On This Date

 12 years ago!  Can we please go back?  When my kids were little and parenting for me was fresh.  My kids were easy going and went along with everything, cheerfully embracing every experience with excited eyes and big smiles.  

Sandy Point Beach, Maryland.  Laughing as the waves from the Chesapeake Bay crashed into their feet.  The thrill of how they can turn sand into sandcastles and other fun shapes.  Picking up seashells as if they found treasure.  Oh, yes, take me back to simpler days.  

One thing I love about Facebook is the "Memories" feature where I can see what I posted in previous years.  

That long bridge you see in the background is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.  We went across that a few weeks ago on our way to Chincoteague, Virginia.  4 miles of my husband having his hands tightly embracing the wheel as we silently prayed our way to safety.  I'd say it's much better to look at from afar than to be on.  Whew!

I laughed, smiled and then felt a lot of aching and longing for those days back when looking at these pictures.  

Senior Picture Day

 Every one of my children's milestones have always left me with a mix of pride and heartbreak.  Watching as they grow up is part of life but why does it hurt so much?  Parenting is so bittersweet.  

This milestone seems to feel more bitter than sweet.  It's the last one of my son's childhood.  SENIOR YEAR!  He's excited for it but I'm an emotional wreck.  

This morning he went in for his senior pictures.  One casual, one formal for the yearbook and then the cap and gown.  That's the moment it all felt so real.  I can remember that anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach when it came to preparing him for kindergarten.  Now, here we are into the 12th grade year where he's trying to figure out what college to attend, what major to study and how he's going to afford to do it all.  

Not only will he be a senior but my daughter will be starting her high school journey as a freshman.  Just a heads up, prepare for many upcoming emotional blog posts from me.  

You may be growing up, Matthew, but you'll always be my little boy.  

Waiting for the bus on the first day of kindergarten.

"You Reap What You Sow"

 The apostle Paul knew what he was talking about when he gave wisdom to the Galatian church by saying, "Whatever one sows, that will he also reap."  (Galatians 6:7)  

In the context of gardening, I decided to take a shortcut this year.  What I mean is, I did not use fertilizer, and I did not plant as many tomato plants as I usually do.  I did not plant marigolds around the plants, which keeps the aphids from attacking and I have not been consistent with pulling weeds.  I could have and should have done better.  I've been getting some grape tomatoes but there has not been one big tomato in site.  

Some green beans have sprouted and came to full size but some of those plants were eaten away by some critter.  

I've seen plenty of peppers but some of them are beginning to rot before turning the red color they are supposed to be.  

I dream of having a big garden filled with lots of vegetables.  I also dream of having land for chickens and other livestock and even some goats for entertainment purposes but that all may just be a pipe dream.  How cool would it be to be able to have our resources of consumption right on my own land.  I envy those that have the patience, time and skills to do so.  In today's economy it becomes so helpful to grow our own food.  How great it could have been if I had that passion and commitment from the very beginning of being a homeowner.  I'm not sure if I ever will.  In life, I've certainly been reaping what I've sown and it's not very much and it's not all good.  But it certainly is something to learn from.    

Random Things Of This Week

 

Rescued this Praying Mantis who tried coming into my house.  

Spotted a visitor on our Lavender Butterfly Bush.  

Enjoyed spectating a fun and competitive game of kickball my husband and kids played with the church family after Sunday service.  

I love when this pup lays her head on the pillow in such a humanly way.  

Summer Worship Nights 2025

 There is just something amazing that happens in my heart and mind when listening to praise and worship music.  I began listening to Christian music at the age of 19 with a mix of secular.  Now worship is all I listen to.  It brings me peace.  

Last year my husband and I went to Summer Worship Nights in Hershey with Phil Wickham and Brandon Lake.  This year we got to enjoy it again, this time with the kids.  We were among over 30,000 people outside the Hershey Stadium.  It was truly a fun, spiritual time.  

Phil Wickham and Brandon Lake really do know how to put on a show.  

We hope they come next year so we can make this part of a family summer tradition.   

Chincoteague, Virginia

When you've lost count of how many skin cancer spots you've had removed and currently have you go to the beach with a huge hat and a ton of sun screen.   

Last week we took a few days and headed down to Chincoteague Island, Virginia for a little getaway.  This was the second time we've gone to this beach.  The drive down was long and frustrating at times and then the place we stayed turned out to be not quite what we expected but once I stepped onto the sand and looked into the Atlantic Ocean I felt the presence of home.  I was born on Long Island so any time I'm at the ocean, no matter what state, I feel a peace rush over me.  The smell of salt water, the sounds of the waves crashing into shore mixed with the squawking of seagulls as they dive into the sand looking for a bite to eat I become mesmerized with God's beautiful design.  

I'm so glad my family loves it, too.  

We spent hours at the beach, did a hike along a trail that left us all covered in mosquito bites, ate lots of food, did some shopping, splashed in the pool, and spent the evenings playing board and card games.  We spent the last few minutes of the trip walking to the light house.  

I'm glad we took this trip but I was also glad to have made it home.  

A Little Friday Hiking

 Good afternoon on this hot and sunny Friday.  At least we've been free from rain for the last few days.  

This morning we decided to get some of our hiking done for the Get Outdoors program.  First, my son caught eye of the Amish donut truck that comes into our area every Friday.  He bought himself a donut.  Such a grown up, I know.  

2 of the hikes were in the same location, a park that has a lake and a lot of trails.  Each hike was measured at 1 mile.  

A straight rocky path with some mud and sounds of birds rustling in the trees.  

Posing with the instructional book and the rubbing sheet.  They each have their own sheet.  It was hot and miserable but we made it.  My daughter's smile in this picture was forced as she was not in the mood to hike today.  She woke up complaining of not feeling well but since last night she's been pretty down after finding out that her group of school friends have been hanging out together and excluding her.  She's felt them distancing themselves from her for a long time.  Raising a teenage girl is not for the weak, I'll tell you that.  My heart has been breaking along with hers and I just don't know what to do to help.  

There was a third hike we did today at a smaller park and the post could be seen easily from the parking lot.  It was amusing to watch the kids run to the playground and enjoy a moment as they did when they were smaller.  Oh, I miss those days.  Less drama in that time, for sure.  

As of today we've accomplished a total of 10 hikes so far this summer.  20 more to go.  There's been no excuse for us moving slowly since we have had a lot of free time but I am determined to get them all complete before the end of August.  

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

 The rain we've been getting lately has been so unbelievable.  It's hard to see in this photo but the rain was coming down hard yesterday while we watched from the living room.  Poor doggy wanted to be outside.  

The rain poured down so fast and flooded the yard.  Not only did we have a mess on the outside but we also had water come into the basement too.  My poor husband spent the evening sucking it up while having trouble keeping up.  Other neighbors have been having the same issue.  It's frustrating.  

But as the rain kept coming I kept thinking about those poor people in Texas.  This last week has been difficult for them.  So many lives lost in the flood, including innocent girls who were attending a church camp called Camp Mystic.  I cannot imagine the grief their families are going through or the pain of what the survivors are going to be mentally dealing with from now on.  My heart aches for them.  My prayers are with you, Texas.  

We also had a special visitor yesterday morning from the same living room window.  This is a cicada.  They look like large flies and make sounds quite similar to crickets but much louder.  My kids laughed when they saw this thing looking in on us.  He/she stayed for quite awhile.  

I hope you are having a fantastic week.  Can you believe tomorrow is Friday already?  July is 10 days in and I'm already seeing back to school stuff in the stores and school emails have started coming in.  Please let us just savor these summer days.  

America's 249th Birthday

 

I hope you and your family had a great and safe Independence Day.  I can't express just how grateful I am to be an American and having the privilege of raising my kids in this nation.  It's not perfect but I can't think of another place I'd rather be.  

Our 4th of July was mostly relaxing, at least for me.  I had painted my dad's deck the day before, which left me with severe back and leg pain.  I was reminded that I'm too old to be doing the twisting and bending I was doing but I am happy the job is done.  

The day started by watching our boy run in a 5 mile race.  He finished at 32 minutes, better than he had expected.  

It was worth getting up early to watch him do what he loves.  Then we stopped by our church on the way home for some coffee.  Our pastor's daughter runs a coffee stand in the parking lot and it's so good.  I recommend the vanilla iced coffee.  

We went home and didn't leave for the rest of the day.  I plopped myself on the couch with a heating pad and my wonderful husband cooked dinner.  Brianna made patriotic chocolate chip cookies.  

In the evening we watched the Capitol Firework show on television while neighbors were setting off their own.  As much as I can get annoyed by people who think it's OK to set off fireworks so close to other homes I was reminding myself of how wonderful it is we get to celebrate such freedom.  So, go ahead and light those fireworks.  We have so much to be grateful for, especially this year (in my opinion).  

I felt bad not doing more for my children.   As neighbors were having parties we were at home just the four of us.  I'm truly content that way but my kids desire more.  They deserve more.  But there was no better friend to me yesterday than that heating pad.  

And this snuggly girl beside me.  

Happy 249 birthday, America! 

From June to July

 The month of June flashed by like a bolt of lightning.  Speaking of lighting, we had a pretty bad storm last night.  The weather for June has been very rainy and also extremely hot.  It's impossible to step outside without suffocating.  I love summer but this is a bit much, even for me.  The start of summer vacation has been pretty relaxing.  For a homebody like me it's been wonderful but for my energetic kids they really don't enjoy boredom, even if it's just ONE day with nothing to do.  As a kid I remember always having to entertain myself.  These kids have a rough time figuring out how to keep occupied on their own.  Times have changed.  

As I type, I hear thunder begin again.  My goodness.  I think it's time to start building that ark again.  

Before we get into the hustle and bustle of what July will bring I wanted to do a recap of some of the things we did get a chance to do in June.  On the first day of June and the official start of summer vacation my daughter had her violin recital.  For four years she had been taking violin lessons online from a teacher who used to live in our town but moved to Virginia.  It seemed Bri lost her desire to continue so this was her last "concert" and time spent with Miss. Elizabeth.    

Then she had her dance recital.  She made a decision to take the next year off of dance and focus on more school related things since she'll be starting high school.  I'm not sure if she'll ever make her way back to dance but I know her and I will both miss it.  

For Father's Day Rob and Matthew were asked to speak at the church service.  Rob shared about his journey with having arthritis since childhood and how he has kept his faith in God through it.  Matthew spoke about what it's been like growing up in a Christian home and how his father has help him learn how to keep his faith through challenges and temptation.  They both really impressed me.  

And Matthew ran in a 5K for Alzheimer's in Lancaster County and won 1st place.  His first 1st place win.  We are so proud.  He said this one was for his grandmother.  

And with summer comes hiking for our county's Get Outdoors program.  They set up 30 different hikes where we have to read through the directions and find our way to a wooden pole that has a plaque where they can rub onto paper.  We strive to do this every year but have sadly only had accomplished all 30 once.  We had a late start to it this year but we are aiming to get it all done.  

Last Sunday was our church's patriotic service, which ends with an awesome firework show at night.  I look forward to this every year.  This picture doesn't do justice but I'm going to say it's the best firework show I've ever been to.  They do a really great job.  

One experience I do not have pictures of is my kids one week trip at church camp.  They really loved it and it gave them an opportunity to make new friends and keep themselves busy.  This homebody mother enjoyed the peace and quiet, although I did miss them tremendously.  They hope to do it again next year.  

And here we are on the first day of July.  I'll be doing more hiking with the kids and hopefully can squeeze in a last minute vacation before it's time to focus on back to school stuff.  The kids have already been joining the cross country team with morning practices and will soon have two weeks of band camp.  We also have a professional baseball game and a concert on the schedule.  The month will end with Matthew's senior pictures.  Let's just hope this month moves a little slower.