weather was considerably cooler. So I thought I might reminisce.

Below is the angel who goes with our little wooden Nativity set. She's had a few falls in her day. I think there was even one year where she fell and spent several months between the back of the hutch and the wall. Poor thing.

Even so, she inspired her own name, the "one-winged angel of God." And I like it.

We've all taken some falls, spent some time in dark, lonely places, and even lost a wing here and there. But we can be called "of God," because He loves us, calls us, and makes us His own children no matter the fractures of our lives.

Thank you, one winged angel of God, for your encouragement. I wish I had looked at page two to see the rest of that sentence at the bottom of the page--but I was so taken with your name, I didn't notice it at the time!

May The Force Be With You

Amelia turned nine. For months she planned this Star Wars party. :)

Friends (and a local Storm Trooper) gathered in our back yard.

Amelia and I googled "Star Wars party ideas" and found the pool noodle light sabers. We spent an evening cutting them, then using strips of duct tape for the handles.

The Storm Trooper goes to our church. (Although never in costume.) His sidekick below baked the cupcakes--she goes to our church, too. It's nice to have talented friends!

Storm Trooper holding court. He was pretty impressive.

The Death Star pinata was one of our google search finds. For our first foray into paper mache, we felt pretty proud of ourselves! Amelia and I had five days of sweet fellowship putting on a new layer each night. I wish we'd done it for a week--a few more layers and everyone would have had a chance to batter it!

Amelia chose her cupcake designs with our friend Shelley, who really pulled them off, didn't she?

And now she's nine. She's a good planner, she had focus, she knew what she wanted, she had a great time watching it all come together, and that was a gift to us!

Mothers' Day--and Birthdays!

Both my nephew, Aidan, and our Amelia were born on May 16th. A year apart. Pretty cool. 

So, while their birthdays can never actually fall on Mothers' Day, it's usually close.

This year Mom brought an ice cream cake to Mothers' Day to add a birthday element to the Mothers' Day meal. No one complained about having to eat ice cream cake AND chocolate overload cake. We're good that way.

And after two desserts we decided a walk around the neighborhood would do us some good. Mom got some pictures of the grandkids before we set out on our calorie-burn. I love their faces.

It's always so good to see the kids together and to be together ourselves. It's just good to sit around the table and talk, to hear one another and share in one another's lives. It's good to go for walks, share experiences, and celebrate.

Thank you, Mom, for sharing these pictures! Thank you for TAKING these pictures! I failed to take any at all.

Thank you to both my mom and my mother-in-law, for sharing your love and lives with us. We cherish you!!

Our Cheerleader

Evelyn was THRILLED when her teacher--also the cheerleading coach--invited her to take a spot on the squad. I wanted to upload the video I had of the cheer, but it was too big. (She is on the far right, BTW, with her head down so far you can't see her face.) She loved putting her cartwheels to good use!

And Amelia loved that, during the after-school rehearsals, she got to hang out with one of her friends whose mom is the "Dramabary" teacher (the combined classes of Drama and Library.)  They would hang out in the library together.

Every Day is a Brand New Chance

The sun rises every morning. How thankful we are for that. 

Lord, show us how to listen, how to respond, how to love in word and in deed.

Every day.

Into Star Wars, We Are

One of my colleagues moved to Florida recently, and, knowing we'd been watching Star Wars with our girls, he passed along these Potato Heads to me. They used to stand watch over his cubicle, and how they stand watch in Amelia's bedroom.

And Star Wars has been SO popular around here that Amelia is having a Star Wars birthday party when she turns nine on May 16th.

Going to make a memory, we will. :)

Geocaching

Before Spring Break, Amelia and I went geocaching with one of her friends and her friend's mom. (Can you tell it was "Pajama Day" at school that day?)

We found a few caches as well as some trails we never realized existed in one of our favorite local parks. And a dead snake. Always exciting to find a dead snake.

For the uninitiated, Geocaching is a formal game of find-the-buried-treasure using your phone's GPS. Geocaching members have hidden caches all over the world. Of course the ones that are the most fun at this phase are the ones with trinkets inside. You get to take a trinket as long as you bring a replacement item. Then you log a record of finding the cache on the geocaching website.

It's pretty fun. Amelia and I took Evelyn the next week and we found three out of four in one of the parks closest to our house. 

Selfies in the Woods

This is my attempt at capturing the three of us on our walk a few weeks ago.

I love their faces. I love the action and fun.

And speaking of action, the other day I dropped the girls off at my parents' house. My dad was graciously watching them while Alan was teaching and I had a gathering to attend. As I was leaving, Amelia stopped me with both hands and looked up into my face. With sincerity, she instructed, "Mom, if anyone attacks you out there, fight them. Fight them. To the death."

Fortunately I was not attacked. :)

Beach Memory

You have to walk through the mouth of the shark to get into this store just outside North Topsail Beach in NC. Or, you can just stand in the mouth of the shark while your mom snaps photos! :)

Being Outside

My girls know I love being outside.  Two weeks ago I was desperate on a Monday evening to be OUTSIDE, and so I fed them dinner and brought them to our closest park, only a mile from our house. I said we would play on the playground AFTER we walked the trails.

Sunset over a field...sisters on a stump...mama filled with joy!

I told them to run ahead so I could take their picture on the trail. They held hands. I sighed.

The heart was their idea. My heart was SO full--being outside with these two beautiful people!

“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” -
John Burroughs 

“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit.” -Edward Abbey

“The more civilized man becomes, the more he needs and craves a great background of forest wildness, to which he may return like a contrite prodigal from the husks of an artificial life.” -Ellen Burns Sherman