I've reached a weird stage in life. I feel like I'm all grown up and now need to figure out what to do with my life.
It's not as though the kids are all grown and out of the house, but they certainly are much more independent than they used to be.
And it's quiet. Oh so quiet.
In some ways I love the quiet. In other ways I know the quiet isn't always good for me. I constantly go back and forth between loving people and loving solitude.
So, I am looking for a job. I am volunteering. Women's Bible Study just started up again. All good things. But, it seems we are constantly searching in this lifetime.
I am reading "Carry On, Warrior" by Glennon Melton. She talks about living a holey life. As in, we are all born with a God sized hole in us and we are constantly trying to fill it with other things. I love this lady. She speaks to my life in a way that no one else has. I can relate to so many things she talks about. And, she's hilarious, which is always a plus because if you can't laugh at the craziness of this life you will lose your mind.
So, God is showing me a lot these days. I am always grateful for His faithfulness.
Friday, September 12, 2014
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
A House and a Creek
We are buying a house! What?? And, it's on a creek. I don't know what I am more excited about, the house, or the creek? I think both. They just fit well together.
I grew up near a creek where I would go exploring all the time. I would catch salamanders and crayfish using two cups. I would sometimes try to keep them as a pet, but thankfully I knew better and eventually let them go.
So, today we go to the house for the home inspection. Hopefully all will go well. I CANNOT wait to be in our own place again. This house we are renting has been such a huge blessing in so many ways, but it is a cold house and we are all ready to be warm. When we went to look at the house we are buying the heat was cranking and the kids kept saying how warm it was. Madelyn mentioned it again the other day, how warm the house was and how she can't wait to be in that house. That's how cold this house is. The upstairs here stays pretty warm, but downstairs can just be miserable. Dan actually wore his winter coat the other day while he was watching basketball. I don't know what it is. We turn the heat up, but it just doesn't cut it. Of course, by the time we move in we will probably be complaining about the heat, but that's okay.
We are so grateful for God's provisions since we have decided to move to VA and He just continues to provide. I can't wait for the dogs to be able to chase the ducks at the creek and for the kids and I to be able to catch frogs!! (Although I think I am more excited for that than they are.)
I grew up near a creek where I would go exploring all the time. I would catch salamanders and crayfish using two cups. I would sometimes try to keep them as a pet, but thankfully I knew better and eventually let them go.
So, today we go to the house for the home inspection. Hopefully all will go well. I CANNOT wait to be in our own place again. This house we are renting has been such a huge blessing in so many ways, but it is a cold house and we are all ready to be warm. When we went to look at the house we are buying the heat was cranking and the kids kept saying how warm it was. Madelyn mentioned it again the other day, how warm the house was and how she can't wait to be in that house. That's how cold this house is. The upstairs here stays pretty warm, but downstairs can just be miserable. Dan actually wore his winter coat the other day while he was watching basketball. I don't know what it is. We turn the heat up, but it just doesn't cut it. Of course, by the time we move in we will probably be complaining about the heat, but that's okay.
We are so grateful for God's provisions since we have decided to move to VA and He just continues to provide. I can't wait for the dogs to be able to chase the ducks at the creek and for the kids and I to be able to catch frogs!! (Although I think I am more excited for that than they are.)
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Virginia Life
We live in Virginia now. What? So crazy. A friend who moved away from Reading just contacted me telling me she was back in the area and wanted to get together sometime. I told her we now live in VA! Such a bummer, and just so nuts how this life we live can change from day to day or state to state.
So, now Madelyn is in Middle School. That's just nuts in its own way, but good. She is growing and maturing and realizing school can be hard and a LOT of work. It's all good though. She's a trooper. She is incredibly homesick for her friends, but she is making new ones. It just takes time and reminders that she will never replace her other friends. You just add to your list of dear friends and thank the Lord it is so much easier to keep in touch these days.
I am homeschooling Elijah. We figured with such a big transition why not try it since we have always talked about it. I think it is good for him AND me. I would be terribly sad to be all alone here at the house if they were both in school. Of course, I would probably be job hunting as well, but no. We are homeschooling. It's the online virtual school. I love it. Everything is right there for you and laid out as far as your progress, etc. and we can just move along at our own pace. The best part though, gym class at the beach.
That's right. The bay is ten minutes from here and it was so hot yesterday. We went to the beach. Elijah swam, we walked, ran, watched the little crabs scurry across the sand into their holes. THIS is why we moved to VA ;) I think we are going to head back over there today. It is soooooooo therapeutic. I love the water.
Yesterday I was watching my little guy just having a good time in the water and looking out over the big sea he just seemed especially little. There is something so calming about being near the water. I was struck this morning and just how at peace and happy I was feeling. It's a gorgeous day, the sun is shining, and I feel peace. You know things have been a little stressful when the peaceful feeling is what gets your attention.
We have had a lot of sadness lately. Jerry Greer, Nick's brother-in-law, passed away from Leukemia, such a horrible disease. Uncle Bill had a massive stroke and passed away on Sunday. Jon is in the hospital due to his back and they are hoping for surgery, but need to find a doctor willing to do it. It's hard being so far from friends and family when they are suffering. We are going to Delaware this weekend for Uncle Bill's funeral. I wish I could stay longer and go to PA to visit Jess and Jon or help with the kids. Everything is just so different now.
So I will gladly enjoy this peaceful feeling at the moment.
Of course, I just saw the time and school needs to start here shortly so I must enjoy those moments now too. Elijah is a fun and willing student. I told him we need to get a lot done this morning so we can head to the bay again today for gym :) If that's not a good motivator, I don't know what is.
So, now Madelyn is in Middle School. That's just nuts in its own way, but good. She is growing and maturing and realizing school can be hard and a LOT of work. It's all good though. She's a trooper. She is incredibly homesick for her friends, but she is making new ones. It just takes time and reminders that she will never replace her other friends. You just add to your list of dear friends and thank the Lord it is so much easier to keep in touch these days.
I am homeschooling Elijah. We figured with such a big transition why not try it since we have always talked about it. I think it is good for him AND me. I would be terribly sad to be all alone here at the house if they were both in school. Of course, I would probably be job hunting as well, but no. We are homeschooling. It's the online virtual school. I love it. Everything is right there for you and laid out as far as your progress, etc. and we can just move along at our own pace. The best part though, gym class at the beach.
That's right. The bay is ten minutes from here and it was so hot yesterday. We went to the beach. Elijah swam, we walked, ran, watched the little crabs scurry across the sand into their holes. THIS is why we moved to VA ;) I think we are going to head back over there today. It is soooooooo therapeutic. I love the water.
Yesterday I was watching my little guy just having a good time in the water and looking out over the big sea he just seemed especially little. There is something so calming about being near the water. I was struck this morning and just how at peace and happy I was feeling. It's a gorgeous day, the sun is shining, and I feel peace. You know things have been a little stressful when the peaceful feeling is what gets your attention.
We have had a lot of sadness lately. Jerry Greer, Nick's brother-in-law, passed away from Leukemia, such a horrible disease. Uncle Bill had a massive stroke and passed away on Sunday. Jon is in the hospital due to his back and they are hoping for surgery, but need to find a doctor willing to do it. It's hard being so far from friends and family when they are suffering. We are going to Delaware this weekend for Uncle Bill's funeral. I wish I could stay longer and go to PA to visit Jess and Jon or help with the kids. Everything is just so different now.
So I will gladly enjoy this peaceful feeling at the moment.
Of course, I just saw the time and school needs to start here shortly so I must enjoy those moments now too. Elijah is a fun and willing student. I told him we need to get a lot done this morning so we can head to the bay again today for gym :) If that's not a good motivator, I don't know what is.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Time Away
Such a fun time away this week. Dan turned 40 so after celebrating with some friends and family over the weekend we went away to Rehoboth for a few day.
Best. Time. Ever. With my little family. I don't think we have ever gone away just the 4 of us. We usually vacation with our family in the summer, and my mom has always been so gracious to travel with us on other vacations.
We stayed at a hotel with a free happy hour where they offer glasses of wine and cheese and crackers. At 8 a.m. every night they serve fresh from the oven cookies. Madelyn LOVED that.
There was an indoor pool and outdoor hot tub and we had vouchers for breakfast at a restaurant across the street. YUM!
We arrived around five just in time for a glass of wine, perfect after a long drive. We ate at Green Turtle which is right on the water so we could see the waves and then spent some time on the beach before we went back and the kids went swimming for a bit.
The next day after breakfast we hung out on the beach for a bit before heading back to swim as a family. Such a fun time. We had the pool and hot tub to ourselves. After getting cleaned up we parted ways. Madelyn and I went to shops while Elijah and Dan played video games and mini golf. We met back up before dinner at Grottos.
The day after that we went back to shops to get shark tooth necklaces for the kids and some friends of theirs, flew kites on the beach, played the Easter Egg game then went back for some swimming before dinner.
Ate dinner at Summer House. MMMMMMMMMMM ... so good. During dinner the kids wanted to know how Dan and I met and "how our marriage got started." At one point in the story Elijah says, "Huh, a blessing, yet a curse" in response to us saying how we lost a mutual friend in the process of us starting to date. I gained Dan, but lost a friend, hence the blessing and curse. So cute.
We then went swimming at 9 pm and swam until 11. So fun!!
I know this is just a laundry list of what we did, but I didn't want to forget. I lost my camera so I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked. I had to use the kids' ipods.
The best parts of the trip were getting to spend time with my girl, chatting and shopping. I love that I love hanging out with her and she is so cute and funny and sweet to people we meet out. I loved hearing her comment on things we saw while window shopping, the things she thought were pretty, weird, fun, etc.
I loved flying kites with the kids and teaching them a game I played as a kid. They were super cute and fun. Elijah was so funny burying half his feet and part of his legs in the sand while wearing corduroys. Of course. He has always been that way with sand, not quite phased by it. When he was one and we took a family trip together he would just take bites of the sand. Bites. Eat it. No qualms.
I also loved swimming as a family. Dan is so funny with the kids and we all crack up to where we can hardly breathe. He would stay still with his eyes clothes in the pool and when the kids would get close to him his eyes would pop open and he would grab them and hug them real tight. You just didn't know when to expect it. Silly, yet so so funny. He was throwing them and swimming with them on his back, etc.
The last night when we were swimming so late Dan left first to go shower so we weren't all freezing in the room waiting for our turn. I told him we would be ten minutes later, but the kids and I got into a game with the fish pool toys that you dive for. Well, the fish were then chasing the kids to "bite" at them so then they were trying to get them from me. I would swim with the fish sticking up out of the water like a shark fin. Well, when I came up I see Dan is back looking into the door window laughing. We were a little later than ten minutes. He then proceeded to do a game with all the windows around the pool where we didn't know where or when he was going to pop up or what he would do when he did. Sometimes he would pretend to go downstairs, or be walking backwards, or look like he was two feet shorter. Seriously? How is this my life?? My husband keeps me AND my kids laughing and my kids have the best Dad ever!
It was hard to leave the ocean today. It always feels a bit like I am leaving a piece of my heart there when we leave. There is just something so magnificent and scary about the vast ocean that makes me feel closer to God. The weather just got lovelier and lovelier with each day too. We were playing the Easter egg game again today and riding scooters on the boardwalk. There wasn't a strong wind like the other days either so it was just perfect.
Alas, reality and our animals awaited us, and Capriottis subs at my Mom's :) YUM!
This was our little family vacation, memories I will always hold dear.
Best. Time. Ever. With my little family. I don't think we have ever gone away just the 4 of us. We usually vacation with our family in the summer, and my mom has always been so gracious to travel with us on other vacations.
We stayed at a hotel with a free happy hour where they offer glasses of wine and cheese and crackers. At 8 a.m. every night they serve fresh from the oven cookies. Madelyn LOVED that.
There was an indoor pool and outdoor hot tub and we had vouchers for breakfast at a restaurant across the street. YUM!
We arrived around five just in time for a glass of wine, perfect after a long drive. We ate at Green Turtle which is right on the water so we could see the waves and then spent some time on the beach before we went back and the kids went swimming for a bit.
The next day after breakfast we hung out on the beach for a bit before heading back to swim as a family. Such a fun time. We had the pool and hot tub to ourselves. After getting cleaned up we parted ways. Madelyn and I went to shops while Elijah and Dan played video games and mini golf. We met back up before dinner at Grottos.
The day after that we went back to shops to get shark tooth necklaces for the kids and some friends of theirs, flew kites on the beach, played the Easter Egg game then went back for some swimming before dinner.
Ate dinner at Summer House. MMMMMMMMMMM ... so good. During dinner the kids wanted to know how Dan and I met and "how our marriage got started." At one point in the story Elijah says, "Huh, a blessing, yet a curse" in response to us saying how we lost a mutual friend in the process of us starting to date. I gained Dan, but lost a friend, hence the blessing and curse. So cute.
We then went swimming at 9 pm and swam until 11. So fun!!
I know this is just a laundry list of what we did, but I didn't want to forget. I lost my camera so I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked. I had to use the kids' ipods.
The best parts of the trip were getting to spend time with my girl, chatting and shopping. I love that I love hanging out with her and she is so cute and funny and sweet to people we meet out. I loved hearing her comment on things we saw while window shopping, the things she thought were pretty, weird, fun, etc.
I loved flying kites with the kids and teaching them a game I played as a kid. They were super cute and fun. Elijah was so funny burying half his feet and part of his legs in the sand while wearing corduroys. Of course. He has always been that way with sand, not quite phased by it. When he was one and we took a family trip together he would just take bites of the sand. Bites. Eat it. No qualms.
I also loved swimming as a family. Dan is so funny with the kids and we all crack up to where we can hardly breathe. He would stay still with his eyes clothes in the pool and when the kids would get close to him his eyes would pop open and he would grab them and hug them real tight. You just didn't know when to expect it. Silly, yet so so funny. He was throwing them and swimming with them on his back, etc.
The last night when we were swimming so late Dan left first to go shower so we weren't all freezing in the room waiting for our turn. I told him we would be ten minutes later, but the kids and I got into a game with the fish pool toys that you dive for. Well, the fish were then chasing the kids to "bite" at them so then they were trying to get them from me. I would swim with the fish sticking up out of the water like a shark fin. Well, when I came up I see Dan is back looking into the door window laughing. We were a little later than ten minutes. He then proceeded to do a game with all the windows around the pool where we didn't know where or when he was going to pop up or what he would do when he did. Sometimes he would pretend to go downstairs, or be walking backwards, or look like he was two feet shorter. Seriously? How is this my life?? My husband keeps me AND my kids laughing and my kids have the best Dad ever!
It was hard to leave the ocean today. It always feels a bit like I am leaving a piece of my heart there when we leave. There is just something so magnificent and scary about the vast ocean that makes me feel closer to God. The weather just got lovelier and lovelier with each day too. We were playing the Easter egg game again today and riding scooters on the boardwalk. There wasn't a strong wind like the other days either so it was just perfect.
Alas, reality and our animals awaited us, and Capriottis subs at my Mom's :) YUM!
This was our little family vacation, memories I will always hold dear.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Why Not?
I am not getting much done today so why not post on my blog?
I went to the dentist this morning. I am finally going to get my teeth redone. I have been putting it off for years due to lack of funds and lack of confidence in dentists. Today I saw my friend's dad. It's just perfect timing. I love how God works things out. He was so great. I felt so comfortable and I am ready to have it done. I just need to talk to Dan about funding it all. Ugh. Teeth are expensive.
I watch shows years after they aired. I don't know why, but it has just worked out this way. So, I am watching Friday Night Lights. It is a fun show, very relational, but real life scenarios for the most part. I LOVE the main husband and wife characters. I want to have them over for dinner. Alas, they are fictional :) Things keep coming up though that Dan and I talk about and I keep trying to refrain from saying, "They just went through that on FNL ..." I usually end up saying it though even though I try to refrain. That's just how I am with Dan. I can never keep stuff from him. I tell on myself all the time, but that's a subject for another day.
Peyton has two cavities. He went to the dentist last night and found out. He didn't hesitate to tell me at 6 a.m. this morning when he walked in the door. He seems excited about them though. He said he is going to get stars put in his teeth and they are going to dig with a sort of shovel that sounds like a train. He said it doesn't even hurt. Oh my. He is funny.
This has been a fairly quiet week which can be good and bad. Good because I feel more on top of things. Bad because I need to interact with people. I am happy though. It's a good feeling to be happy. I know I won't always have these quiet days at home so even when it feels a little lonely I try to be thankful for these days. I know they won't last forever.
I went to the dentist this morning. I am finally going to get my teeth redone. I have been putting it off for years due to lack of funds and lack of confidence in dentists. Today I saw my friend's dad. It's just perfect timing. I love how God works things out. He was so great. I felt so comfortable and I am ready to have it done. I just need to talk to Dan about funding it all. Ugh. Teeth are expensive.
I watch shows years after they aired. I don't know why, but it has just worked out this way. So, I am watching Friday Night Lights. It is a fun show, very relational, but real life scenarios for the most part. I LOVE the main husband and wife characters. I want to have them over for dinner. Alas, they are fictional :) Things keep coming up though that Dan and I talk about and I keep trying to refrain from saying, "They just went through that on FNL ..." I usually end up saying it though even though I try to refrain. That's just how I am with Dan. I can never keep stuff from him. I tell on myself all the time, but that's a subject for another day.
Peyton has two cavities. He went to the dentist last night and found out. He didn't hesitate to tell me at 6 a.m. this morning when he walked in the door. He seems excited about them though. He said he is going to get stars put in his teeth and they are going to dig with a sort of shovel that sounds like a train. He said it doesn't even hurt. Oh my. He is funny.
This has been a fairly quiet week which can be good and bad. Good because I feel more on top of things. Bad because I need to interact with people. I am happy though. It's a good feeling to be happy. I know I won't always have these quiet days at home so even when it feels a little lonely I try to be thankful for these days. I know they won't last forever.
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