Hanging out

We just finished an extended visit with Nelson's family down in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  I love that place.  Nothing but relaxation, and fun on the beach.  Throw in lots of family time too, and it made for a fabulous week.

Nelson's sister lives in Africa with her family, spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to those on the islands of Lake Victoria.  Our visits with them are precious, as we only get to see them every three to five years.  Even though the cousins are a variety of ages, they didn't let that hinder their ability to hang out together.

Last night, we were able to share our home with them, and sit for a spell while having a nice meal.  The kids of course, zip lined, and in between everyone (almost everyone) weeded a large patch of our backyard- how awesome is that?  "Many hands make light work"!

I'm so grateful for the two independent visits, each unique and fun in their own way.  Our home has been made sweeter with the visit of family.

Paper plates

There have been some pretty amazing inventions over the years.  Some have made things possible for the first time, and others have made life easier.

I'm here to thank the person who invented the paper plate.  That's right.  The good old don't-have-to-wash-it-just-throw-it-in-the-trash invention.  BRILLIANT.

Especially when my two month old dishwasher decided to go kaputz.  Normally I don't mind hand washing dishes  TOO much, but another week's worth?  Forget it.  Madge and her palmolive can become BFF with someone else.

Did I just date myself?

Beyond blessed

Over a year ago, when we were home shopping, I stepped into this house and knew instantly it was THE ONE.  We women just have a knack.

I'd commented to Nelson at that time that we could have huge parties in this house and it will feel roomy.

Again, we women have a knack.

Yesterday, I opened up our home for a family reunion.  All 40 of us fit beautifully inside.  The only ones brave enough to endure the heat and humidity were the "younger" contingent.  They didn't care what the weather was, as long as they could use the zip line.

This is exactly what I had hoped for this home; that it would be a gathering place for family and friends.   For one brief afternoon, my home was filled with the laughter and voices of people I don't see often enough.  The opportunity to connect again was delightful, and reminded me of why we gather in the first place.

My extended family are dear people.  Many of them are pastors and pastor's wives.  They know how to love, and listen and they genuinely care for each other.  None of us are getting any younger, and so the need for these gatherings while the older set is still able, is very important.  It was apparent to me that my aunt in particular, relished the chance to see so many of us.  The hug goodbye lasted a bit longer and was a little bit tighter when I saw her off.  At the end of the day, that's when I know it was successful.

A year ago, I was blessed to find this house.  Yesterday, I was beyond blessed to have it full of family.

Overdue

My to-do list was a mile long today.  Which should have been the warning sign.  The sitter came and off I went to get a few things done alone.  Perfect.  Until.

I was ahead of schedule and looking forward to fitting in one more quick errand before heading home.  Until the car wouldn't start.  That's right, another "adventure".  You don't need all the details.  But you should know that the tow truck driver saved the day by figuring out the problem almost instantly.  GOD BLESS HIM.  He saved me hours of waiting in some car repair shop, fretting away my time.

While waiting the hour or so for him to arrive, I was able to enjoy the beautiful sunshine in the parking lot.  My tan is a little darker, my vitamin D levels are up and my spirit is lifted.  One of the things that I decided to do while waiting was fill my mind with the gratefulness I had in this circumstance.  I wasn't going to allow anything to dampen my spirit or stress me out.  It worked!  Here's what I came up with:

I am grateful right now for:
- being in a safe parking lot
- not being too far from home
- for friends that are willing to help out
- for Doctors that can reschedule easily
- for a beautiful day to enjoy while waiting
- for a cell phone that allows me to call whoever I need to at the time
- for groceries that were tucked in a cooler of ice on a hot day
- for a sitter that had my kids occupied at home
- for a sitter that was flexible
- for good auto insurance
- for knowing my God had it all under control even if I didn't!

Lesson learned.  It would have been easy to sit and stress out, but I allowed the goodness of my God to flood my heart and mind and He, in return blessed me.  I love this!

Even if I WAS overdue for another adventure, I was still able to be blessed through it.  God is good.

The Governor

Kids don't normally find interest in politics.  My two have, thanks to meeting the Governor of Maine.
My father has been involved in local politics for quite some time in Maine.  When the most recent Governor was elected a few years back, my Dad was asked to be on an advisory committee for him.
He thought it would be fun to try and schedule a meeting with Governor LePage so the kids and I could meet him.  It worked out.  I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say, it was pretty incredible.  Even the kids walked away feeling that something special just happened.

We squeezed in visits to the Maine State Museum (a well kept secret) and the State House.  Both places were worth the stop, and impressive in their own right.

The best part?  Governor LePage gave us a token that we're to hand deliver to Governor Christie, on behalf of him.  I've made contact with Christie's office, and will follow up to make sure we see this "job" through.  Charlie is keen on the notion of meeting another Governor and potential Vice Presidential candidate.  Thanks Dad for the chance to do something unique!

Thing 30

Summer has arrived!  The freedom that comes with it is so refreshing.
Thing 30 is really one giant group of "things" I love about this place.
Let me count thy ways...

- fireflies in the yard, and learning how they like to crawl up, then fly away.
- our zip line and it's magnet for all kids on the block.
- no pool, which means the sprinklers must suffice- and boy do they ever.
- farmers markets, and the abundance of ripe, delicious produce.
- kids giggling and playing in our yard, running in and out for snacks.

It's officially been one year in New Jersey, and it's been a FAST year.  One year ago we took a great leap of faith in moving, and now looking back, we can see how abundantly blessed we've been.  This is really no surprise- we knew it would happen, but there's a certain sense of peace in knowing we're going to be just fine here.

Happy Summer!

Lions and tigers and bears- oh my!

Living in "the country" has proven exciting.  Not the kind of excitement people pay for like bungee jumping- but the kind that only comes with rural living.

Example #1- the zip line is in and working JUST fine.  In fact, we are now the "cool house" on the block.  170 feet of pure speed and thrill.  Can't do that in the city, people.

Example #2- the creek behind the neighbors house.  Charlie and the other boys on the block spend hours traipsing up and down the creek collecting minnows and crawfish.  Then they bring them home to show me.  Frogs and snails and puppy dog tails, that's what little boys are made of- only he's not so little anymore.  I love this kid.

Example #3- a bear (or two or three- who knows?).  Out on my morning jog last week I spotted one coming from the woods 50 feet in front of me and I frantically turned around and sped home as fast as FloJo.  SCARY.  A travel size air horn has been ordered.

We love our life here.  Some people live their whole lives without riding a zip line, catching critters and seeing a bear outside a cage.  I'm glad we've chosen this place, and I'm glad it's given us some excitement.