my familiar | summer's end

 

I love to travel. I've been blessed to have flown internationally and be in different countries. I've seen beautiful and historical landmarks in America, and if you gave me a plane ticket and a travel partner, I can't think of many places I'd refuse to go. There are so many different travel destinations on my bucket list that I can't name half of them off the top of my head.The world is beautiful - each place stunning in it's own unique way.

But there is something to be said about the beauty I see daily, that I get to take for granted. The things I hope never change, that will welcome me back when I've been gone.

It's easy to feel stuck in a place when there's simply too much going on, not enough time, too expensive to travel...whatever the reason you can't leave.  I've been there so many times. Feeling the itch to pack a bag and get on a plane. Just to see something different, break up the routine, jump out of your rut.

I've been feeling that for the past few weeks as we're in the middle of what sometimes feels like a hurricane of sawdust and nails. The holidays are coming up and it's just a terrible time to take off work. Planning a trip for April and May seems like such a long way off...and so I decided to appreciate the things around me.

The evenings are getting cooler here. Still a far cry from the nose-numbing nights of deep autumn, but the evenings of driving around with the windows down are numbered. So last night, Amie and I decided to take a drive around some of our favorite places near home. We were never more that 15 minutes from our house, and with cameras in hand, my desire to leave this place for a little while grew to a distant call that I'll revisit later in April or May. ;)

These are sights that comfort me, that let me know this is where I belong.

My familiar.

Come drive around with us...

{as appropriate as it would be, no, I do not live on this road ;) }

 

 

We all have places uniquely beautiful and special to us. These sights speak to me of home. What is your familiar?

Week's End Review

Wow, what a week! Jacob and Christine took a trip to Cancun, so we had all four kids for 5 days. We had a lot of fun - between morning time when Lena's super happy, to trips to the park and zoo, to Stephen and Tara's birthday celebration (which was at their now furnished house) to trips on Bro. Dale's motorcycle! :)

Tara's birthday was Sunday and Stephen's was Saturday, so we got together at their house on Tuesday. Jacob and Christine were flying out very early Wednesday morning, so we took the kids home with us and they stayed the night at Stephen and Tara's since they live much closer to the airport. All of the kids absolutely love their dog, Tucker!

Wednesday and Friday were park days, and on Thursday we loaded them all up and went to the Nashville zoo. It was a lot of fun for three boys, interesting for nosy little Lena, and tiring for all of us. We had a good day, though!

They were all so good, and it was fun having someone to take on bike rides at the park and share slushies with. :)

RENOVATION/ADDITION UPDATE:

There were three extra helpers on the job site this week!

tear out the back porch
dig footer

pour footer

lay block

build floor & walls

build roof & put shingles on

take out counters, island, & cabinets

take out wall separating the old from the new

build new pantry walls
electrical started
ceiling dry walled
walls insulated 
all of the drywall hung
outside concrete pad poured
walls painted
old flooring removed
new flooring purchased

Week's End Review

All I have to say is, better late than never, right?

1. On our way to a Missions Conference Monday night, we stopped and ate supper. I grabbed a cotton candy to go, and the first half was good. After awhile, it just feels like you're eating straight up sugar...which I guess you are!

2. It was prayer letter week, and since school's started back all of my normal helpers were busy. I felt a little buried in paper, labels, and envelopes!

3. August - March is what I call Birthday Season for our family. All 12 of our birthdays fall somewhere in these months, with the exception of none in November. I decided to go ahead and buy my gifts for the remaining 5 people who have birthdays before Christmas! I also bought myself a few things for my bathroom. Who doesn't love new towels?

4. Amie sent me this picture of a her and a group up there at Verity in the coffee shop.

RENOVATION/ADDITION UPDATE:

tear out the back porch
dig footer

pour footer

lay block

build floor & walls

build roof & put shingles on

take out counters, island, & cabinets

take out wall separating the old from the new

build new pantry walls
electrical started
ceiling dry walled
walls insulated 
all of the drywall hung
outside concrete pad poured

Obligation

So it's 9/11 again. And, for the third, fourth, fifth? year in a row, I am writing about it.

Part of me really just doesn't want to. I mean, what more is there to say? It's been thirteen years since the tragedy, and yet now, year after year, we live in it's shadow on this day.

I don't want to write about it because social media will be blowing up today with people pulling at our heart strings and emotions, posting pictures they got off Google Images of the towers burning, the firefighters and policemen and bystanders covered in ashes, dust, and blood.

I don't want to write about it because I don't want to be one of the sheep, trying to make you cry or nod or feel some surface emotion because it has been thirteen years. For those of us who were very young at the time or far enough away to not have a firsthand memory of the devastation, confusion, pain, and absolute terror, the memory has dimmed a bit. The fear has faded a shade, and our loved ones are still close to us.

But as an American, I have an obligation to honor and remember this day. Forget social media, forget the surface emotions, and think instead about our nation and what she's been through. And pray like we've never prayed before. Because yes, we've been through a lot, and we've been survivors, fighters, victors. But we might not always be.

The state of my country is frightening. I have an obligation to remember 9/11 because I don't know what's coming next. Another bombing? Another school shooting? What next? Are we still one nation under God? I hope and pray that God will continue to show grace and mercy to this country that is rapidly forgetting all about the One who is responsible for our beautiful, strong history.

We all have this obligation, this duty to our nation. To remember our losses, and to pray for our victory.

Don't be a sheep. Make it mean something more.

Week's End Review

Let's just take a minute and look at this beautiful little squishy face, shall we? Yes, I do believe it was a good week.

This was one of those weeks where I felt like I saw my family all the time, and yet not at all, you know what I'm saying? Sunday - Wednesday was our Labor Day Meeting at church. It was so good, but I sadly don't have any pictures. I needed to make room in my purse for my Bible, and guess what I took out? My camera. Oh, well. Some memories are better when they've been "snapped" in your mind, anyway!

Although the meeting ended only a half a week ago, it feels like much longer. It's been very busy around here - living in a house under construction and trying to keep it clean plus helping Amie get ready for her two week trip to Indiana had us all running everywhere all the time. One night this week Jacob came over to tear out a coat closet and brought the family. We got to spend some time with them, and that's always nice. :)

I'm on a pumpkin craze right now! I made these pumpkin cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting Friday morning and they. were. so. good. If you're interested in the recipe, let me know! I'll be making them again, especially as we get close to the holidays.

This morning for breakfast I had a cream cheese filled pumpkin muffin with my English Breakfast Tea. Another wonderful recipe that's a keeper! This recipe made 24 muffins, and with all the construction going on, we've been cooking in a small convection oven that will only bake 6 muffins at a time, so I will not be making these again until after our new kitchen is complete!

Fun Fact: I stayed up until after 11:00pm on a Saturday night making these. Is that an old maid qualification or something? I feel like it is. ;)

RENOVATION/ADDITION UPDATE:

We have light!

tear out the back porch
dig footer

pour footer

lay block

build floor & walls

build roof & put shingles on

take out counters, island, & cabinets

take out wall separating the old from the new

build new pantry walls
electrical started
ceiling dry walled
walls insulated

Week's End Review

Saturday, Faith and  I drove 3 hours to visit Hannah and her beautiful baby Amelia. Another of our friends, Kaitlyn, was already up there, and we went and got pedicures. We also went to a coffee shop and just hung out and visited. It was a really fun day!

Earlier this week I got our church's monthly newsletter ready to be mailed. It's not a fun event or anything, but it was part of my week! And now you can see what the cover of our September newsletter looks like, and how many of them I fold manually. ;)

Other things the week included are...

• Jace, Jackson, and Tanner came over and we swam twice. I got soggy water-logged brain.

• Lena loves to do pat-a-cake, and she's good at it, too!

• I finished "For Such a Time" by Kate Breslin. You know those books that, even thought they're fiction, kind of change your mindset about certain things? Yeah, this was one of those books. It made me go "hmmm".

• I went to a going-away party for one of my friends who is moving to Washington D.C. for an internship this semester. Pretty cool, huh?

RENOVATION/ADDITION UPDATE:

tear out the back porch
dig footer

pour footer

lay block

build floor & walls

build roof & put shingles on

take out counters, island, & cabinets

take out wall separating the old from the new

build new pantry wall (not pictured)