July 2014: New Challenges, Thoughts, and Snippets

Family Fun

I am not a spontaneous person at all, but when I learned around noon that it was Chick-Fil-A'a annual Cow Appreciation Day, I rushed to make costumes before picking up my daughter from drama camp at 12:30.  She changed clothes at the school and taped spots to our outfit on the way to CFA while singing Tim Hawkin's Chick-Fil-A song all the way there.  For the rest of the day, we all kept singing "[We're] in love with Chick-fil-A" as we could not get the song out of our heads.  And to ensure that the song stays in your head as well, here is a video with an extra verse added to the end just for Mr. Cathy.

 

I took the kids back again that evening, while my husband, who has dressed up as cows, ducks, and the Fruit-of-the-Loom grapes enough for his mom's shenanigans, enjoyed a quiet evening at home.

Cow Appreciation Day is a family tradition my kids enjoy, so I'm thankful for their willingness to serve free food and challenge families to make memories being silly together.  (Gift #649)

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My son loves to feel grown up when his older cousins are here spending time with him. Yet, during every brief moment when he was alone with me during their visit, he could sneak over to grab a big hug or crawl up into my lap like a baby for quick snuggles. Oh that he would never outgrow his desire for affection from me. I'll take it whenever I can get it, even if it's only allowed when no one else is looking.  (Gift #650)

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You know you are married to singer when every reply to everything you say all evening long is a lyric to a different song.  My husband always has a lyrical response for everything I say it seems.  I guess as an introvert married to a talkative extrovert, he finds the lyrical responses easier.

Parenting
I would like to welcome our newest employee to the "family business". Our golf ball inventory has never been so clean!   His official title is Quality Assurance Director and Initial Sort Line Supervisor.

 
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The kids tend to misbehave more when their daddy is away on business.  My daughter never officially apologized for her latest act of disobedience, but she did make me this rose bookmark out of duct tape as a peace offering. (Gift #651)

 

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To those with young daughters, this particular presentation makes some really good points and is worth sharing & discussing with your girl(s) if you haven't already. After seeing all the slides, my daughter said, "Wow, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder." Then we talked about how every image would still be very different even if Esther had only sent the image to American photo editors living in the same town. I asked her which edited pic she liked best, and she chose Israel which had fewer edits and still looked much like the original untouched photo. She also asked about the really pale skin reflected in some of the photos, and I told her how certain cultures judge a person's value by the fairness of their skin, and she was quick to point out the injustice of such prejudice.


Disasters and Mishaps
Between my own series of disasters with an entertainment center refinishing project, my son's decision to dump MANY buckets of water out of the bathtub upstairs onto the tile floor with the result of  flooding our master bedroom downstairs (flashback to the daily flooding episodes in our apartment last summer which had us waking up each morning to new crops of mold and soggy carpets), and misc other mishaps, the total damage / repair list resulting from just one weekend's disasters included:

• Replace a ceiling
• Caulk a new bathroom
• Paint the garage floor to cover the current tie dye effect we have now as a result of various paint spills
• Clean kilz off back steps or paint over it
• Replace damaged clothes and shoes
• Refinish a newly damaged bookcase
• Administer first aid to wounds on elbows, arms, knees, and side
• Schedule a hair appointment to cut all the Kilz cut out.  (Note to self:  There is a big difference between a $15 haircut and a $50 haircut.  Next time, spring for the $50 haircut!)

We're evicting Murphy ASAP!

While we were trying to stop, sop, and dry out a water leak from the 2nd floor into our master bedroom, our bunny decided to play hide and seek. Usually, she comes when I call, but after we spent several hours tearing up the house trying to find her and imagining every worst possible scenario, she finally appeared out of nowhere around 12:30 am. Why do I feel like we are always in some sort of emergency response training?

Kids' Ponderings
So my younger child has been begging for a male cat as our next pet. His reason this time? So the cat can mate with the female bunny and reproduce..who knows what. I understand the biological limitations here, but the potential object lessons to be taught through such an experiment, both biologically and Biblically are tempting. But he's only 7, and the cat might eat the bunny, so sorry, Bud.

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Thinking he had it rough around here, my son asked me the following questions:

Boy: Did you get an allowance at my age?

Me: Yes, but it was 8 times less than you get now! (ha ha - he doesn't understand inflation yet)

Boy: Did you have to do all these chores I have to do?

Me: Yes, but without the aid of a miracle eraser, Roomba vacuum, and electric sweeper

Boy: Okay, but I bet Nana and Pops did not limit your computer/digital device time like you and Dad do to me.

Me: I DIDN'T HAVE ANY DIGITAL DEVICES!!!!

The comparison game never works!

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First-born: "What is that lovely scent that smells a bit like peppermint?"

Me: "Ben-Gay"

Unfortunately, she did not like the scent of the tea tree oil in the Neuragen Gel I was wearing when I picked her up this afternoon, for Neuragen is much more effective. And the fact that I know the difference through experience is a tad depressing.  At least she likes the smell of Ben-Gay!

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Lots of swimming and too little brushing will damage extra long, fine/stringy hair. But our daughter, like most other tweens, thinks her hair needs to be really long like Rapunzel's. So, I booked her an appointment at one of the most popular salons in town with the hope that the hip young stylists there could convince her to get some of the damaged ends cut. The stylist only took off a few inches, but my girl burst into tears when she saw the finished cut.

I think (and pray) she is realizing now that just as Rapunzel is a fictional character with hair that is stronger, longer, thicker, and healthier looking than anything close to reality (Rapunzel also never got to swim, dance, run, do back-handsprings, play on the beach, spend time with friends, attend parties, visit grandparents, ride horses, or laugh with loved ones while growing out all that hair!), every other photoshopped, cosmetically/surgically altered image she sees in the media or advertising is just as distorted, deceptive, and destructive.

What marvelous beauty God has uniquely designed into every sacred human life both on the outside and on the inside where true beauty begins. (Gift #652)

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight." (1 Peter 3:3-4)

New Job
I recently opened a new door to exciting, challenging unknowns in a very new ministry area for me. But now I must force myself to close other doors, and that is never easy for me.  I have cut back my freelance writing and tutoring work for now, but more cuts will have to come as well.  Maybe I should hire a maid?  :-)

I haven't seen one of these in over 10 years!

"Every line of true knowledge must find its completeness in its convergency to God, even as every beam of daylight leads the eye to the sun." - R.L. Dabney

Recent Thoughts on Current Events, Trials, Faith, & Fitness
This month has been very hard.  I have stooped lower into the pit of depression than I can ever remember.  Praise God for His truth which enabled me to crawl back out!  (Gift #653)  Of course, taking bike rides to my favorite respite always helps too.  I don't get to go bike riding alone very often with the kids here with me all the time or the weather not cooperating, but when I do, it's so refreshing to come to my favorite nearby spot where my perspective always seems to get rebalanced. All those frustrations seem so trivial when I look up to the infinitely great, big, loving, powerful, and good Creator of all things. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

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The world is in chaos right now.  Our borders are being overrun by illegal teens on drugs, with criminal records, and/or carrying diseases.  They are coming here because our borders are not protected and our president wants to give them amnesty.  Our unemployment rate is soaring, and the poor working class who voted for our POTUS are getting smacked in the face as the jobs and resources they need will be scooped by the throngs of young illegals pouring into our country.  I watched videos last week of poor residents in Chicago complaining of all the murders, drugs, theft, and vandalism destroying their communities, but the gangs are growing in numbers now with all the illegals added to their groups, so if they think it's bad now, watch out because government trucks are bringing these kids to your neighborhoods!

As wars rage overseas with radical Shiite Islamist seeking to conquer the world with the very weapons our own government supplied, our allies are left abandoned because our government will not help them.  To Israel, the Ukraine, and far too many of our fellow countrymen, despite all the recent betrayals and/or neglect, more Americans love you, respect you, weep for you, and pray for you than the actions of those with the power may suggest. The ramifications (past, present, and future) are not pretty when one abandons her closest friends.

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America is more polarized politically today than she has been since possibly the Civil War. There are lots of theories explaining why, but I'm convinced much of it relates to the shift in our culture from being ruled by our minds to being ruled by our emotions. Instead of having meaningful discussions with well thought out explanations, we shut down all dialogue with emotional attacks. We all come from different backgrounds with unique experiences which shape our views on policy, and when different ideas are exchanged in a logical, respectful way, everyone benefits, especially when the best ideas grounded on truth on both sides become the focus instead of assaulting the other party. As responsible, educated citizens, let us engage in meaningful, respectful, loving dialogue with a heart that puts others before ourselves while removing all emotional attack words (which tend to be used in error and out of context anyway) from our vocabulary. Can we attempt a conversation without using words like "racist", "feminist", "intolerant", "hypocrite", "victim", "entitled", "privileged", "hater", "extremist", "Communist", "rich", "lazy", "kool-aid", "left-wing", "right-wing", "heartless", or "baby killer".  With so many crises all around the world and along our borders, we need to unite under our shared values and under what is true (since feelings often lie), for united we stand, divided we fall.

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If the mind, body, and soul are all connected, then physical exercise preferences at any given time may be indicative of internal issues. Choosing specific types of exercise at different times may in fact be a remedy.

As a carefree young child, I preferred fun games and sports of any type. During the tween to teen years, friendships were my priority, so I most enjoyed taking really long walks (and talks) with friends. The late high school and college years felt like a series of races to the top of each new challenge, though I knew God's truth prioritized that which was sacred and eternal over all degrees, titles or accolades. That was my season of running 5K to 12K races at top speeds, trying to finish first in each new race. I also did a little rock climbing during those years. By my mid twenties, I was done with the rat race and wanted nothing more than to finish the race of life strong and faithful. I needed endurance to win the race that matters for eternity, so marathon running became my new passion, and those long runs were usually spent alone with God in prayer as He increased my spiritual, physical, and mental endurance.

Then I got married and stopped running races. I had been caught and liked it! I exercised on stationery equipment and ran for pleasure and for time alone with My Lord and Maker, not speed or distance.

The addition of children to our family brought sleepless nights, scar tissue, joint problems, and debilitating back and neck pain. I desperately needed strength and power! Weight training became my solace. With each pull-up, push-up, press, or curl, I found myself becoming mentally, physically, and emotionally stronger. The pains began to subside with occasional flare ups here and there to remind me that I will never be strong enough in my own might, so I must always wholly rely on Him.
Now I have reached an age where I am witnessing far too much injustice, loss, suffering, and corruption. On this earth, the rain falls on both the righteous and the unrighteous, but when I see the righteous suffering from diseases, abuse, oppression, or other vile injustice, it makes me ANGRY. I know I am powerless to change circumstances, so I pray to the One who can. These days, my exercise of choice is super high intensity martial arts training. To all who have asked me to pray for them recently over whatever cruel circumstance have befallen you, know that I am praying. I am also kicking, punching, and sprawling with a vengeance as an affirmation and as a way of metaphorically claiming our heavenly Father's promises to fight for you, restore you, and renew you. He will reward the faithful and right all wrongs! (Gift #654)


Thoughts on the Pro-Life Movement
The pro-life vs. pro-choice debate will eventually implode.  The more science reveals the facts...that a separate human life with a beating heart, pulsing brain waves, and every physical human component resides in the life of an expectant woman's body, the harder it becomes to call it a just a "fetus" or "blob of tissue".  Advances in ultrasound technology make it harder for a woman in a crisis pregnancy situation to agree to pull off the the cute little arm whose hand is waving at her through the ultrasound screen. And as horrific tales of gross abuses against children and women in abortion clinics continue to be exposed, abortion will not seem like such a loving solution after all.  Yet the media, government, and schools (ask me for specific examples!) continue all efforts to harden human hearts.

However, if we are to the win this war that has dismembered the bodies of well over 50 million innocent children since I was born in a world of emotional feminism gone insane, then we must take a different approach.  Images like the one below, while completely accurate in illustrating how horrific the abortion procedure really is, will change the minds of some abortion minded women, they will not address the root problem.

Most sane women do not wish abortion on anyone and certainly would not choose it unless they felt completely overwhelmed, helpless, and unsupported.  Based on testimonies from those who have had abortions and secret video footage by actors inside Planned Parenthood facilities, abortion providers prey on these emotions making clients feel like they have no other alternative while downplaying the life long negative impacts of that abortion on the hurting mom-to-be.

Pro-life advocates should choose instead respond to the debate by extending loving support to hurting women in crisis.  When I volunteered at a crisis pregnancy ministry (which was ironically located next door to an abortion clinic), our focus was always on the needs of each woman at her point of need. Oh, we were certainly concerned about the precious life she was carrying, but she was our first priority. Many women came to us by mistake, thinking we were the abortion clinic, but found what they needed most at our center.... hope, support, and love. For those who chose not to stay and immediately turned around and went next door for the abortion, many of them came back later for loving support and healing through our post abortion syndrome recovery programs. I'm happy to report that the abortion clinic next door eventually shut down.  Abortion is only a deadly band-aid when the real crisis is in the heart and soul of that woman. Let us love and support unconditionally, with respect and without judgment!  Deep emotional needs from gaping wounds in the heart are often at the source of crisis pregnancy.  Misinformation and poor role modeling combined with confusion over sound moral foundations in a world that has turned true morality upside down are also underlying factors.  Let us seek to help, not hurt these suffering women.

"Beyond the Samaritan woman's veil..[Jesus] saw the emptiness in her life that grew bigger with each divorce. Beyond the power and wealth of Zacchaeus, He saw a small man with a big hole in his heart that all the power and wealth in the world couldn't fill. Beyond the sores of Lazarus, He saw a soul of eternal worth. Beyond the clothes of the rich man, He saw a soul in rags." - Ken Gire

When we look at others, do we look beyond the surface through the windows of the soul?

Catching up from a very long blog haitus and snippets about our move into the new house

Life seriously got in the way of blogging, so this blog post will be eclectic and random, but I don't want to omit any of the gifts I've been counting or lessons we've been learning since my last post about our son's birthday, so here is the wrap up in no particular order.

Life has been super busy as we have adjusted to a new town, new school for our daughter, and back to homeschooling for our son while building a new home, but it hasn't been so busy to keep me from appreciating the gorgeous fall colors all around our little apartment.  (Gift #448)

While I love to be adventurous and playful, I am much too pragmatic to fully engage with my children in all their imaginary play.  I don't want to miss out on this amusing form of play which they enjoy so much, so I'm thankful when my daughter provide scripts.  My son was supposed to be calling out spelling words to his sister and helping her study one evening, but instead, I found them in the kitchen acting out a skit she wrote. In this scene she is being interviewed by Santa for a job as an elf. (Note stuffed toys as props in the background).

However, now that they kids are both heavily involved in gymnastics (albeit 35 miles away which I drive four times a week and sit through two hours of gymnastics each day we're there), we have a form of recreation we all enjoy to do together.  What an incredible blessing it is to meet them where they are in the air or on the ground doing movements they enjoy so much together. Thank you, Lord, for giving me a shared passion with my children. (Gift #449)

 

Our son is still thrilled to be in Y guides.  He had a blast at the fall outing with his beloved daddy and all the other great kids and fathers in their tribe.  The bond these boys share with their fathers is such a wonderful gift! (Gift #450)

We are still enjoying the mother/daughter prayer group for the 4th grade girls at our daughter's school.  In November, we met for a devotion, fellowship, and a service project.  The girls hand wrote personal notes to over 30 children and stuffed each Operation Christmas Child shoebox to overflowing.  What a blessing it is to see girls working together to share God's love with others.  (Gift #451)

We spent Thanksgiving with my family, and the kids endured Nana's annual photo shoot for her Christmas cards.  Moving to a new suburb has had it's share of trials, but one of the big blessings that has come out of it has been that we are now less than an hour's drive from my family which is the closest I have ever been since I left home for college at age 18.  (Gift #452)

 

Our Christmas card doubled as a change of address card this year.  We were initially supposed to close on the home in October. Then they pushed it out to early November.  Then it was late November.  Then it was early December.  Then they pushed it out one day and then  two days, and then they pushed it out six more hours.  It's odd how our house took six months, while other homes seem to have gone up in only 2-3 months.  Good things must come to those who wait because we are more grateful than we could have imagined to finally be in the house, and it turned out better than we expected after a lot of initial trials.  The moves this year did have me thinking much about our Lord, Jesus Christ, who left the glories of His heavenly home to live a humble, poor, life in a temporal place for the purpose of serving, teaching, and redeeming the lost for all generations.  What a remarkable gift is His sacrificial love for us.  (Gift #453) As we waited eagerly for our new earthly home, we imagined the joy we will have when we first behold our heavenly home that Christ is preparing for us now.  That home will radiate splendor and unlike any earthly home, it will never rot, decay, break or be destroyed.

Speaking of homes, we recently had the great privilege of visiting a beautiful farm house I had read about on blog pages and heard about from friends.  The owners are a couple I have respected greatly from a distance.  He is a builder, and she is a decorator.  Their homeschooled children are role model children with hearts that pant for Jesus.  What an enormous blessing it has been for this sweet family to join our life class at our church and be assigned to our small group. (Gift #454) They are exceedingly hospitable with youth forever retreating to their home where they receive love, nurture, and Biblical role modeling.  Spending time on their peaceful, gorgeous property the week before the move was just what the doctor ordered to prepare my heart for the move. I went into the move with peace and joy and without any of the stress I normally lug by the tons.  It was my Christmas miracle!  (Gift #455)

What really cemented an attitude of calm and peace for me the day we closed was a picture I took early the morning before closing (when I had to post a note on the door of the house for Fed Ex guys who were delivering a recliner that was supposed to arrive 12 days later but arrived only 18 hours after I ordered it and before we owned the home!)  The picture showed a house with entirely too much work left to be done before closing which should have stressed me out because we absolutely had to close on Friday before our lease on our apartment and three storage units expired and before our flights to visit  my husband's family for Christmas and before all the appliances and furniture we had ordered were delivered.  Yet, all my eyes fixed upon when I opened the picture on my computer for my first look was the cross.

The sun highlighted the cross pattern of the accent trim in a way that encouraged my heart so much. God is in control. Our perfectly gracious and loving Lord owns this home, indwells the hearts of all four occupants, and should receive glory in all that is said, thought, or done in and around this place. (1 Corinthians 10:31)  What a blessing it will be for me early each morning to see those trim lines highlighted by the sun to form a cross, reminding me that Jesus Christ is Lord over our home and lives. (Gift #456)

After having my son in school last year, I have really enjoyed having him with me at LAMBS this past year (Gift #457), and LAMBS was one of the big highlights of his week each week.  I love the fact that He loves to learn about God. (Gift #458)  So, when the kids performed an adorable mini concert for the women in the Bible Study, complete with lots of dance moves and sign language, I took more pics and video than ever before because I knew how much I had missed seeing him up there last year.  In the larger photo below he is "shooting the artillery".

Shortly after this concert, a spot opened up for him at our daughter's school, so he will be enrolling in January.  I'm so glad I was able to cherish this time with him at home with me again even though it was only for a semester. (Gift #459)  He is a self-motivated learner who is easy to teach at home, but he is lonely and feels left out with his sister at school even though she is forever complaining about how strict it is.  He is overjoyed about starting school in January.  (Gift #460)

He will be repeating first grade so he can graduate with kids his own age and not deal with all the emotional trauma of having skipped a grade during those awkward middle school years and again when everyone gets their driver's license while he would still be too young.  Some would call it dumbing him down, but when we visited the classroom, we found that they covered grammar facts in much greater detail than we did at home. He knows all that information intuitively and is already diagramming sentences with ease, so to return to diagramming words by phonic sounds and to go from multiple digit division and basic geometry to single digit addition and subtraction may seem like a waste of time and money, but we are hoping it will provide a more solid foundation to help him in the long run.  And with him being my baby, I have come to realize that there is no need to grow him up too fast.  Now I will have an extra year with him at home with me, and surely that could not be a mistake.

Our daughter is adjusting to the new school and making lots of friends.  We've hosted play dates and attended parties.  The mothers there are all so gracious and kind.  I could not ask for a more loving environment for her.  (Gift #461)  She will probably never like how strict it is, but the discipline she is learning there in terms of always giving her best and paying attention to detail has already born some fruit in her life.  And I am realizing that even a strong visual basic learner like herself can adapt to a more structured environment without losing her love of learning. (Gift #462)

She's still competitive as all get-out during recess, however.  During a foot race, one boy did not like the fact that she was winning, so he tripped her. (Okay, so we have had some issues with boys not being very nice at that school, but her girl pals are incredibly sweet girls, and our boy is not stereotypical, so they are probably just being typical boys.)  She fell so hard her entire right side was scraped to the point of bleeding.  She runs to win!

Having band-aids all over her body did not prevent her from photo-bombing photos.  This photo was taken right before my husband and I left for our last date night before the move.  We enjoyed dinner out with friends followed by a Christmas party with the annual white elephant gift exchange for our church life class.

 

Speaking of the move, here are some snippets from our adventures in moving for the second time this year.

Our creative girl has a very different approach to packing than her left-brained mother. With fond memories of my engineering logistics career days, I fill each container to optimum capacity (trying not to break maximum weight capacity) with items that are all destined for the same shelf, drawer, closet, or living space.

My right-brained daughter, on the other hand, tosses a few random items destined for opposite corners of the house into a box 10x the size of those items (so they will have plenty of leg room during transit). She procures those items by pretending the apartment is the Thames River and the furniture dolly is a boat and then punting around the apartment with a mop serving as her punting pole.

Our son did not seem to enjoy packing, moving, and cleaning out the apartment at all until we arrived with the 26' U-Haul beast at the first storage unit.

There he found his beloved Tonka truck, and he soon discovered that the U-Haul truck ramp provides great acceleration opportunity for his truck.

Driving, for my husband, is not about getting from point A to point B as it is to me. For him, driving is an experience that should bring pleasure, and the degree of pleasure is directly proportional to how fast that vehicle can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph.  So, when he drove the moving truck beast, he never had a smile on his face.  Thankfully, he has navigated submarines in his past, so he used many of those some skills to steer this truck around town and managed driving through all those tight spots safely and without incident. (Gift #463)

 

After having our move date and time changed numerous times over the course of the building process, the actual date and time we closed could not have been more amusing.  It was the week before Christmas and the week before we have to pack again for major holiday travels.  It was Friday the 13th, a fitting date for the nightmare to end.  For the past six years, we had been waiting and wondering, with numerous emotional ups and downs as buyers of our previous home came and went, years of  indecision and being unsettled followed by six months of pranks so horrible you could not make the up in the apartment. What better day to close!

My husband and son committed to sing in our church's fabulous Christmas program months before when we thought we were closing in October or November. As luck would have it, we closed the weekend of the musical, so while I was home packing boxes all week before the move, my husband and son were at church for rehearsals that lasted until 11pm each night.  My boy was so sick from all those late nights that he had to be medicated to sing in the concert and even then looked so frail and sickly on stage.  Then when closing got delayed six hours on Friday, they guys had to miss the first show (out of four shows that weekend) because we closed during curtain call. That was a blessing for me because we had a 26' U-Haul filled with items we needed to unload that night before the movers came on Saturday.  So, he was there to help and do lift the items I could not lift on my own.

Despite the move, the guys still managed to attend the other three shows and all the rehearsals.  My daughter and I scraped up some tickets for the Sunday afternoon show, and we were simply blown away by how impressive the performance was.  The goal was to invite 1000 unchurched people.  I sure hope we came close to that number because the call was sent out in a way that was easily received.

We were greeted at the church door by Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer and other reindeer.  But my daughter immediately recognized the voice of the one dressed as Rudolph as her Sunday School teacher.  There's no fooling that girl anymore.

Then when the show begin I recognized a familiar voice from my past.  During my college years, I was a big fan of Dove award winning musical artists, Dick & Mel Tunney.  I had been to their concerts and owned their CDs, but could that really be Mel Tunney up on stage with my son (pictured far lower right on the big screen) and the other kids?  She performed during several numbers throughout the program, and I just knew it had to be her, but what was she doing at our church.  Then in a duet between Mel and our new assistant worship director's wife, she called Mel "Mom", and then I realized the connect and saw the resemblance.  I had never known that connection, but what a blessing it was to hear Mel's sweet voice in person again. (Gift #464)

Moving the week before Christmas makes finding someone to install custom window coverings nearly impossible.  So, a creative friend helped us improvise with these coverings.  The window coverings to the far left have the added benefit of being soft, pliable quicker picker uppers while those in the middle are informative on current events.  The colored mosaic coverings on the right provide comical relief.

We have an insane number of do-it-yourself home improvement projects to do in this home since we opted out of many of the upgrades to save money (after losing 6 figures on the last house, we felt we had to). After window treatments and installing nine fans, built-in cabinets around the fireplace and island base are our next big priority.  Then lots of trim molding and columns and painting rooms will come next.  My husband has big plans for mirrored and stone walls in the exercise room, but as much as I would love that, I have asked him to push that awesome idea down the list.  I am glad we splurged on the granite and fireplace, however.  The following view, taken two days before closing,  from behind the kitchen counter is where I will likely spend most of my time.

It will look better with built-ins, window treatments and all our furniture & new decor, but I'm still very pleased with the various granite, marble, and stone walls in our home.  When we replaced our Corian counter tops with granite in our last home, a conversation followed between my son and I about Christ being the rock upon which we stand.  That conversation led to my son praying to receive Christ, so it is significant to me that we have lots of natural stone in this house.  That probably sounds crazy, but I'm a big fan of setting up memorial stones all around us to remind us of God's faithfulness as in Joshua 4.  (Gift #465)

Since much of our furniture and home decor from the old house does not match the new house, I've been selling or donating furniture, oriental rugs, curtains, bedspreads, decorative items, etc.  We decided to go with contemporary tables in the breakfast and dining rooms.  I bought this table for the contemporary lines, but my son thought I bought it as a half-pipe for his cars.

Since these types of posts usually include funny quotes from the kids, I'll close with a few, although as the kids get older and wiser the funny quotes dwindle, since what makes them so funny is the inherit childishness behind them.

GPS said, "Take a sharp left."
7-year-old said, "Yikes! That sounds dangerous."

The landscapers around our new subdivision must carry some very cool tools because my boy was most impressed that one of the guys had a "sword like pirates used."

First she wanted a bunny...now she wants a dog because as she says, "Dog is God spelled backward".

Ireland (Part 1): Day 1 in Dublin and Laios County

My husband and I each celebrated a significant birthday milestone this year. At the top of my birthday wish list was an exotic romantic vacation to Hawaii.  At the top of his list was a ticket to outer space....with or without me.  My request was more affordable (ya think?), so I through him an outer space party instead and began planning a trip to Hawaii.  However,  we could not get there, visit major destinations, and return home before Grandma and Grandpa returned home after so generously watching our kids for a week.  So, we began looking for fun getaways closer to home that neither of us had ever visited.  We finally decided on a 7-day trip to Ireland, where we both had familial roots.  We usually choose relaxing venues for our anniversary celebrations (vs. the more adventurous trips we have taken on missions or with family), but this trip was not relaxing at all. It was a wild adventure involving several near death experiences, and we just aren't as young as we once were when we set off on adventures like these.  And instead of the low-stress, all-inclusive cruises we normally choose, this trip ended up being way more expensive than we imagined due to terrible exchange rates, horrible traffic safety issues requiring an additional insurance waiver that cost more than the rental car and the auto insurance combined, high gas prices, and extremely costly dining options.  But we're still very glad we went.

We took an afternoon flight to JFK where we landed late with barely enough time to catch our red-eye flight to Ireland. We had hoped to sleep on the plane, but the bizarre yet interesting people seated around us kept me alert most of the flight, while the stewards seemed to be bringing us yet another dry, processed airplane meal whenever I was finally getting settled for a nap.  We arrived in Dublin around 5:00 a.m. the next morning.  We had already been up for over 30 hours, and it was now time to start a new day.

We picked up our rental car, opting to use our phones for GPS instead of renting one from the rental car agency since the cost of renting a GPS unit would have paid for at least three new ones back home.  So, as my husband tried to download maps to his phone at a download rate that would take the next seven hours, we finally gave up and tried to navigate using high level (no details) paper maps in the car.  Here my brave husband was without sleep (which they say is like being legally drunk in terms of reflex speed), and he had to suddenly learn how to drive a manual transmission economy car, shifting with his left hand while seated on the right side of the car,  while driving on the left side of the road in a new country through a city as busy as Manhattan without GPS using foreign maps on roads that bore few if any street signs.  The roads there are crazy with roundabouts at every intersection.  At the first roundabout, we saw our same style car with the same Dooley Car Rental sticker on the back stuck up high in the embankment. It had crashed through the median rail guards and was literally hanging from the embankment with the back end dangling over us we circled the roundabout.  Praise God for my husband's military training because I would have had a total panic attack at the site of that dismal omen. The 2-hour drive to our hotel was treacherous, but we made it.  Thanks to all who prayed for us back home.

The hotel was beautiful. It was a gorgeous golf resort with fabulous landscaping seated in the middle of nowhere.  We arrived around 7:30 a.m., but they would not let us check-in until 4pm or possibly 2pm if a room was cleaned soon enough.  So, my husband, DC, logged onto the hotel WiFi long enough to check emails, primarily at work, but also at home.  That's when we learned that much to our surprise, the first home showing for the year, which took place during our flight to JFK resulted in a written offer.  This summer was our 6th attempt over six years to sell the house, and it sold during the first showing!  We had a month to pack up our entire house, find a new place to live temporarily and/or permanently, coordinate movers and to figure out what to do about our kids' schooling since we had already paid tuition at their current school (45-60 minutes from our target relocation destination) and registration deadlines at all other schools had passed, and schools were on summer break.  YIKES!  How would I enjoy this vacation when I had so much to do back home?  I can't compartmentalize aspects of my life like men can, so I was exhausted and stressed as our vacation began.

Thankfully, the hotel let us store our luggage at the front desk while we took time to regroup.  For my husband, regrouping involved breakfast at the overpriced hotel buffet.  For me, recharging my sleepy batteries meant visiting the hotel spa fitness center.  So we parted ways as I giggled over how romantic our anniversary getaways tend to me.  I married an introvert, so I respect his need for personal space while he lets me satisfy my workout fix.  Something about exercising helps me focus on God and lay down my stresses.  We're an odd pair, but it works for us.

After digesting the news of our home sale and our breakfasts, it was finally late enough in the morning to do some site seeing.  We began with the nearest tourist destination well over an hour away.  We visited Emo House first.  It reminded me of the Biltmore House in many ways with a lovely tour of the sophisticated mansion, lush gardens, and breathtaking views.
We enjoyed a quaint lunch in the courtyard gardens where my dingy yoga pants, frizzy hair, and exhausted face from the previous day's travels looked most out of place in such a perfectly landscaped, upscale courtyard restaurant.  "Whatever," I say.

Next, we journeyed to the Rock of Dunamese, a 9th century hill fort which was conquered by the Vikings in 845 with a castle being built there later.  DC explained the structural features like the murder hole, where boiling water would be poured down on invaders as they entered the gates.  He noted the stair path built into the walls where soldiers traversed during invasions, and we observed how the window openings afforded much protection while slinging arrows at enemies.

The views from the Rock were simply gorgeous.

Later after returning to the hotel, we decided to attempt reached Dublin during the middle of rush hour traffic and spent an hour trying to find the factory which spans a full block or two.  Finally we found it with five minutes before the entrance doors closed, but we could not find a parking place, so then we had to fight the rush hour traffic back to our hotel. My husband had by then gone two days without sleep while driving a manual transmission on the left side of the road.  He is amazing! 

We stopped off  at a mall, which looked very much like the malls we have here, for dinner.  With gas prices around $15/gallon, we regretted having wasted all that time and money driving only to not get into our destination, but at least we enjoyed the beautiful landscapes along the way, and my husband got more practice driving along those crazy roads.

Views of Ireland and our rental car parked at the mall

Fun snippets from life with our silly kids

When we moved from the country into the middle of a busy city, I was very surprised to discover that the Greenway here, while shorter than the 36 mile paved river trail near our previous home, are actually greener and more rugged than any of the trail paths in the more rural area where we previously lived.  The change was so stark that I even traded in my top of the line (for me) road bike for a hybrid which I am enjoying so much more.  I feel much more comfortable on the new bike as I cut sharp corners, climb steep heels and catch some air over bumps along the way.  All this bike needs is a banana seat and some fringe from the handle bars, and I'll feel seven all over again.

My childhood bike that still resides at my parents' home

Another difference is that the trails here connect a large number of very sophisticated parks where the sounds of young children giggling on swings or slides or the thumping sounds of teens playing basketball can be heard over my Pandora music.  Oh how I wish we had lived here when the children were younger with so many nice parks scattered all over the city.

The largest difference between the trails here and those in the country are the bridges.  In the country, shaky, wooden planked bridges span across swamps, marshes, or streams.   Here, enormous truss bridges with bright metallic ornamentation cross major interstates.

View from my bike as I cross the bridge

The contrast between the rugged, wooded bike paths and these urban bridges with the swooshing sounds of cars and trucks zooming underneath is overwhelming, and I feel nervous every time I cross those bridges.  I wondered how my more cautious, 6-year-old, who only started feeling comfortable on a 2-wheeled bike this summer, would feel crossing that bridge if his 40 something sports enthusiast mama gets nervous on it.  He took it slowly but seemed much less nervous than I did my first time crossing it.

Kids' first trip across the bridge

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While our son waits for any of his four front teeth to appear, our daughter has been losing teeth again. She lost her ninth tooth as soon as we returned home from attending my uncle's funeral last weekend.  She immediately began complaining about how odd her mouth feels with the new gap inside of it.  So I  told her that whenever she notices that gap in her mouth, she should pray for my aunt who has experienced a huge loss now that her husband has passed, and like my daughter's mouth, our family will not feel the same with this new gap in it. But praise God that as our girl's temporary tooth will be replaced with a permanent one, my uncle's temporal body on this earth will be replaced with a new glorified body that will last forever. While he spent most of his years on earth looking only through one eye following a bad accident, he will gaze upon our Lord through two eyes that see perfectly.
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Speaking of teeth, I had to get a filling replaced in one of my teeth last week.  I took my home schooled son with me, and he tried to encourage me by saying, "Sometimes you just have to face the facts, Mom."

Then while the dentist was drilling feverishly, he repeatedly cried, "Mom! I'm done with my writing and grammar! Can I watch TV now?"...as if I could have said anything in that condition.
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Later that evening, that same 6-year-old who implored us to let him wear an afro to my uncle's funeral (my uncle would have loved it) and while at the funeral, insisted that his dad and I buy burial plots ASAP in case we die tonight (since, as he says, we need to be prepared for death both spiritually and logistically), lit candles so we could eat dinner with ambiance. He's a hip, romantic planner. What more could any girl want? 
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The following day during our homeschooling time, I gave my son a science assignment which required him to name, describe, and classify animals found in the desert. He wailed, moaned, & lamented with a few false tears thrown in for good measure. I pressed with words similar to those found in Dr. Seuss' classic book, Green Eggs and Ham:

"You do not like them.
SO you say.
Try them! Try them! And you may.
Try them and you may I say."

As soon as he began reading, his eyes grew bright, and he excitedly told me every amazing detail and feature about every animal he discovered. He loved every minute of his study despite his little tantrum. And though he did not say it, he was probably thinking:

"I do so like
this science work!
Thank you!
Thank you,
Mom's no jerk!" 

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The images my son's innocent comments evoke put me in stitches sometimes. My son noticed a new sports top in my room and asked about the zipper across the chest. I explained that the pocket could hold keys, gel packs, or even a phone while I'm exercising. Having recently grown interested in tennis now that we live next to some tennis courts, he asked, "Can you fit tennis balls inside it?"

There was a time during my early teen years, when I wished I could have worn two tennis balls there and gotten away with it.
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Now that our girl has to wear stiff dressy uniforms for school every day, I assumed this super active, outdoorsy girl would choose casual, ultra-comfortable clothing for non-school hours. Instead, she has been opting for sequins and ruffles at bedtime instead of her comfy pajamas.

She sure does seem to be growing up all of a sudden.