surprises

Another Day in The Life

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It’s pretty awesome when it’s been a few months since something like this has happened, and then it happens when I least expect it.  Let’s just say I love surprises.  Matthew called me to say that I had to be ready to go out with him at 5:30 tonight.  “Wear work-out clothes, but bring something to change into as well.”  Oh boy.  That is what happens when you go on dates with a personal trainer.  SO, thanks to our amazing friend and pastor, Jon, who watched our kids, Matthew and I took off for an evening of fun.  I fought the urge to get grumpy about part A of our date.  We went to the cross-fit gym and my nerves stopped fidgeting once I got moving.  It was hard not to think about anything other than my shaking legs and the uncomfortably close feeling of about to puke.  But, like everyone said, after finishing I felt great.  It was also pretty cute seeing Matthew’s beaming face when I was all done.  Afterwards we grabbed something to eat and enjoyed some uninterrupted conversation.

That, coupled with another sweet friend bringing us dinner, made up for the especially tiring morning  I had.  After we finished school, I  finally caved and went to the grocery store.  It is pretty bad when the kids are eating graham crackers for breakfast… and lunch.  Despite low blood-sugar levels, everyone was especially energetic it seemed.   We were one of those families today at the store.  The boys were ninjas who were hungry for everything they saw and pretended to consume each item on every shelf.  Then somewhere between when I was paying attention and when I was reading labels on shampoo bottles, Nadine had been chasing Betty down the aisle and fell and skinned her knee on the linoleum floor.  It’s pretty hard to skin your knee on linoleum.  She started crying and saying she broke her knee, and the next thing I knew, there were people around us and someone fetched us bandaids.   She hobbled her way around the rest of the way, but it just seemed to fit the category of crazy-things-that-rarely-happen-while-you’re-shopping.

We also had to go to the dentist to get some cavities filled, (thank you, Grandma for your help!) which added another dose of real-life excitement to our day.  Tucked in there were our everyday messes and tears,

 

along with sweet moments and smiles.

Tomorrow we head to the shore.  Hopefully this time we won’t be plagued with the throw-up bug!  I am really looking forward to no agenda but family.  I was planning on packing tonight, but since I got whisked away by my lover-boy, it can all wait until tomorrow.  Good night.

You Better Be Prepared

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I was reminded today by a friend about how wild our God is.  He is beyond ordinary.  Although it might sound like a paradox, I’ve been expectantly waiting for His unexpected.  As Matthew and I approach a month without work, God keeps confirming that this is good, this is His plan, this is all under His control.  It’s not always easy to get uncomfortable on purpose.  Quitting his job so he can pursue what he loves and what we know God wants us to do has not been a walk in the park.  It’s been more like a walk through a very dry desert.  But, as the sun beats down on us, He provides shade and water and everything we need.  Everything we need.  Wild, unexpected places.  Almost always God uses people to bless us with money, who could really use it themselves.  It never ceases to amaze me.  A hundred-dollar bill tucked under our dinner plates.  Really?  Money in our pillow cases.  Really?  Food our family eats by the pound, provided through people who love to give.  Don’t ever underestimate what good things our Heavenly Father will do when you trust Him to work out the details.  Sometimes we are the ones who are surprised.  Sometimes God is prodding us to do the surprising.  Whatever it is, you better be prepared to be surprised.

God of The Unexpected

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God doesn’t often use the expected means to get His purposes accomplished.  When Jesus fed the 5,000, He didn’t send His diciples to the grocery store or discount outlet to buy enough food for everyone.  He used what was available: 2 loaves and 5 fish from a willing boy’s lunch, and He multiplied it five-thousand-fold.  Unexpected.

When the Israelites left Egypt and came to the Red Sea, God didn’t stop everyone and put the exodus on hold just because a huge body of water was blocking their exit.  He didn’t call a meeting with builders and architects to conceive a plan on how to quickly  build a bridge or a boat which could accomodate thousands of people safely across the water.  No, He simply split the water in half and had the people walk across dry ground.  Unexpected.

When there were thousands of lives at stake during an unstable time in history, God used the wisdom and courage of a woman named Esther, to save an entire nation.  Why not an army?  Unexpected.

This week I have been reading in Ezra.  Israel returned to Jerusalem from captivity and started to rebuild the temple.  They were tricked and discouraged by their enemies, and the rebuilding halted for about fifteen years.  God used Haggai and Zechariah to encourage the people to start rebuilding again.  Then a guy named Tattenai tried to stop the work by sending a message to King Darius, telling him to search the records about whether or not they should indeed be rebuilding the temple.  He was trying to intimidate them into stopping the work again.  The response of the King is so astounding!  Not only does he foil Tattenai’s plan, but he tells him to use the king’s own money to fund the project!  He tells him that he is to give them day by day whatever they need.  Unexpected.

God can use anything and anyone to accomplish what He wants.  He has good plans for us.  He is not limited by our money, our status, our connections, or lack of any means.  God will take our lack and use it.  He will smile, because day by day He likes to surprise us with the unexpected.

Good-Bye Twenties

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My palms were sweaty when we drove up to my sister’s house on Saturday.  For weeks now, I have been sneaking around behind Matthew’s back.  Since I’ve only ever known him as a teenager or a boy in his twenties, his thirtieth birthday was a big deal.  I jotted all of my notes down in Jack’s notebook, drove here and there picking things up and dropping them off.  One day we had a “craft day” at Heather’s house to make these beautiful creations:

They weren’t exactly the highlight of the party decor, like in my minds’ eye, but the tree they hung on looked festive anyway.  The entire day wouldn’t have been so fabulous without my family.  Everyone was amazing.  Matthew eventually stopped asking me questions about our “surprise date”, and later he confessed that he did have suspicions.  But nothing dampened the mood of that day, and it was delightful to see friends and family and hang out together.

There was much swinging and baseball to be had by all.

We have arrived in the thirties with much celebration and gratefulness.  I love my husband so very much.  A lot of things have happened since I filled up his attic bedroom with balloons on his 17th birthday.  We’ve been up and down and all around, yet I can confidently say that I love him more today than I ever have.  It’s an exciting thought to anticipate loving someone more each day.  It’s exhausting sometimes to work at marriage and keep it growing.  We’ve been doing a lot of gardening lately.  Just tonight, in one of our egg carton starters, all of Matt’s little seedlings got knocked over and spilled.  We could give up when things like that happen.  Or we can pick up the dirt, mend the broken pieces, water, love, and nurture those seeds and expect to see growth.  Maybe those beans will be that much more able to withstand a violent storm, because of the test they’ve been through tonight.  Every hard time in life, in marriage, in parenting, is growing us into stronger men, women, husbands, wives, fathers and mothers.

Every day I’m reminded of how beautiful life is.  It’s not always exactly how we wish it would be, and oftentimes it’s much harder than we’d like, but it is always, always beautiful.

A Beautiful Birthday

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Today was my birthday, and it was truly a special day.  All week, the moment I sink into the driver’s seat before going somewhere, the kids have broken out into a hearty rendition of “Happy Birthday”.  I’ve felt the excitement growing.  I love birthdays.  Then this morning it arrived!  I woke up and was served a delicious waffle and hot tea by my husband.  He took the entire day off work just so I could have some time alone.  He shooed me out of the house and I perused thrift stores and had lunch at my favorite cafe with a good book to keep me company.  I perused more thrift stores and didn’t feel the rush of people needing me.  The press to answer questions and solve problems was lifted for a few glorious hours.  Notes, messages, a few cards and lots of love was poured out today.  Matthew took the kids out on a mystery trip and came home with something I’ve always wanted but would never buy for myself: a glass tea-pot and flowering tea.  Nadine mopped the floors for me.  Then, I invited some girl friends over for some much-needed hang-out time.  When my sister arrived, she said she brought one more thing with her.  Thinking she forgot something in the car, I just about fainted when my other New York State-dwelling sister popped out from around the corner!  What a delight to see her face and laugh our guts out all together.  I’m so bummed I never asked my fabulous photographer friend to take a picture of us sisters together.  But, here is a snapshot of my day in part:

Chocolate,flowers, tea, sisters, friends, messages, more tea, surprise packages, drawings, and many renditions of “Happy Birthday” have made today so incredibly delicious.

Monday Crunchies

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Monday.  The day when it feels like every cracker crumb is stuck to the bottom of my slippers as I crunch across my kitchen floor.  The day when school sneaks up and says, “Boo!”and scares me every time.  The day when the contents of my fridge force my creativity to expand to un-natural proportions just to think of something with which to feed my tribe.  The day when an extra cup of tea is in tall order.  I honestly don’t dislike Mondays, mostly because there is nothing too drastically different about them than every other day in the week.  I still cook, clean, change diapers, do laundry, make three meals, sweep dust bunnies, wipe mysterious stickies off the floor, play referee, and plop into bed exhausted.  True, Monday follows our one and only guaranteed family day, which is always a bit of a letdown.  I guess that is why my kitchen floor feels more crunchy than usual and school seems a bit harder than other days.  Today Betty also seemed to turn a corner in her tiny growing-up life.  She has a snotty nose and a sore throat, but there was more to her wee little crying fits than just all that.  They definitely left me swirling a little bit.  I’m bracing myself for a new year, new Betty.


Is there anything cuter than a heart on the bum?  Perhaps, maybe, that heart sneaking away up the stairs in a flash…

I had a lot of girl time this weekend while Matthew took the boys rock-climbing among other things.  It is rare that I catch all three playing so sweetly together.  Nadine was pushing the littles in the clothes basket, which was just as exciting as any boardwalk ride, let me tell you!

 

Betty weighed in a whopping eighteen pounds at  her one-year check-up.  She loves to walk, assisted.   Some of her new tricks include blowing kisses and giving away real-life, sloppy wet smooches on your cheeks.  She climbs the stairs in a jiffy and then lays on her belly at the top and squawks for help to get back down again.


On Saturday when she was starting to get feverish, Nadine rocked her right to sleep while humming “Silent Night”.  It was precious.


Speaking of sleep, this is my favorite part of Monday and every day. Sneaking into the kids’ bedrooms and watching the way sleep transforms their darling faces.  Betty snores and is always in a different position.  Sometimes on her tummy, sometimes her back, sometimes with her feet straight up in  the air on the side of her pack n’ play.  Elijah generally is sprawled out across his bed and can’t be woken up for anything.  Just like his daddy.  Jack is usually curled up into a tight ball, sometimes his entire body underneath the covers.  Just like his mama.  Nadine is almost never asleep before I go to bed, but when the rarity occurs, she is on her back, straight and tall, or half way under her covers and half-way on top of them.  She’s somewhat haphazard when she sleeps.  There is frequently something funny about how Elsie has fallen asleep.  She doesn’t have any one special thing which she likes to sleep with every night.  She almost always is asleep on her back, like a statue, sometimes hands folded across her chest.  The other night, unbeknownst to me, she fell asleep holding a balloon she had received that day.  It is pretty tricky taking pictures in a dark bedroom, but the flash didn’t even make her flinch.


This Monday Matthew got his third out of four infusions.  He’s feeling so much better than three weeks ago, and next week we’ll see where he is in a bit more detail.  When he got home from work, I was sitting on the dirty kitchen floor with Betty on my lap, banging spoons onto a metal bowl.  He knew about my challenges of Monday.  Then he handed me pure gold:  my favoritest tea ever and German chocolate.  Now there is a sweet way to end a Monday.

My Soul is Getting Restless

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At the beginning of this year I wrote down a list of goals for 2012.  Nineteen days later, I finally started one of them.  My fingertips in my left hand are a bit sore as I type and I’ve been transported to many times and places as I strummed my beautiful guitar once again.  I’ve had lots of excuses why I didn’t pick it up and play.  One by one I’ve shot them down, the last excuse being the fact that it only had five very old strings on it.  I was a bit rusty at changing them, but now they are shiny and smooth once again and it felt heavenly to strum after so long.

My guitar was a gift almost twelve years ago.  For my first guitar, I saved my pennies and bought the cheapest one in the showroom.  It served me well, and I learned so much from many people as I took it with me wherever I went.  Fast-forward a couple years to the night before I was leaving to go to Kenya for five months.  Since I was planning on taking my guitar with me to Kenya and only had a soft-shell case I was really hoping to go out and buy a hard-shell case the next day.  That night my church family gave me a farewell dinner and presented me with a hard-shell guitar case.  I was so amazed, but nothing prepared me for what came next.  When they told me to open the case to see if my guitar fit, there lay a beautiful, new guitar.  It was a weighted moment, sort of like when I looked at my babies for the first time, and I’ll never forget it.  Something so gorgeous and unexpected gifted to me.  I’m still humbled.

I remember playing that night in my bedroom with my sister, Sherry and best friend Rebecca (who is now my sister-in-law).  We laughed and sang and Rebecca stuffed secret crumpled up notes into my duffle bag that I found a few days later when I arrived on the other side of the ocean.  I stuck my first bumper sticker on the case that said, “Life is short.  Pray hard.”  It started many conversations from Pennsylvania to Kenya.  I was able to keep the guitar by my side the entire way there as a carry-on bag.


I love music.  I’m tired of thinking I’ll be good at the guitar one day.  I have a lot of ground to make up from disuse.  Then I have a lot of ground to cover that I’ve never crossed before, and I’m excited about it!  Hopefully in a month the pain on my fingertips will be replaced by numbness.  Ten minutes a day.  Anyone want to come jam with me?

Come Away With Me

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I’ve been wanting to write about our amazing Anniversary Weekend, but somehow I find myself collapsed into bed each night, starting another day, then collapsing again.  As refreshing as it was to put a little time lapse on mommy-ing for a couple days, it was sweet to be back at it again on Monday.  The fondness that comes with absence was strong that day for all of us.  The rest of the week has been a bit more like “normal”, and I’ve felt a tad overwhelmed by the constancy of motherhood.  My little baby Betty is officially a one-year-old and woke up one morning acting like one!  She climbs the stairs like it’s her job, and pulls open cupboards and doors, happily exploring anything and everything with her sweet little hands.  She loves to stand on her tippy toes and laugh out-loud. She has the roar of a little lion that can rise to the top of seven voices.  She can then just as quickly be quiet and politely sign for “more please” at meal times, delicately touching her little fingers together with both hands.  Daily, I wonder how such a voice can come out of such a tiny girl.

Our weekend away was water to my parched soul.  After Matt’s mom picked up the kids, we were going to meet at home.  A little accidental locking of his keys in his truck didn’t damper our spirits for a great weekend.  We started with dinner at Bonefish Grill, which was yum times ten.  Then it was off to a mysterious place for dessert.  We pulled into a favorite coffee shop called Burlap & Bean and enjoyed huge mugs of fabulous coffee, dessert, and a live concert by a local artist.  It was Simon & Garfunkle meets the Beetles with a tad bit of original funk to round it all out.  We loved it.

Charlie Philips

The next morning we had breakfast at the Classic Diner, which many friends have told us about.  It was super classy and delicious.  
I loved the mirror in the bathroom!

We took our time meandering before taking a run/jog/walk through Valley Forge.  I regret not wearing my camera around my neck, as akward as it might have been.  The day was breathtakingly beautiful and felt like May, not January.  I almost feel like summer really should be in a few weeks because of the seasonal jet lag that day gave me.  It was glorious.  We jogged, explored iron canons, peeked in the windows of some old houses, and hiked across fields to find shortcuts on the way back.  I felt like I was twenty again, getting to know this cute guy that I hoped I would marry one day… then I basked in the joy that we already were married.  It is heaven to be filled with such love.
My phone was a little less awkward to carry, and shot this fun picture… the only one of the two of us from the weekend.

After Valley Forge, we trekked to the grocery store and enjoyed the indulgence of shopping for one meal in mind.  We went home and cooked and cleaned for our fancy dinner with friends.  I had my camera out and ready to shoot, but never touched it all night long.  Everything from the cheese and olives to the mushroom caps was delightful, but were mere highlights to the main event: friendship.  We basked in the joy of God’s faithfulness in our lives and the lives of each couple with us.

We taped questions underneath each plate which that person had to answer.  I think the question that sticks with me the most is, “What hardship has strengthened your marriage the most?”  As I reflect back on ten years I remember a lot.  The worst and yet best times have been the times when God’s strength was made perfect in our weakness.  Those dark tunnels of financial destitution, spiritual drought, and physical suffering have brought the most blessing.

This week I’ve come face-to-face with one of those past trials.  Though Matthew feels pretty well, it’s obvious the Wegener’s disease is rearing its ugly head again.  His eyes look sick and I think it’s more difficult for me than for him sometimes.  But I know it isn’t easy for him to face this reality again.  On Friday he goes in for his first round of four infusions that will hopefully shock his immune system into doing something else with itself instead of attack his sinuses.  I despise Wegener’s disease and every disease on this earth that reminds us of our imperfection and humanness.  I hate the way disease alters our bodies from how God intended them to be.  Sometimes I’m tired of being strong, which is when I realize that’s a good thing.  I am so very weak, and I feel God’s strength welling up inside of me to carry me through this step.  He gives me enough strength to hold my husband’s hand through sickness and health.  I have faith that God hasn’t changed and He will do great things through this trial.  Thanks for praying!

Happy Winter

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I don’t think I’ve ever put those two words together at the same time.  African blood runs too thick in my veins to really think that winter can be happy.  But I’m embracing it, because it’s part of life, part of where we are, part of God’s creativity.  There have been some special things that have happened this week that have eased me into this somewhat dreary time for me.  A secret bag of treats left on our front porch one night while I was in the basement exercising.  Popcorn, Christmas socks, and other treats warmed our hearts.  Then, a special  package from a friend.  The love that came pouring out of that package was tangible. It was  full of creatively wrapped Christmas presents.  One of those delights was this amazing costume Sarah made.  Folks, a pink super-hero has joined the ranks.   Elsie calls the mask her “goggles” and she kicks grumpies out the door with her cuteness.  Grouchiness (at least in me) runs far far away at the sight of her pink polka-dot cape.  Stress is relieved by the smiles this super-cute-hero produces.  I highly recommend adding a super- hero into your Christmas mix.

My favorite color is red.  I love pops of red all over my house and bursts of red on me and my kids.  So when I saw these shoes at the thrift store yesterday for $2, it was a no-brainer.  I would love to sport shiny red shoes.  I in fact have red heels that make my feet hurt so badly, but I wear them once a year because they make my heart beat faster.  This girl makes me smile so much, and these red shoes… they make my heart glow!  Thanksgiving meets Christmas here.

This week Matthew is working in Philadelphia on the 30th floor of some condos!  To save gas, he is taking the train back and forth from his parents’ house, so we miss him around these parts!  It makes anticipating this weekend even sweeter.  Tonight is date night with Nadine, and thanks to a wonderful friend offering a sleepover for Elsie, and a wonderful Grandma to watch the other three, we will have a blast.  I have a super-fun secret tucked up my sleeve, and I can hardly wait to share what it is!  I’m plenty busy preparing for being the host of this year’s celebration!  Our home will be bursting at the seams, which is just how I like it.

 There is always room for super-heros and red shoes, though!  

Happy Winter!

Do It Now

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Often my ideas are huge and unattainable. Like, I want to paint beautiful mosaics on Betty’s bedroom wall, even though I own no artistic ability to do so. Or, I want to create the perfect backyard getaway, when in reality the constant flow of dirt and water equals mud, and the small stones that used to all be contained in one small two-foot square, are now covering practically every square inch of the backyard. I see myself moving entire gargantuan pieces of furniture upstairs alone, or maybe strapping a couch that I find along the side of the road to the roof of our van, but I know it’s not possible. I envision a lot. Then I often get frustrated at myself for not doing whatever is needed to make that vision become reality. So, I’ve been implementing two new techniques. The first one is to not get bogged down with what I can’t do when all around me are a hundred and three things I can do. The second one is actually not that new. I’m sure it’s as old as Eve. It’s called the “do it now” method. Here’s the gist: I walk past a pair of grimy socks on the living room floor. I either walk past them another ten times, or Do It Now and pick them up on my way to the laundry room. Here’s another example. I wake up and leave my bed crumpled all day, or I take thirty-eight seconds and smooth the duvet and fluff my pillows. I know this is complicated, so here’s one more go at it: I can either think of a really cool idea to do with my kids, or I can by gum do it!

Last Friday I decided to by gum do it.

It took some planning, but not tons of time. The hardest part was sneaking stuff out to the car without spilling the beans that I was up to something. It began when I gathered the kids together and gave them a clue: “In the front seat of something blue, within an envelope lies a clue!”

The kids raced to the car and found an envelope with another clue, which then led them on a series of clues until they found themselves in the van, on their way to Grandma’s house for lunch! After lunch, we got back in the van and headed to their other Grandma’s house. No one was home, but another clue awaited them, and they trekked over to their favorite local jaunt/nature preserve to look for more clues and to find both Grandma and Jacob who were missing! We had a blast at Briar Bush, and made our way back to the house, where a treasure map led the way to the “treasure”, which was a box full of odds and ends that tickled their individual fancies.  It was a lot of fun!

We were able to squeeze it all in before the abundant amounts of rain began to fall over the weekend. That night Matt, Jacob, and Granddaddy took the kids running in the rain. Our kids’ love tanks are filled to the brim when anything that involves out of the ordinary, coupled with getting wet and muddy on purpose, is on the agenda.

The next day we enjoyed visiting with our cousins. The rain was falling in sheets again around suppertime, so the men grilled with umbrellas and raincoats!

I think she’s beautiful even when her tears match the rain.

We celebrated Abby’s 5th birthday with love, a wild game of sardines, and chocolate cupcakes that made even the heaviest rain-cloud-shod day seem like a day of perpetual sunshine.  Wow.  Those things were amazing.

When we left the cousins’ house Irene had decided to come in earnest and I had a small melt-down driving home. I don’t do well driving in strong rain/wind/snow. Once my windshield wipers have to be on that third little notch, I become unglued. Anyway, thankfully we made it home safely. Then began a long night for me where I got up often, breathed prayers over my kids, glared at the tree that kept brushing the side of the house, prayed some more, and saw two circuit boxes blow outside my window in a spray of electric fireworks. It was pretty wild. The whole craziness of the night compounded itself when somehow 3 out of 5 kids landed in our not-built-for-five double bed. I ended up on Jack’s top bunk and finally willed myself to sleep around 4:30am. I was pretty bleary-eyed the next morning. Thankfully our electricity was only off for about an hour during the night, so we were able to enjoy hot beverages and crepes while the wind blew crazy tunes and the rain filled our little fish pond.

While most of the area had to cancel their first day of school, we were hitting the books on Monday morning. This is our first year of homeschooling without the aid of cyber-school. We have two 3rd graders, one in Kindergarten, one in pre-school, and one in la-la land during it all. As Nadine would say, “It’s been SUCH a blast, and even though we’ve only done two days of school, I just LOVE it.” Me too, sweet girl!

So, we started with a hurricane, and are settling into a routine that is new for us. I’m excited to see how everything smooths out, and when we are into our rhythm I’ll be so glad to share our school day with you!  I’ll also be sharing some more of those Do It Now success stories as I experiment with this extraordinary technique that makes piles of junk diminish, dishes get clean, and some not-so-ordinary things happen!