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.

Morning - vacation 2017

I do not like to waste daylight, especially at the beach.  I awoke crazy early chasing the sunrise every morning.  Unfortunately the sun did not rise on the beach.  

That time proved to be valuable anyway.  I spent it walking in the cool breeze, reading Romans, and often I returned to the house to find that Tiffany and Danielle were the only ones awake, so I got some time to hang out with them.

Andy is not an early riser.  I think if he had had this kind of alone time, he would have returned rejuvenated.  I think it is the only reason I feel like I received what I needed to on vacation.

One morning I found two sand dollars.  They were each the size of a quarter and were still alive, so I tossed them back into the ocean.

My morning view

a great place to sit and read while facing the surf

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities- his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Romans 1:20 NLT

 I started reading through Romans on vacation, and this verse was pertinent to my view.  

As I've been reading through Romans, I have used two translations.  For vacation, I used a print copy of the NIV Life Application Study Bible, and I used an app on my phone to use the NLT (I use a print copy at home).  For years I have enjoyed bible studies, but I have never been one to read much on my own.  This year during a study, someone mentioned how the book Women of the Word changed her approach to study.  I have not finished reading the book, but I have taken some advice to read looking specifically for the characteristics of God.  As I have done that, I have written them down on sticky notes and placed them on the corresponding pages of my bible.  It's messy (my handwriting), and I now have three NT books in my bible covered in sticky notes, but it has made me more disciplined in my reading, and I have enjoyed it more.  It has also given me a great tool for praise as I can just read those notes back to God in prayer.  My birthday is coming up, and I am considering treating myself to a journaling bible (specifically this one https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/1496413741/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER) and actually writing my notes in the journaling part of the bible.  Note: I have looked at this journaling bible in a bookstore.  The pages are too thin on the paperback version, so I will likely get the hardback and hope it holds up, and I will still probably have to purchase specialized pens that won't bleed through pages.

Since I brought this up, I will share some of my favorite tools.  Of course I love the sticky notes.  I also prefer a mechanical pencil.  Mechanical pencils are nice because they do not have to be sharpened, but you do have to find a style you like.  I don't like side clicks and prefer a substantial pencil in my hand, so the Pentel Twist eraser III is my favorite pencil.  I do not currently have this particular pencil because I have gone through so many in my search for one I really like that I have several pencils to use up before I buy one.  I do use these at work, so that's how I know about them.  I did recently see a very similar pencil in the back to school stuff at Target for a good price. I prefer a mechanical pencil for the ease of erasing mistakes and because I feel like my handwriting is better when using a pencil.  If I want to actually write in my bible, I prefer pencil to pen so that nothing bleeds through the pages. (Side note - I also prefer a mechanical pencil for the family calendar on the fridge.  Writing sideways with a pen just does not go so well as the ink does not flow like it should);

If you have not yet met the magnet bookmarks, let me make the introduction.  I have used receipts, traditional bookmarks, scraps of paper, fancy metal bookmarks, paperclips, and have folded page corners to mark my spot in any given book.  I am so very glad that I have found the magnetic bookmarks.  They don't get lost.  They don't indent the paper like a paperclip would, but if you choose the right size, they will hold a note or notecard in a book.  My preference is the size shown in the photo below.  They generally come in affordable packs of four or six. I've seen them at Michael's and in Christian bookstores.  I've used the smaller ones, and they are fine just not likely to hold anything more than your place in a book.  I have learned that choosing dark colored ones work best as the lighter colors often blend in with the pages which kind of defeats the purpose.

...and this happened - true story

This is not a health and wealth book.  It's about spiritual disciplines, and the author is very practical and funny.  I started it as part of a summer book club. There are discussion questions in the back, but I have not found them to be helpful - in fact, quite the opposite.  I am enjoying the book and getting more out of it without the questions.

I found the sunrise - just not over the beach. Still pretty though.

Random -vacation 2017

The water was generally calm, so there was very little boogie boarding.

On a good day, you could be neck deep in the water and still see your toes.  

On birthdays

My paternal grandfather died suddenly and unexpectedly on my 11th birthday. I learned early that birthdays aren't special.  Life can still knock you down on your birthday.  It would take decades before I felt like celebrating my birthday was an okay thing to do.  Just about the time I started celebrating again, life threw another disappointing blow my way on that special day.

Several years ago I started following the Fly Lady.  I would like to say that she changed my life, and my home is now always neat and organized, and I can keep it that way with my control journal and fifteen minutes of chore duty at a time.  However, that is still an area of struggle for me.  I do have the control journal with important information for my family to access in a time of crisis, but the house - ugh!!

All this to say that one thing that the Fly Lady introduced me to is the idea of taking care of yourself. She shared that instead of feeling left out after she had stuffed stockings for her entire family, and there was nothing for her, she went ahead and stuffed herself a stocking and participated when the family opened stockings. If I were a single mom, I might do that and take the pressure off my kids to feel like I should have something that morning.  However, I couldn't care less if I have a stocking on the mantle on Christmas morning.

I want to be that person who has the perfect gift for every occasion, but the reality is that I just don't.  I fret over what to do or get until I am out at the last minute praying for God's guidance as I try to pick something that will be enjoyed by the recipient.  I am an acts of service kind of gal.  If my family deep cleaned my house for my birthday, I would like that much better than a trinket of some sort.

That being said, I just vacationed with two widows, and I really want to make their birthdays special. They have friends who do a great job of that.  I am a total failure.  In regard to my own birthday, when my family asks what I want, I go blank.  Of course there are things I want.  I want a bathroom renovation.  I want new flooring for my entire house.  However, those things don't squeeze into that combined $50-$100 budget my husband and kids have for my birthday.  I am always game for a quality bottle of a fun nail polish color, but I would have to pick it out which takes the fun out of surprises for everyone else :)  I think  you are getting the picture - I am not much fun.

This year I am approaching my birthday a little differently.  I plan to treat myself.  I am not sure in what way I will do that.  I love pedicures and only get them every other year.  I already had one this year, but I promised myself a second one for a change.  I may do that.  I have been considering a new Bible to make my note taking easier.  However, I am a practical girl, and my bible is in good shape.  I don't need another item in my house as I need to purge far more than I need to add, so I probably will forgo that idea.  The reality is that, if I am honest with myself, my next bible should be a large print one - ouch!  As I've already stated on the blog, I will be ordering from Trades of Hope, and while I don't need any more trinkets, I can justify that by the fact that a portion of my spending on those items supports a good cause, and I will not be ordering anything that I will not use.

Life changes. The people who always gave me something for my birthday and actually were present on the day of my birth are gone.  I can wallow in that, or I can choose to celebrate.  I don't want to put it on anyone else to make my day special.  I can do that myself, in my own way, and I want to encourage you to do the same.  So if you like gifts and pretty packages, get yourself the perfect gift and wrap it up in pretty paper and then open it on that special day.  If you like to be pampered, schedule yourself a small session to do it.  If you prefer a restful day, put one on the calendar and do it.  Get creative, and don't let the inattention of others hurt you.  Chances are that they don't mean to hurt your feelings or neglect you, there are many reasons why they might be unable to celebrate you.

The reality for me is that my birthday will be wonderful if it is a pretty day, and we get to do something outside whether it be poolside or walking through a pretty part of town.  Savannah's homemade chocolate cake won't hurt either ;)  Okay, it will hurt my health, but I will enjoy every bite.

For me, this isn't so hard because I hate to be the center of attention.  I get that this would be harder if I liked that.  I will forbid my family to mention my birthday on that day if we will be in the company of others who do not already know it (a rule they blatantly broke last year, and I am still trying to forgive them - lol), so I can celebrate this day privately with no qualms. Hopefully, you can also find a way to celebrate your life without depending on others.