A milestone birthday surprise

It's been weeks in the making, and because of lots of scheduling conflicts, it came late, but today we gathered family from four states and my mother-in-law's church family to celebrate her birthday - oh, and it was a surprise!

Andy came up with the idea of buying "milestone" birthday cards that added up to her age. He penned personalized messages for them, and then because she has the neatest handwriting in the family, Julia stayed up late last night writing them out.

Somehow we got elected to bring flowers, and Andy thought I could just arrange them.  Um, I lack a lot of creativity, and I am no florist. My mother-in-law is an artist who loves Georgia O'Keefe, so we were going for that sunflower look with a pop of color.  The final result which is clearly not professional was the result of teamwork from Andy, Julia and me.

My sister-in-law celebrated a decade birthday this month, so she got a cake too. 

Everyone made it except Zach and Savannah.  Back to school stuff kept them away.

Jean was truly surprised, and it was a great day of catching up with family.

A new school year and a new major

 It's interesting how God weaves our goals and plans.  Years ago when we first realized that Savannah had a love for art and math, we considered what she might do with that unusual combination.  Early on, architecture made the list.  However, a college economics class and a love for chemistry led her to start school last year as an economics major meeting pre-pharm requirements with the ultimate goal of pursuing a bachelor's in economics and a doctorate in pharmacy.  After a year of study, she started second guessing this plan, and then a job in a pharmacy totally changed her mind.  Savannah has always said that she did not want her art to be her way of living as she wanted to continue to enjoy it rather than depend on it to feed her. However, pharmacy work allowed her to see that she wants some creativity in her job, so now Savannah returns to school to pursue architecture.  Interestingly, she chose college based on the strong pharmacy program, but this school also has a strong architecture program.

Nobody joined us to move Savannah into to the dorm, but they all got their goodbyes in before we left.

Zach wanted this picture taken, so that he could post it on social media.  I think the thing I might love most about Zach is that he encourages people and works to build them up.

His post read: Sister is going to college, couldn't be more proud, you're going places Savannah, right after you get done building them! You're family is always here for you, ah yeah rock out this semester with straight A's!

We arrived on campus after 8:00p.m. which made for some ease in securing carts for her stuff and less traffic inside and outside of the dorm.  However, it was a late night.  We realized that Savannah had forgotten hand soap, so we had to make a store run for that and a few other items such as Command strips to replace the ones that did not work.  Nobody had eaten, so we grabbed dinner, and it was well after midnight before Andy and I made it home.

a penguin name tag makes this girl smile --She actually had the opportunity to pet a penguin on Monday. Check that off the bucket list.

How fitting is this shower curtain for an architect student?

So architecture brings a new set of challenges including a two page supply list.  She had to have a foot locker to leave in the architecture building and a specialized laptop that took every penny of her summer earnings.  I am hoping I can help her out financially this year since she did not get to save for the year, but I don't get any of my raise because of the increase in tuition for Wyatt and Julia.  Things have been tight lately.  However, God provides.

I should add that Savannah still plans to minor in economics.

I am anti-protests!

I have been silent about Charlottesville while I try and wrap my head around what happened there and why it happened.  In the aftermath of that situation, I have decided that I am anti-protests.

It seems that protests lately have become avenues for vulgar and violent behavior.  They don't accomplish their purpose and just rally the troops for riots and behavior that leaves a lasting impression of damage rather than change. So this is my take on it.  If you have time to protest, you have time to...

clean up a neighbor's yard when they are struggling
read with a  struggling student
help refugees learn the culture and language of their new land
help renovate or build houses with Habitat for Humanity
help with clinics designed to give personal dental, medical and hygiene services to people in need
help a single parent (even if that is as mundane as bringing them toilet paper)
prayer walk in your community
go to the poorest high school and cheer for their teams, help launch tailgate parties for them
help with a special needs prom
play board games with the residents of a nursing home
and the list could go on and on

If you have the resources to travel for a protest, you have the option to
buy school supplies for students in need and/or pay their school fees and/or provide their uniforms/school clothes, shoes etc.
help supply your local food bank with needed items
buy blankets and gloves for the homeless
provide groceries for a needy family or single parent
send or deliver a meal to a struggling family
pay for a child who would not otherwise get to participate to play a sport
and the list could go on and on

As Jesus said the needy will always be among us.  We were designed to live in community, and it matters not what tribe or tongue, nor color of skin.  If you have the means to help people, then do it.

We can do better than this.  I can do better.  You can do better. We can all do better. This is America!!!

I just read this article:

94 Year Old Man Builds Neighborhood Pool

This, yes this! A million times, this!!!

 Stepping off my soapbox now.

Why don't you talk to people your own age?

Apparently the very existence of parents embarrasses Julia.  On Friday night she attended a football game with a friend and her family.  If not for Andy being willing to take her and pick her up, I would have landed in another cycle of multiple trips equating to an afternoon/evening of living in my van.  Anyway, it was a scrimmage, so Andy figured the game would be a short one. When Julia texted to say that the first two quarters had ended, he waited a few minutes and then headed out to pick her up.
Andy found her at the game and chatted with her and her friends briefly before deciding he had time to go pick up a couple of pizzas.  When he returned there was still plenty of time left on the clock.  He found Julia and her friends and began chatting with them again until Julia admonished him to go talk to people his own age.  Her friends did not see this as endearing.  God love them.

Cuties!

Adios, summer '17 (Julia's social media caption for this picture)

Julia has skills.  She used a timer to take this photo and then edited it.  Savannah said the original looked awkward.  I used to worry before we ever saw a picture of Julia that she would grow up in the shadow of her pretty older sister.  I think she's just as pretty though she wishes she had blue eyes.  She just loves blue eyes.  Julia is definitely her own person and not in anyone's shadow, and this first week of school has been a reminder of just how big her heart is.  This girl loves her family!

This girl loves Van Gogh, so she bought the skirt and painted the shoes.

I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people - Van Gogh

When school starts August 9th - BooHoo

 So this happened...

Wyatt officially started high school.

Julia started 8th grade.  

I always mourn the end of summer, and this has been a crazy week, so no pool time :( I know it's a first world problem. The week started for me with pain I could not take in my jaw.  It was bad Saturday and drove me to an immediate care center on Sunday.  I was diagnosed with allergies.  On Monday, it became clear that the pain was originating from a tooth that has been tender for months.  My dentist called in some Tylenol 3 and advised me to take Ibuprofen along with it.  He also called an endodontist who agreed to perform a root canal, if that would fix me, before his office even opened on Tuesday morning.  Did I mention that Tuesday was my first required day to return to work? Yeah.  So I had a root canal Tuesday morning and felt much better afterward.  I joined the crew at work along with about 600 parents and students with half my face completely numb.  I did alright until I decided that since I had not eaten at all, I should grab a sandwich from a nearby deli.  After eating I was so nauseated that I worked on a book order as long as I could take it then laid down behind my desk until I felt better enough to work some more. Repeat.  I then gave up and went home 20 minutes before I was supposed to and called in reinforcements (aka Zach) to get Wyatt to XC practice so that I could just go straight to bed.

After the fact when I could function again, I can see how God orchestrated a chain of events to help me out with this ordeal.  I did not mention that my dentist's wife is also my Trades of Hope consultant.  We were supposed to close out my party on Sunday (bonus: Andy was buying me goodies for my birthday). However, when D put in my order, she missed putting in my house number which caused my credit card to be denied.  That kicked her out, and she had to re-enter the order.  When she returned to my order, my #1 choice, the Milo bracelet, was sold out.  D decided at that point to table the whole thing until Monday so that she could call the company to see if it could be back-ordered. She learned Monday that it was not sold out and inboxed me to see if she could call that night.  I told her that I was in bed with a toothache that was causing my whole head to throb, so Andy would take the call and finish the order.  She then asked if E could call something in for me.  I don't think I would have called him if she had not offered, and I know that I know that I know that I would have ended up in the ER.  Even with the Tylenol 3 and Ibuprofen, I was waking up in pain with at least an hour and half to go before I could take more medicine.  I have never experienced pain like that.  It drives me to prayer for sure - not only for me but also because I realize that the majority of the world lives in conditions where there would be no where to turn for help.

Side note: My Trades of Hope order arrived today, and I love it all!  I am wearing that Milo bracelet as I type, and yes, it might be my favorite item from this order.  I did get the tote, and it looks really well-made.  It's prettier than I expected, and it has two inside pockets!!! Pockets in purses and totes are very important to me.  

Anyway, back to the week at hand.  So Tuesday was pretty much a bust, but I felt so much better on Wednesday and am improving every day.  However, this high school thing has me a tad concerned.  I bought Wyatt an agenda a week ago and warned him to get his supply list from each teacher on the first days of school (he does not have every class every day, so I knew we would not be shopping until after the second day).  Of course I asked about his supplies, and he responded by telling me he did not need anything.  Say what?  

Me: Do you have a syllabus for each of your classes?

Wyatt: Yes, but I don't have to have them signed, so we are good.

Me: Um, your supply list is usually on the syllabus, so could we visit those?

In the end I got two syllabi out of him.  I hope the general supplies I purchased do indeed cover his other classes.

Note to high school parents: When a syllabus has a novel on it (or more than one) that has to be purchased for a class, do it immediately.  When Zach was a freshman, I missed purchasing one of his novels because it was for the second semester.  Well, the second semester of his freshman year started with the death of my mom.  Because I was back and forth to the hospital, and Andy was trying to keep his head above water as a single parent, Zach did not want to burden us with a  trip to a bookstore to buy the book.  He was nine (yes NINE) chapters behind when we caught our breath and got the book, and yes, that impacted his grade.  I will add that I was frustrated on many levels because students donate those books to the school when they finish their freshman year, so there were extra copies in the classroom, but he was not allowed to take one home, and all the local bookstores were sold out.  So, buy immediately.  Wyatt's first novel arrives from Amazon tomorrow, and I will order the other one before the weekend ends. 

Since I felt much better on Wednesday, I took Regan (6) and Ira (5) on an outing.  I knew before I picked them up that we would end our time together with blizzards from DQ.  However, I learned when I got to their house that they had a fresh-baked chocolate cake awaiting them after dinner. Hmm, what to do? Their parents are pretty strict about sweets.  I decided to risk it.

I asked if I could take a picture and send it to their dad. After snapping the picture, Regan stated "Let's not send that to Mom and Dad. We won't get any dessert if they find out about this." 

They then debated whether it was safe to send it or not, and Ira said, "Send it to Grander and Pa!" -Their grandparents were at their house.

Ira was full of questions and suggestions about what we should do.

He wanted to come to my house.  I told him that was too far away.  He argued that it was not. 

He wanted us to stay and play at his house.  I argued that his grandparents were there from out of town, and he should spend time with them.

He wanted to do this and that.

At some point I said, "We'll see."

Regan's response, "Isn't 'we'll see' just another way of saying no?"

Yeah, I guess it is. 

Thursday was crazy in it's own way (try three afternoon trips to school for XC and cheer practice - fun), and now it is Friday.  The house looks like a tornado swept through it, so I really should be dealing with that instead of blogging, but I have the whole weekend. Right?

P.S. I did interrupt this blog post to order Wyatt's other English book.  He'll be storing that in his locker when it arrives, and I will mark on the family calendar that it is in his locker for when the day comes that he needs that book, and I can't remember what we did with it.

One last look - vacation 2017

Per tradition we packed up the van and then went out to the beach for one last look.

It's always hard to say goodbye.

I slept very little our last three nights of the trip.  Our car battery had died, and I think I worried that our trip to get it fixed would reveal bigger issues.  I was clearly fighting a cold the last night.  We were probably half way home when we stopped for gas, and I was desperate enough to buy cold medicine and lip balm at gas station prices.  My last two trips to the beach have left my lips in terrible shape - cracked, sore, and swollen.  Lesson learned, I will use a balm with sunscreen on my lips if I ever have the opportunity to play in the ocean again.

That's a wrap on vacation 2017.  We left on July 22nd and returned on July 29th.

Whataburger - vacation 2017

We capped off our last night with a group dinner at Whataburger.  In the past vacations have included an outing such as a dolphin cruise and/or a group dinner out at a seafood place.  The budget has been too tight the last few years to make that happen. 

The couples on vacation all managed a seafood dinner, but the kids and singles did not. Usually, the last night is one where we are trying to empty the fridge of the food that Dad over bought, but Dad was not there this year, and the food purchases were more reasonable.  Dinner out had to be reasonable too.

Speaking of Dad, we were three miles from the nearest Wal-mart.  He would have been so proud.

This vacation brought some changes.  The two oldest cousins had to pay their own way.  Because of that we were not okay with the usual pull-out couches for them - seemed unfair to pay your way and not even get a real bed.  Finding a house to accommodate this group gets harder and harder every year.  We love to include more family and close family friends.  This year, my friend Kim stayed a couple of blocks away and on the same beach so that we could hang out.  We will have to do it that way in the future and though we don't want to split up the kids, it may come to that.  Next year, if we vacation together, it has to be much more affordable.  I have a sibling out of work, and Andy and I have two kids in college and two in private school.  Our next four years will be tough financially unless something miraculous happens.

I do not take a minute of vacation for granted.  This one involved a lot of babysitting for Andy and me.  Our van broke down and needed a battery.  Andy desperately needed a time to pull away and rest.  He did not get it, and I am looking for an affordable cabin on a lake for him to get away for a weekend and just regroup and spend some time with his Father.  The demands of his job have pushed him to the edge, and I want to support him in any way that makes this doable.

Ira is crazy about Wyatt. I think Wyatt likes Ira right back.  Wyatt is so good with the little ones.  I observed him walking out of the ocean with a younger cousin holding each hand at one point.  I was in the ocean or I would have raced to grab my phone for a picture.  It was really sweet.

How do you spell her name? F-U-N
Kallie started this pointing game at the restaurant, and we had fun with it throughout the evening.

The adults took turns cooking dinner for the group.  Andy and Zach teamed up with a trip to the fish market for fresh seafood.  Andy grilled the fish, and Zach made gumbo with fresh shrimp and crab.  It was so good, and Andy says cooking with his son was his best memory of the trip.

I just want to add that our oven went out one night while dinner was cooking.  While awaiting the maintenance crew to come and fix it, Andy made hash brown casserole on the grill.  He even cooked Savannah's chocolate chip cookies on the grill.  I married a resourceful man.

Birthday Boy - vacation 2017

Isaac turned four on the day everyone drove back from the beach, so we celebrated his birthday one night while there.

Look closely at the pictures, what I love is the exuberance displayed by his siblings.  His mom surprised them with the birthday celebration, and you can see that they are all thrilled.

Since I learned how much Isaac loves animals during this trip, we went out and purchased a sea turtle, shark tooth necklace and a plastic shark to celebrate his day.  I think he liked them - especially the sea turtle.

Family pics - vacation 2017

Our family pictures did not really work out this year.  We did not do them early in the week which is best to avoid weird tans (check out my face).  When we did do them, I was obligated to babysit, so we rushed them.  I feel like we got great shots of the kids but not really a great shot of the whole family.  My hair was wacky.  I am the ugly duckling of the family, so yeah, I am whining about how I look in the photos - lol.

our photographer
Joshua does a good job, I think.  

While we were on vacation, this girl learned that she has been accepted into architecture school.  This is a change in program for her and more suited to her strengths - art and math.

I tried to get solo beach photos of Wyatt and Julia.  The humidity caused the camera to keep fogging up, so we returned to the house where I was able to get these.  I don't buy school pictures any more, so I do what I can to capture them each year.  Wyatt was out of patience after our trip to the beach, so I only got a few of him.

I did not even take Julia to the beach after my less than successful venture out with Wyatt.  She's not the favorite.  I just have more ideas for girl poses, and she's good at posing.

These last three photos are all the same picture with different cropping and changing from color to black and white.