Where have all the days gone?
I can’t believe you’re in 2nd grade, my sweet Isaac. I adore
your sensitive spirit, your helpfulness, your desire to be like Daddy.
It just keeps getting “funner” as you grow. I love you.
Love, Mama
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Isn't she a beauty?
**updated: recipe at the bottom**
One of the perks of lovin' on jr and sr high students with us is that you get to enjoy this succulent (that seems like it should be a bad word...is it??) pasta salad at our house tonight. We do what we can, you know.
She (she just looks like a girl to me!) was so gorgeous, I just had to snap a picture.
Gorgeous Pasta Salad
One box bow tie pasta, cooked, drained, and
rinsed with cold water
5 or 6 roma tomatoes, sliced
2 cans whole black olives, drained and rinsed
1-2 stalks of broccoli, chopped
1 bottle of Italian dressing
Mix it all together in your big Tupperware batter
bowl, then transfer it to a pretty bowl to
complete the look.
Friday, August 22, 2008
A Letter to Jennifer, Fall 1992
This is a letter I'm writing today to my college freshman self of 16 years ago...
(I can't claim this idea; I saw it on someone else's blog and thought it looked fun!)
I know you're scared, you're nervous, you're just about to throw up every moment of the day. Try to be brave...it will really all turn out ok.
It's really a great thing that you're spreading your wings and flying all the way down to Tennessee for college. God has incredible, unbelievable things in your future. Wait on Him. Trust Him.
Don't worry about that C you're going to get on your first Humanities paper. You end up getting "A"s in Humanities. What you really need to worry about is Chemistry. It kicks your butt. Be really nice to the professor because even though you think she doesn't like you, you will eventually be crying in her office. She will even hand you a tissue.
Don't worry about paying attention in Calculus...you will soon drop that pre-med major anyway, and the only math you'll need to know is the 7th grade math you will be teaching for a semester when you're pregnant with your 3rd son.
Be certain to go on that hike with Mr. Helsabeck. The girl you walk the trail with will be your dearest friend. You will cry together, laugh together, dream together, be the maids of honor in each other's weddings, and even be facebook friends someday (don't worry...you'll understand what facebook is when the time comes).
Treasure every conversation and moment with your dad. This time next year, he will already be with Jesus. Try not to call home crying and homesick so much--your time talking to him will be much better spent sharing your hopes and dreams and soaking up as much of his wisdom as you possibly can.
Don't worry that no one knows you yet. Be yourself. In a couple of years, you'll be a leader on campus, so use this time to become more like Jesus.
Don't buy that pink carpet....it ends up smelling REALLY BAD.
Thank your mama OFTEN for the letters she writes to you. She will write to you every day your freshman year, and her letters will encourage you and build you up.
Enjoy your work study job. Ann Easter is the greatest, and you will still see Mr. Derry for years and years at conventions. He and his wife will always ask how you're doing and how your family is, so start appreciating him now. Your job will get you lots of perks on campus, so do it excellently.
Go to vespers every Sunday. You will learn how to be a worshipper there.
Don't worry that you don't find your husband this year (HA!). He won't arrive until your junior year, and, even then, you won't recognize him. Neither of you will be attracted to the other AT ALL, but that's ok, it still all works out.
Don't stay up quite so late. How about going to bed at 1 or 2 am instead of 3 or 4. It will really help you stay awake in that Old Testament class, and someday, people might ask you questions about the Old Testament and expect you to have an answer.
Order the pizza...you won't gain that freshman 15 until your sophomore year. Then, you'll lose it your junior year when you're trying to convince your future husband that you're an athlete. You'll gain it back and more after you're married, and you'll spend the rest of your life trying not to eat the pizza. So, for now....just EAT THE PIZZA!!!
Get ready, sweetheart...you're in for a wild ride. In about 16 years, you'll be sitting in your bedroom waiting for the timer to go off to tell you to rinse out the color on your hair (you're trying to cover the grey!!). Since your husband and three sons are asleep, you'll decide to write yourself a letter. As you write it, you'll be overwhelmed by God's goodness and faithfulness in your life. Never stop being overwhelmed. He is forever faithful and good.
This is a letter I'm writing today to my college freshman self of 16 years ago...
(I can't claim this idea; I saw it on someone else's blog and thought it looked fun!)
I know you're scared, you're nervous, you're just about to throw up every moment of the day. Try to be brave...it will really all turn out ok.
It's really a great thing that you're spreading your wings and flying all the way down to Tennessee for college. God has incredible, unbelievable things in your future. Wait on Him. Trust Him.
Don't worry about that C you're going to get on your first Humanities paper. You end up getting "A"s in Humanities. What you really need to worry about is Chemistry. It kicks your butt. Be really nice to the professor because even though you think she doesn't like you, you will eventually be crying in her office. She will even hand you a tissue.
Don't worry about paying attention in Calculus...you will soon drop that pre-med major anyway, and the only math you'll need to know is the 7th grade math you will be teaching for a semester when you're pregnant with your 3rd son.
Be certain to go on that hike with Mr. Helsabeck. The girl you walk the trail with will be your dearest friend. You will cry together, laugh together, dream together, be the maids of honor in each other's weddings, and even be facebook friends someday (don't worry...you'll understand what facebook is when the time comes).
Treasure every conversation and moment with your dad. This time next year, he will already be with Jesus. Try not to call home crying and homesick so much--your time talking to him will be much better spent sharing your hopes and dreams and soaking up as much of his wisdom as you possibly can.
Don't worry that no one knows you yet. Be yourself. In a couple of years, you'll be a leader on campus, so use this time to become more like Jesus.
Don't buy that pink carpet....it ends up smelling REALLY BAD.
Thank your mama OFTEN for the letters she writes to you. She will write to you every day your freshman year, and her letters will encourage you and build you up.
Enjoy your work study job. Ann Easter is the greatest, and you will still see Mr. Derry for years and years at conventions. He and his wife will always ask how you're doing and how your family is, so start appreciating him now. Your job will get you lots of perks on campus, so do it excellently.
Go to vespers every Sunday. You will learn how to be a worshipper there.
Don't worry that you don't find your husband this year (HA!). He won't arrive until your junior year, and, even then, you won't recognize him. Neither of you will be attracted to the other AT ALL, but that's ok, it still all works out.
Don't stay up quite so late. How about going to bed at 1 or 2 am instead of 3 or 4. It will really help you stay awake in that Old Testament class, and someday, people might ask you questions about the Old Testament and expect you to have an answer.
Order the pizza...you won't gain that freshman 15 until your sophomore year. Then, you'll lose it your junior year when you're trying to convince your future husband that you're an athlete. You'll gain it back and more after you're married, and you'll spend the rest of your life trying not to eat the pizza. So, for now....just EAT THE PIZZA!!!
Get ready, sweetheart...you're in for a wild ride. In about 16 years, you'll be sitting in your bedroom waiting for the timer to go off to tell you to rinse out the color on your hair (you're trying to cover the grey!!). Since your husband and three sons are asleep, you'll decide to write yourself a letter. As you write it, you'll be overwhelmed by God's goodness and faithfulness in your life. Never stop being overwhelmed. He is forever faithful and good.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
I really REALLY want these verses to hang in my kitchen. They give my days a perspective that I need. Instead of scribbling them out on scratch paper and magneting them to my frig, I decided to make them pretty. Well, now they match my kitchen quite nicely, but I can't quite bring myself to print the darn thing out. Why? Because I just can't convince myself that Job had red gingham and daisies in mind when he said these things. In fact, I think if I was to decorate these verses accurately, I would surround them with yuckiness--dead people, dead animals, a man wasting away and wishing he had never been born. That's the beauty of the words--Job said them in the midst of the yuckiness. Here I am in the midst of red gingham and daisies, and sometimes I can't bring myself to say the words. Maybe the yuckiness makes it easier to yearn...
Monday, August 18, 2008
Our Tenth Anniversary
It's been ten whole years (in May) since we said "I do" and headed off into the wild blue yonder not knowing a thing about being grown ups. I love that man more today than I did then, and I daily (okay, maybe weekly!!) wonder how God found me worthy of him.
We celebrated our ten years with a trip for Tim (and yes, I mean he went without me!!) to the Cayman Islands. Now, before you get your panties in a wad (am I allowed to say that, being a minister's wife and all!?!), let me explain...
...you see, we had already decided to postpone a big anniversary trip until next year because Simon would be about a month old on our actual 10th anniversary, and what fun is a romantic getaway when you have a one month old along?? So, I was fine with that UNTIL one of Tim's college buddies emailed and said something along the lines of, "I'm turning 30, I want all of my friends to go on a trip with me, I'll pay for yours if you can't afford it, and you can't say no." Well, how sweet (ok, I'll admit, that's not exactly what I said when I read the email). I'm all about honesty, so let's say I was a little less than excited about this prospect. Let me lay it out for you the way I laid it out for Tim....so, I'm supposed to stay home BY MYSELF with a 7 year old, a 3 year old and a 2 month old while you are laying on a beach all day, eating out every night, staying in a super nice hotel KNOWING that it's our 10th anniversary and I should be on that STINKING BEACH WITH YOU!?! AND I'm supposed to be happy about it?!?!? AND I might have cried some real tears, too.
Then, I finally settled down a little bit and pretended to be, I mean, was excited for Tim. I even bought him some new sunglasses, swim trunks, and flip flops. I packed his sun screen and aloe. I kissed him goodbye. I said, with complete sincerity, "Have a good time. You deserve it."
And you know what? He does. He deserves to be with his buddies. He NEEDS to be with his buddies to fully be the man God wants him to be. I need him to have that time. In fact, it allows him to love me better when I actually let go and realize the world does not revolve around me and my pleasure.
Okay, so now where are we going next year???????
Sunday, August 17, 2008
One Touch
My sweet friend, Sherri, brought this song into my world, and, since she doesn't have a blog of her own, I decided to take it upon myself to be her surrogate blogger. I'm nice that way. I am loving this song--the truths in it are overwhelming to me. Our Savior is so precious.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Potty Training Blues
After lunch, Ezra was watching his "Tommy Karate" video. He brought me the remote control and asked, "How do you pause it?". I carefully explained which button to push to pause it and how to start it again when he was ready. I was thinking, "oh, I love the way he's getting more independent." The next thing I know Tim is bringing a poopy pull-up to the trash. I said, "oh, I didn't know Ezra pooped." Tim replied, "He just explained it to me--he knew he was pooping when he asked you how to pause the movie. He wanted to know how to pause it so he wouldn't miss any of the movie when one of us had to change him."
...and so I ask...is this progress or not?????
After lunch, Ezra was watching his "Tommy Karate" video. He brought me the remote control and asked, "How do you pause it?". I carefully explained which button to push to pause it and how to start it again when he was ready. I was thinking, "oh, I love the way he's getting more independent." The next thing I know Tim is bringing a poopy pull-up to the trash. I said, "oh, I didn't know Ezra pooped." Tim replied, "He just explained it to me--he knew he was pooping when he asked you how to pause the movie. He wanted to know how to pause it so he wouldn't miss any of the movie when one of us had to change him."
...and so I ask...is this progress or not?????
Monday, August 4, 2008
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Oh, wow. It feels good to be home. Simon is asleep...the big boys are watching a movie and hopefully drifting off...Tim fell asleep on the loveseat...and I am loving the quiet of the house.
We've been at The Institute this week--a summer program we do at our church for students who would like to go deeper. We had eleven kids this year, and we discussed the book Adventures in Missing the Point by Brian Mclaren and Tony Campolo. We had some fantastic discussions--don't ever let anyone tell you that teenagers can't think deeply. It is an honor to be involved in their lives.
Tomorrow, we will rest up, do the laundry, buy some groceries, wash some sheets, air up the air mattresses, and make a peach pie cause, as Grammie says, "Company's coming up the road." Tim's Grandma (GG, as we call her), uncle, aunt, cousin, husband of cousin, and baby of cousin are all coming in this week. I'm predicting we will eat and laugh a lot.
We've been at The Institute this week--a summer program we do at our church for students who would like to go deeper. We had eleven kids this year, and we discussed the book Adventures in Missing the Point by Brian Mclaren and Tony Campolo. We had some fantastic discussions--don't ever let anyone tell you that teenagers can't think deeply. It is an honor to be involved in their lives.
Tomorrow, we will rest up, do the laundry, buy some groceries, wash some sheets, air up the air mattresses, and make a peach pie cause, as Grammie says, "Company's coming up the road." Tim's Grandma (GG, as we call her), uncle, aunt, cousin, husband of cousin, and baby of cousin are all coming in this week. I'm predicting we will eat and laugh a lot.
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