Our time in Boulder was over and I said goodbye by enjoying my final cup of coffee on the most picturesque alcove porch ever made. (Oh, yes, some day, I will design a space like this into our home. Oh, yes.) We had to be out of our beautiful / surreal rental home at 6am on the 31st. We orginally planned to drive home to IC that day but changed plans last minute to stay a night up in Estes because Josh planned a big adventure for himself - to ride his bike up Trail Ridge Road to the Alpine Visitor Center for the first time ever - 25 miles from EP to the AVC with 6,000+ feet of elevation gain.

Now, writing this story three years later, considering how many dozens of times he has done it since (Goodness, even I've done it multiple times since!), it seems crazy to think about Josh riding this for THE first time. The day before, his dad told him he thought it was too dangerous and Josh was putting his life in too much risk. It is true, road cycling can be dangerous, the number of fatalities in this last month alone by cyclists from cars is heartbreaking and scary. However, Josh and I knew that it was a beautiful day with no rainstorms or intense wind predicted, the kids and I would be driving up to the Alpine Visitor Center, too, in case altitude became an issue, and really, barring the freak car run-in, the risks were nil and there was no need for worry. I knew Josh would be completely safe and he was excited for the challenge of his first high altitude bike ride.

The three and I did drive up to the Alpine Visitor Center to make certain Josh didn't need us. He didn't. He was having an amazing ride. Look at his smiling face! He even rode back down. No worries! While at the AVC, M&M happily completed the RMNP Junior Ranger booklet and recieved another badge for their collection. We also did one of the typical touristy Estes things and went mini-golfing, rode cars, and such. They had a blast (doing something we consider cheesy, ha!) and it made time go by until we could get into our hotel room, swim a bit, wait for Josh, have dinner with our EP friends, then go to bed early in preparation for our long drive home the next day. 

Maybe it was summer's charm, maybe it was the surroundings, maybe it was the similarities, but our time in Boulder was more calm and relaxed than our trip to San Francisco and when we left CO we were all sad to say goodbye. In Boulder, Josh had experienced great business opportunities, met people while using a co-working space, went on hiking meet-ups with like-minded professionals, and got to know clients better. The three and I loved how much everything felt like home but was fresh and exciting. It was also wonderful to know that we had good friends nearby in Estes and we were closer for family and friends to come visit us. Not to mention, it was absolutely beautiful, everywhere we went it was absolutely beautiful. So, so beautiful.

It was wonderful to go back home to IC, see our old friends, live in our old house, experience our old city, but we all agreed that we wanted to go back to CO as soon as possible. It was after our time in Boulder that a second part to our traveling lifestyle was starting to take shape. When we traveled to CA, I was so convinced we'd never return to IA that I had told our friends that we may just up and buy a house along the way. Here we were a year later and that idea of buying a home, a second home, was still out there. Boulder seemed like a good location for our family, our business, and as an investment property, etc. Our Estes friends, however, thought we should buy a home there. "But you live IN the mountains!" I exclaimed. "It's colder and snowier and winter-i-er in the mountains! And! I am not a fan of cold!" To which our friend Amos would reply, "No, it's not! Winters are WAY better here than Iowa. In January, I am climbing in a t-shirt. You just need to come out during the winter and see."

Soon enough, we were trying to find a time when we could go back and experience winter in the mountains. Thanksgiving seemed like a perfect time and because we love having our family with us on our adventures, we decided to try and convince my family to come out to CO with us. My dad ride in a plane?! Oh, yes, it was going to happen and it would be amazing!

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If you aren't from Colorado, when you think of Boulder you think of Pearl Street and the Flatirons. The Flatirons make up the east slope of the Green Mountains and are located just west and a smidge south of the city. The conglomeratic sandstone was lifted and tilted to form the iconic shapes that some say looks like a turn-of-the-century flatiron. While all of the flatirons have names today, the first five, from north to south, are simply called First Flatiron, Second..., and so forth.

Today, we climbed the Third Flatiron.

Our friend Amos, hosted Josh and I to simul climb this route while his wife Molly spent the morning with our kids. We did the Standard East Route, which is considered a great beginner trad route, ranked between 5.0 and 5.4. The route is so "easy" that someone has solo climbed (meaning climbed without ropes) the entire 1,200 foot face in an impressive 5 minutes and 59 seconds. There is about a mile hike to the a good starting point for the route and the route itself is normally done in 8 pitches. Amos thought it could be climbed with a longer rope and in 4 pitches, so we went for it!

As you can tell it was an absolutely gorgeous day to be out and climbing. Amos did a wonderful job lead climbing and because of how "easy" the route is, he had no trouble belaying both Josh and I coming up at the same time. It truly felt like scrambling up a steep incline, but I was thankful for the rope's protection, I'm cautious like that, :)!

Standing on the top of the flatiron was beautiful. If it wasn't for the fact that I could see the First and Second Flatirons behind me, knowing I was on top of a similar point, I wouldn't have been able to fully grasp the depth of the experience.

It was when we were restacking the rope in order to begin the 3 rappels down the backside of the flatiron when my bad ankle starting hurting terribly. I commented to Amos, "Man! Either I tweaked my ankle something fierce climbing up or it's going to rain!" But, look at those above pictures. With a 360 view of happy little clouds, it certainly didn't look like rain, so I must've hurt it climbing. 

Halfway down the first rappel, clouds rolled in speedily and covered the sky, and then the rains came pouring down. The beauty of a healed broken bone to detect pressure changes in weather! Once we were done rappeling, of course, and hiking down the boulder fields the rainstorm had moved on, though clouds remained. 

(View from the trail. The Third Flatiron is the point on the left.)

I feel incredibly fortunate to have a husband and friends who like adventurous sports, rock climbing, alpine skiing, mountain biking, etc, and they do so with the utmost skill and concern for safety. We wouldn't do these adventures, individually or as a family, if the risks were too extreme. You will never see us base jumping (or even sky diving) because the possibility of failure is too great from our perspective. I am thankful that while doing these adventurous sports, my husband and friends teach me how to be safer, look for warning signs, always double check, and make wise decisions when problems arise.

However, like last year I was in a situation where I made a dumb move while belaying someone. Thankfully, everyone was safe. It was a rookie mistake and I know I am smarter than that. Because of it though, I have strongly learned my lesson and am a safer belayer because of it. Or, I can look back at other moments, like Josh's close call on Porcupine Rim, and so forth, where once again, I am so thankful it was a redeemable reminder to be paying attention, to not take situations for granted and become complacent. This is also a lesson we have also learned from friends' experiences (like this story I just read that involved a friend of Josh's) and it is a lesson we have learned countless times since (Wait till I get to the story where we truly deserved a sarcastic "Parents of the Year" award.) and one we continue to learn to this day (Did you hear about me sliding to my death on Flattop a couple months ago?).

Hmmm... maybe I should learn how to knit again, :)!

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*This photo was all over online and I am unsure who took it, but it wasn't me. Photo credit: Google Search: "bird's eye view flatirons" to find original photographer.

Goodness, do we love visits from family and friends! This time it was Josh's dad, Mark, who flew in from Minnesota for a long weekend. It was within moments of arriving in our rental home he commented about the same surreal, yet intimate, similarities with the owner and his late wife. It was also within moments we had him hiking up our favorite rocks and tackling altitude like a champ!

We took Grandpa on our favorite hikes near our house, walked around Pearl Street and went out to sushi, went fishing in the Boulder Creek, had burgers at a dive in the hippy mountain town of Nederland, drove up to Trail Ridge Road in Estes so he could see herds of elk and flocks of sheep, go out to Thai food with him and our Estes friends, had him babysit the kids by spending the day at the skatepark and having pizza in his hotel so Josh and I could go out to on a date. It was heaven. 

It just so happened that during Mark's visit that Stage 6 of the week long USA Pro Cycling Challenge 2012 was riding through Boulder twice. The stage started south in Golden, came to Boulder and looped through downtown, scooped a mountain loop to Nederland then Lyons, then finished back in Boulder at the top of an intense hill climb on Flagstaff Mountain. Flagstaff Mountain is located just north of the Flatirons and the road, Flagstaff Road, is a narrow two lane road with intense switchback. The finish was partway up the mountain at the Sunrise Amphitheater, 3.5 miles with 2000+ feet of climbing, having an average 11% grade. (And this is after they rode 100 miles and climbing thousands upon thousands of feet already, oy!)

I'll admit, when we first waited to watch the riders come through the straight, flat downtown streets, it was fairly ho-hum. It was exciting for the 10 seconds that the riders zipped past and exciting when their support cars brought up the rear, handing out swag, but then it was over. Leaving you to think, "That was it?"

Then we walked over to Flagstaff Road.

If you look at a map of Boulder, you will notice there is green space around most edges of the city, making it so that no other city touches Boulder. From reservoirs to parks to wildlife habitats to greenways, this area is part of the Open Space and Mountain Parks Department (OSMP) and has been created and maintained as a nature buffer of protected lands around the city that prevents development from taking over these open spaces. (It is also the reason why land is so expensive in the city of Boulder.)

The City of Boulder wanted to make certain that the Boulder Mountain Park, part of the OSMP where Flagstaff Mountain is located, was not damaged during the Pro Challenge. Wristbands were issued at the ride festivities in downtown to control the number of people who were allowed into the area. They shut down Flagstaff Road to all car traffic and shut down all the nature trails to foot traffic. There was no choice for those wanting to see the finish but to go through a checkpoint and then walk/ride up Flagstaff Road. From base of the road, you could tell a party was starting...

Mark and the kids had walked from home to downtown then to the base of Flagstaff Road and started climbing up the road when they found a nice shady spot and called 4 miles of intense heat good enough for them. Josh and I continued up the road since he knew that hill climbs were the most exciting part of a bike race for spectators and he wanted to get up to one of the more challenging inclines by the switchbacks. Once we got there, the party was in full force...

And it wasn't just the outfits. Once we got to the switchbacks, we saw that someone had pulled up an enormous sound system with generator (on their bikes!) and started this huge dance party in the middle of the street. 

When the first cars and motorcycles started driving up the road, signifying that the riders were coming soon, they were barely able to squeeze between the spectators, and the crazy crowd banged on car hoods and high-fived the motorcycle riders. Thankfully, the crowds parted a little more for the riders. Part of the reason why hill climbs are exciting for spectators is that the riders are no longer in a pack / peloton. Hills are every man for himself, riders and teammates get separated, breakaways from unknowns are made, strong hill climbers take over the sprinters, and everyone is struggling to make it up this intense climb. 

When we finally stopped to watch the riders we had some extra space, so another fun thing to do on hill cimbs is to race the cyclists up the climb. It's goofy, but come on, when else do you get to race Jens Voigt up a mountain?!

Our time with Grandpa was a full of fun and surprises, but it was especially memorable for the kids. Their time with old friends at the beginning of our stay was great, and their new neighbor friends were great, but having family who love them just as they are, makes all the difference. It warms my heart to know that even though distance separates them and they do not get to spend large amounts of time with their grandparents, aunts & uncles, and cousins, the significance of them in their lives is crucial to their well-being and stability. The connection is surreal, yet intimate, and much better than fiction. 

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PS! I hear the videos work, hooray! I also fixed my comments, hooray! :)!

In rare form for a Tuesday, Josh had the day off, so we decided to go on a family adventure. One of Josh's favorite road bike rides (this was before the 2013 floods) was going up Lefthand Canyon Drive from Boulder to Ward. From there we had planned to go to Brainard Lake Recreation Area for hiking and fishing. Driving up the canyon, we saw our first bear in the wild. It was exciting, but truth be told, it was so close to the car it scared our little girl to the point of tears and screams even while he was walking away.

Once we arrived at the entrance, we were happy to learn that our National Parks Pass worked for entrance into the Brainard Lake Recreation Area because it is an access to the Roosevelt National Forest. (Score!) And, what a beautiful area it was... 

Off in the distance you can see countless beautiful, rocky mountain peaks, ranging between 12,500 and 13,223 feet, marking the Continental Divide, and making up a portion of the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area. Our attempted destination of the day would be the 13,223 ft peak of Mt. Audubon (on the right) because it had the clearest marked trail to the summit, 7.9 miles RT.

The trail starts at 10,508 ft. After about a mile and a half of walking up through beautiful tall spruce, we made it above tree line. Once above tree-line, we could look back with views down into the valley and see the breathtaking, haze covered "hills". It was here, while the ground was still green, that we sat down and had the most picturesque picnic lunch on top of the world.

Looking forward, toward the rocky peaks and our attempted destination, we could see snow. We knew there were small glaciers in the area, lying between the peaks, and we wondered if this snowy area was one of those glaciers. Actually, we honestly thought that the one closest to us was a glacier and told the kids it was, too. A day later someone made certain I knew we were definitely wrong and it was only a snow field. Tomato, tomato, it was exciting thinking it was a glacier at the time and I'm happy for our mistake, :)!

Since we do have non-hiking fans in our midst, we could tell spirits were starting to fall as exhaustion from the extreme hike was setting in. Since we do have non-hiking fans in our midst, the idea that there was snow to see in August, all of us thinking it was a glacier, we were able to convince everyone to make the patch of snow our end goal. Once we touched the snow, we could turn around. This worked well for all of us, because even though it seemed like the snow was only a 5 minute walk away from where we were, it ended up being a looooonnnnnggggg way away. We had blaze our own trail to reach the snow but it was worth it. We wouldn't touch the summit of Mt. Audubon, but we "ended" our hike on a high note for everyone. Haters included. All thanks to being wrong, :)!

It took us a while to find the actual trail to get back down the mountain, making our hike longer than expected had we reached the summit, but the excitement of playing on snow that we (still wrongly) thought was a glacier, kept everyone chatting excitedly the 4 miles back to the car.  

The other exciting subject for the hike back was the fact that we were going fishing next. There are countless lakes in this area and although the majority of them are a hike to get to, we were able to find one with easy access from the car, as we could tell there would be no more hiking today, :)!

They didn't catch any fish, but we stopped by the grocery store and caught some on the way home. I couldn't be more thankful for an absolutely amazing day with my family.

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While the three and I filled our lazy summer days with hiking and downtown adventures, I still had to carve out time for keeping up with the running plan for my (first ever) upcoming half marathon. 

Again, I am not a runner. To this day, I am a person who "runs", but not well, and not with skill, and definitely not fast. I have no natural ability for running like my husband and middle child. If you watch them run, they look like gazelles, barely touching the ground, as they effortlessly move past you at speeds of under 8 minute miles. (And that's at high altitude! Oy!) For me, running is a physically hard challenge and has never come easy. I think I summed up running and me best when I said years ago, "...in my mind, running is by far the most painful experience/exercise known to my body and henceforth, s-u-c-k-s." No joke. Well, actually, it is a funny joke between dear, old friends and me, :)!

If my fading memory can recall 15ish years ago... It was a foggy, early morning when a group of girlfriends wanted to go for a run around the college's cross country track and for some crazy reason that I can't remember, I opted to join them. I don't think I ran longer than a handfull of minutes, but I do think I complained a lot, and I also think I may have said something to the effect of running being straight from hell. Well, maybe not those strong of words, but I definitely gave the strong impression that running and I were not friends. To this day it makes my friends and I laugh about the fact that I "run" now. No really. I just received an email from one of those sweet girls the other day and she mentioned it and I totally laughed out loud becuase she is so right. Hahahahaha, :)! Silly Dana.

Another joke about me and "running" is what I listen to while I run. Back when I started, I listened to Josh's iPod. Because our music library was so small back then, I primarily listened to various NPR station podcasts, like This American Life or Radio Lab. Then somehow I happened upon the Insight for Living podcast. Timed with me spiraling in despair, the Insight for Living podcasts addressed some of the issues I had been struggling through - forgiving, loneliness, taking responsibility for hurts, leaving a church, parenting struggles, finding truth, loving people, marriage, depression, etc. During every run, something said would cut so deep I would be in tears while running along the road. After every run, I had learned something, it changed me for the better, and, truly, I had grown as a human, a wife, a parent, a friend.

If anything, this podcast keeps me running to this day. It still cuts deep, it still makes me cry, and I'd like to hope it still makes me a better human. People have tried to get me to listen to other podcasts or books on tape, some so strongly and often, my simple response of, "I just like this one," doesn't do it for them. While I'd like to believe they are simply trying to give new suggestions thinking I may be bored with it, I struggle with feeling like they are criticizing my choice. But even listening to it the other day on my run, it inspired a desire in me to pursue more art in my life and to get back into writing this memoir. Once again, I am thankful for this simple podcast.  

But back to running! :)!

I couldn't run if it wasn't for Josh and the three's HUGE encouragement. The time required each week for the weekday short runs and weekend long runs, adds up. Back then, if they didn't join me on runs or Josh didn't carve out his schedule to watch the kids while I ran alone, none of this could have ever happened. Though the majority of my training was done in IA at 700 ft elevation, the half marathon I had signed up for was at 5300 ft elevation. Yes, I ran much slower at elevation and yes, I did vomit once or twice along my training runs, possibly due to the elevation. Thankfully, overall, I feel like I benefited from having 2 weeks of training time at elevation before the race.

My sweet friend Molly came down from Estes to run with me and complete her second half marathon of the summer. The day of the race was beautiful and we chatted it up the whole course, with her husband and my family cheering us on at different points. When I finally reached the end, it was so fitting that my sweet girl ran out and grabbed my hand to cross the finish line with me. They were such a huge part of this accomplishment. My run wasn't speedy and it wasn't in perfect form, but I have to admit, I was in awe of what an infamous running-hater like me had just done.

While because of this, that, and the other, I did take a break from "running" for a time after my first half marathon, Molly and I were schemeing. Since she had run a very fun Estes Park Half Marathon, she wanted to try the Estes Park Marathon for the next year and I, for some crazy reason, wanted to join her. I found this in my Photos, dated a few days after the half marathon. Obviously, I had solidified that decision fairly quick, :)!

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Because of the fact that our employees live anywhere in the country, we can live anywhere in the country. This is what makes our lifestyle of travel work. However, there is something to be said for face-to-face interactions with co-workers, so whenever it is possible, we fly in all our employees and everyone gets together for an extended weekend. Our trip to Boulder was aligned with this in mind and over our first week/weekend there, they had one of those gatherings in Breckenridge. Josh took the car with him to help transport people, leaving the kids and I to our feet and public transportation.

An out-of-the-ordinary thing the kids and I did our first week in Boulder was that the boys got to participate in an Apple Camp. Apple Camp is a 3-day camp organized by the Apple Store, with the fourth day being presentation day with family and friends in attendance. Designed for kids aged 8 - 12, there are two camps to choose from, a book camp or a film camp and our boys participated in the film camp. They learned how to storyboard a film, film it, then, of course, they put together a completed film using iMovie, being taught all the tricks during the camp.

The Apple Store was on the far other side of town from us, so in order to get to our classes we had to travel by bus. Back when I had broken my foot, my right foot, I couldn't drive, so for months the kids and I took the bus everywhere, swim lessons, the mall, grocery store, doctor's appointments, etc. (All while on crutches with a 4, 6, and 8 year old, oh my!) When we visited Prague, we took buses and subways everywhere. When we lived in downtown San Francisco, we took buses and cable cars everywhere. Needless to say, our three are public transportation champs.

The boys made a trailer for a film about being skateboarding bros and it was perfectly them.

A regular things the kids and I did was visit the skatepark OFTEN since it had become their favorite sport. And not just the Boulder skatepark, every city around us, Lafayette, Louisville, Lyons, Estes, etc, had a skatepark - each one unique. Once Josh returned the kids and I visited the outlying cities' skateparks, but while he was gone we'd simply hop the bus and make it work. The boys' skills grew with each visit and Miriam had a blast on her scooter. 

A regular thing we did was walk to Saturday's downtown farmer's market, something we loved doing in IC. Boulder's Farmer's Market had a system where you could buy Market Bucks. If you were like me and rarely carried cash, you could "buy" money coupons with your card and then once you bought something from a vendor they would give you cash in return. It cut out the middle man of ATM fees as this was before Square made its way onto the market vendor scene.  

An out-of-the-ordinary thing that happened because of the Farmer's Market was Max watched a balloon artist and was mesmerized. Not only by his skill but by how much money the guy was making. Thankfully, the downtown toy store sold an intro to balloon animals kit and Max bought one and got to work. He used the book until he mastered them all, then went to YouTube and learned more. Our house was covered in balloon animals.

An out-of-the-ordinary thing that happened because Max got a balloon kit was Zeke got a trick kite. We never thought kite flying could be so exciting for an 11 year old who thrives on action. Since we had this awesome kite to fly, we went to a big open space north of our home. Since we went to this big open space north of our home and since this was Boulder, we had another out-of-the-ordinary thing happen by seeing a Hula Hoop Meet-Up taking place at the park that all the kids participated in.

Finally, a regular thing we did was Sunday church and breakfast. During our time in Boulder, we checked out a new church each Sunday. They were all incredibly different from each other, but we always find it fun to see what is going on in different churches. One church served real wine for communion, to the children even, whoa! It was also a nice way to meet people in the community. Since it is normally Josh's regular thing to take the three out to breakfast on the weekend, this time I took them out and we ventured to Lucile's Creole Cafe for brunch that first Sunday. We all loved their creole seasoning so much we bought a jar of it. But, boy was it hot.

Being without Josh is always hard for the kids and I because we miss his presence dearly and here we were without him while in a new city, without any friends nearby, and without a car to use. However, because of planning ahead we were close to downtown, the creek, the library, and various parks for playing and skateboarding. Because of previous travels, we were comfortable with bus routes and walking on foot. And, because the kids and I gel well with each other, we had survived over a week in our new home and truly it was that - home.

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Another thing that always makes a new place feel like home is friends and family. This time, it was friends from Iowa visiting Estes Park and, in turns, they visited us down in Boulder and we visited them up in Estes. From going to The Spot Bouldering Gym in Boulder to hiking up Mt. Chapin in Rocky Mountain National Park, we spent two days living summer to its fullest! (After the work day was done, that is.)

The first day we visited The Spot. Though it is large, I'd call it a hole-in-the-wall climbing gym, but in a wonderful, good way. It is an amazing place for those who love bouldering, though it does offer some sport climbing routes and a slackline. Our three and their two friends had a blast bouldering as it is quick and easy to move around routes by yourself and you don't always need to have a spotter thanks to all the thick pads (and them never getting up too high). 

The next day, our group of friends decided to hike up Mt. Chapin. Mt. Chapin is located in Rocky Mountain Naitonal Park, which you can access through Estes Park. Once you get into RMNP, you need to take Old Fall River Road to get to the Mt. Chapin trailhead. 

Old Fall River Road was simply Fall River Road when the road was first started in 1913 and was the only connection between Estes Park and Grand Lake, the city located opposite Estes on the other side of the Continental Divide. The dirt paved road was narrow, notoriously steep with sharp hairpin turns, but was used primarily until 1932 when the beginning section from Estes to the top was replaced by the current, nicely paved, more gradual, Trail Ridge Road.

Even though they paved the western side of Fall River into Trail Ridge Road, thankfully they left the first nine dirt miles of those wonderful yet incredibly steep, twisting hairpins (some of which legitimately require 3 point turns for larger vehicles) to use today as the one-way Old Fall River Road. The dirt road ends at the top of RMNP at the Alpine Visitor Center but offers a slower pace up the mountains due to the lack of traffic and the ability to stop often, enjoying the beautiful views along the river. (Though, it was temporaily closed due to the 2013 floods, it is set to open this Fourth of July, 2015. Wahoo!)

Again, this is how you get to the Mt. Chapin trailhead.

The trail itself starts around 11,025 ft and tops out up at Mt. Chapin's 12,454 ft summit and is only 3.6 miles round trip, making it a great trail for kids. It's also great for kids because it starts near tree-line, so a lot of the trail is not buried in the tress and is visible, with an end/goal/summit in sight. Like I've always said, we do have some kids who do not enjoy hiking as much as others; however, having friends on the trail made it much more enjoyable! It was fun to watch the boys pair up and keep each other company, talking about this that and the other, while making the journey. It was also fun to have little Miss M (wearing a dress, of course) to go between hiking to getting a piggy-back ride. 

For an evening hike, the reward at the end was breathtaking.

We made it down and to the cars right at dusk. By the time we made the 24 mile drive back down to Estes, via Trail Ridge Road, of course, it was pitch black out. We grabbed a quick bite to eat before making the 45 minute drive back down to our home in Boulder. 

What beautiful days with beautiful friends.

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(Psssttt... if someone actually reads this blog, can you let me know if the video links work? Thanks!)

I'll admit it, traveling during the summer is considerably less complicated than during the school year. However, when you "can" work where ever you live, you "have" to work where ever you live. For Josh, this meant that during our time in Boulder he would be having to daily work 9-5, as well as, have his normal travels away from home for meet-ups and conferences. For me, our administrative assistant was still on maternity leave and I had to continue to take care of bookkeeping needs.

Thankfully, my work did not stop us from having amazing summer dayz.

As I mentioned, we chose our rental home because of its close vicinity (ie walking distance) to the downtown area, to a creek, and to the library - all things to remind us of home, bringing stability to an our otherwise unstable lifestyle. The city of Boulder itself has a feel quite similar to our home city. We often joked Boulder was a super-charged version of IC. As if you took IC, shot it full of Red Bull, and added 10 times as many people (when you count tourists). And, not to mention, Boulder's Pearl Street Mall is IC's Pedestrian Mall's crazy, big sister.

No, really.

Both the Pearl Street Mall and Pedestrian Mall were started during the later 70's, seeking to revitalize the urban centers of each city. The same firm that assisted in the design of the Pearl Street Mall, assisted the design of the Pedestrian Mall, Sasaki Associates. But like I said, Boulder is IC super-charged. Yes, they both have brick lined streets, sculptures, one-of-a-kind shops, delicious eateries, water features, street performers, flower beds and trees, but Pearl Street's size and energy is towering compared to IC. Not saying it is better, they are the same yet different. Similarly unique? Tantamount to each other? Akinly disparate? You choose. Either way, the three-quarter mile walk from our new home to Pearl Street was one we would happily make almost once a day for the entire month. 

In IC, we also had the beautiful, peaceful Hickory Hill Park just a couple blocks away. 185 acres, complete from open spaces to woods, trails, and, the kids' favorite, the meandering Ralston Creek. We knew there was a creek within walking distance of our new home in Boulder, yet once again, we did not fully grasp the size and energy of this creek compared to our old one.

Boulder Creek stretches west to east across, roughly, the middle of the city of Boulder. Additionally marked by a well paved 5.5 mile bike path, it is lined with lush trees, playgrounds and picnic tables as to be expected, and, what we did not know, was that it is also well known for its tubing and ropeswinging. Our first day's adventure, just the kids and I, was to find the creek and play in it on a muggy, summer day. Even for a Monday, mostly due to the intense heat, the park and creek were hopping with large groups of people and birthday parties and family reunions and squatters and hula hoopers and tubers, lots and lots of tubers. Once again, a super-charged version of home.

A group of people we met were kind enough to let the boys try their tubes, :)!

After a wonderfully full day of playing in the creek, the kids and I walked to home, stopping along the way at the local market, Lolita's, for candy and drinks. (Here, was the one similarity between the cities where IC towers in size and energy with its John's Grocery and its fabulous beer selection being unmatched by Boulder's counterpart, :)!)

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Have you ever read the trilogy Griffin and Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence? They are, by far, three of my most treasured books. I fell in love with them ages ago in a bookstore in Soho, but it wasn't until years later that they came into my possession when we inherited the books from Josh's mom's collection.

Written in a style called "epistolary novel." (A new word I just learned, but one that brings me great joy knowing it exists, as some of my favorite books are in this style.) It means that the story is told through a series of documents, usually letters, and, in the instance of Griffin and Sabine, postcards, too. Part of the beauty of Griffin and Sabine is not only the rich illustrations that correspond with the postcards and letters, but also the simple pleasure that the letters are seperate pieces of paper and can be removed from envelopes in the books. 

And then there is the story.

So beautifully crafted, so romantic yet surreal, in both illustrations and in prose wound together, the story unfolds of a man and woman who have never met, yet their lives are connected through their art as they can see into each other's lives, sense a strong connection with one another, yet unsure if the other one exists or is a figment of their imagination. With each new book, the story becomes more developed.

Part of me, also, longs to tie the word / concept of serendipity to the trilogy. When I think of serendipity, my internal definition means, "A circumstance that brings two or more objects together in an unplanned yet perfect way, as if they were always intended to make one another complete." The true definition brings such phrases as "fortunate happenstance" and "pleasant surprise."

All of this to say, Josh and I experienced a real life, serendipitous, Griffin and Sabine, extraordinary circumstance, in our AirBnB home. From our first moments of entering the home and being blown away by the artwork and creativity, unbeknownst to each other, both of us had this surreal feeling, that in the depths of our minds and hearts, we were experiencing something oddly familiar through the mere objects in the home.

The funny thing about spending time in an AirBnB is that you are "getting-to-know" the person you're renting from without "knowing" them because you are living as they live and with their things. We knew the owner of the home was spending the month of August in a cottage on a tiny island off the coast of Maine. Her son, who lived in the same city, stopped by our first day there to welcome us and see if we needed anything. It was in speaking with him we were given our first snip-its of information about who his mother is: an art advocate who dabbles in art herself, a world traveler having lived and traveled for sometimes long periods of time in Alaska, Costa Rica, South America, Africa, and Asia, and a strong and driven person who once traveled from east coast to west coast with a pet donkey in her convertible.

Putting together who she was from what her son said and what we were feeling while living in her home, after a few days, I turned to Josh and said something to the effect of, "Is it just me, or does she not remind you of your mother? Like, the similarities are eerie and uncanny, yet pleasantly wonderful?" 

His response? "I was thinking the same thing. And her name is Wendy, too."

Throughout our month in Wendy's home, this feeling of warmth and depth mixed with surreal, dream-like familiarity, and an intimate connection with a woman we have never met in person, felt like we were Sabine and she, Griffin. We could see clearly into her world as if we always belonged.

Throughout our month in Wendy's home, it was always the little things that reminded us of Josh's mom - the wooden snake hanging from the staircase, the collection of curios, the mix of found objects. I began taking a photo every day we were there of a new discovery in the house.

Throughout our month in Wendy's home, I would often remark to our Three comments like, "When dad was growing up his house was an art museum just like this... Grandma Wendy was such a creative woman she collected such beautiful pieces like this... Grandma Wendy's sense of humor about art was very similar to this... Grandma Wendy..."  

Later on during our month in Boulder, Josh's dad came out to visit us and he, too, felt the same surreal, yet intimate connection. We still have yet to meet this wonderful woman face-to-face, we've only connected via email, but in my final email to her I told her our feelings of strong connection to her to which she wrote a beautiful email in response, along with, "What a glorious note. I am amazed and touched by your story of Josh's Mom, and so happy that the house and the spirit of me in it reminded you of her."

And then, in her closing words, she happened to mention the name of her grand daughter who was just waking up and she needed to tend to.

Sabine.

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We enjoyed a month in IA before leaving for our month in Boulder, CO. During that time we enjoyed a skateboard competition, state swim meet, first ever week-long day camps and first ever week-long overnight camps, and a day of RAGBRAI. All the while, I was packing up for a month away, both physically and mentally.

The packing physically was, and is, second nature. I know how to mazimize the space in our Volvo and in our Yakima box, I know how to choose just the right amount of clothes for the kids and I, I know how to help the kids pick out the right amount toys to bring along, I know how to pack gear for climbing and biking, and I know how to pack electronic devices from laptops to routers. (And, if it does take place during the school year, I know how to pack for that, as well.)

Packing mentally was, and continues to be, an evolution of emotions for the three and me. Though they seem to be sporadic, our emotions do follow a process that can be charted of highs to lows to highs to lows to stabilization. The highs of the excitement of anticipation of going to a new location, the lows of realizing we will miss family and friends, the highs of the excitement of travel and arriving at our destination, the lows of realizing we will miss family and friends not being with us, to the stabilization that comes with settling into our new home, making new friends, and getting back into a normal swing. 

During this adventure, unlike our previous travels to CA and UT where we stayed in vacation rentals that are generally decorated sparcely, we would be staying in someone's actual home. In addition, unlike our CA downtown adventure where we didn't have neighbors and our CA suburb adventure where you couldn't even walk on the streets, this Boulder home is in an actual neighborhood, very similar to our own home in IA, and is within walking distance to things like the ped mall, creek, and library. This part was crucial for us in helping make the stabilization process go more smoothly than it did in CA. However, unlike our own home, we would be staying in an art museum-esque, cottage-like in design but spacious in build, home. And the owner's caution of fragile things was remarkably understated. Oh my.

When we arrived to the house at 7:30pm, after a full 12 hours of driving, I went in hoping that I wouldn't have my normal freak out but once I walked in, I knew it was inevitable. The AirBnB photos captured the adorable qualities of the house but paled to capture the depth. It wasn't simply original oil paintings on the wall, kind of art museum-esque house. It was everything, everywhere. It was bronze sculptures and handmade Inuit dolls, African masks and embroidered doilies from South America, antique dining tables and chairs, and the priceless pieces covered every table, counter, corner, bed, floor, wall, shelf, ceiling, and ledge.

The home is long and narrow, with a spiral staircase reaching from the second floor master bedroom suite to the basement bedroom. Half of the main floor, the living room, is valuted and open to the second floor's loft area office. While the original construction of the home was early 20th century, the interior of the home had been remodeled in the previous two years with a perfect balance of refinishing original touches to adding flawless compliments, from the covered balcony / porch off the mater bedroom to the new claw foot tub in the master bathroom, then donned in priceless pieces.

The alcove / balcony / porch from the second floor master bedroom where I spent every morning.

The view out to the alcove / blacony / porch with my laundry hanging out to dry.

The master bathroom was everyone's favorite and this is one of my favorite photos ever.

The exterior of the home belongs in a Hans Christian Anderson story. The cream stucco finish with dark wood trim highlighting the high pitched gables was reminiscent of our time in Austria. And the yard. Oh, the yard. Long and narrow to match the house, surrounded by a dark stained picket fence, the landscaping of flowers and ground cover was expertly chosen and maincured - perfect for fairies to play. There is an arbor with grape vines and seating, a large patio with dining seating (that we truly used for almost every meal), an antique bench and minature Buddhist pagoda for more fairy play, and a perfectly placed rope swing on a sturdy little tree.

A rainy day bringing out the vibrant greens of the front yard.

Having the adorable New Zealand neighborboy over for drawing on the back patio.

However, our first night in Boulder, even with the overwhelming beauty of the home, the sweet touches the owner left for us like breakfast and snacks (something lovingly common to AirBnBs and not so much to VRBOs), and the deeply felt thankfulness for safe travels, reality set in as our little one got hit by one of their massive migraines that bring both pain and vomit, and was brought on by excitement, altitude, and inadequate water intake. (Hence, why now we overly stress water intake, water intake, water intake, days before and while traveling when going to higher elevations.) That first night there, we were also thankful for how clean the home was in order to make the bathroom floor a bedroom.

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We made the journey across northern Minnesota from Grand Marais to north of Walker in order to spend 4 nights at Grandpa's cabin with Grandpa and the Quickert 5.9. (5.9 as Maren was 8 months pregnant with lil' Justus! :)!) Unlike winter, Grandpa's cabin in the summertime is as typical lake life as is expected in Minnesota. We call it a cabin because it was once a tiny 2 bedroom, outdated cabin/shack until Mark bought it, doubled its size, and remodeled everything, beautiful kitchen with all the amentities, air conditioning in the summer and wood burning stove plus heaters for the winter, inside and out finished in pine siding. (Well, all remodeled except the guest bathroom, hopefully that'll be this summer, :)!)

The surroundings are beautiful, too, a large flat grassy yard, perfect for badminton or croquet, with a long shallow shoreline perfect for little ones, a speed boat for tubing and fishing, a pontoon for all to fish from, and a massive screen porch for mosquito protection but also with a western view to watch breathtaking sunsets. It is a gorgeous lake house more than a typical cabin, :)!

Unlike the North Shore, the rest of Minnesota was experiencing a painful heat wave of high 90's and massive humidity. Within moments of arriving to the cabin, the kids were in their trunks and in the water with their cousins, and bouncing around from fishing to swimming to trying to do both at once.

From the photos above, it looks like a normal day on Grandpa's lake, peaceful and calm. But around 8pm, the weather turned, massive clouds began forming across the lake on its west edge, the winds picked up, and the rains came. In a heartbeat, we were being pounded by a massive thunderstorm with tornado-force winds. (Later, we learned tornados did actually touch down in surrounding areas.) The 11 of us all huddled in the safest spot in the cabin and discussed if the tiny crawl space would fit our group. The power went out as the storm raged and the screened in porch was taking a beating. The lawn looked like a lake itself from the torrential rains.

Around 10:30pm, the power had not come back on, but the storms had calmed enough that we felt like we could send the kids to bed safely. Unlike city life, the water at the cabin is powered by electricity. We had no electricity and no running water from faucets or water in the toilets. And even though it was night, the lessening of the storm brought back the heat with a vengeance. We all went to bed hoping that when we woke the power would be restored.

Travel Log: 3 July 2012

Unfortunately, the dawn did not bring the power. Thankfully, we had cereal for breakfast, some bottled water on hand for drinking, the next door neighbor had an outhouse we could use, a lake to try and cool off in, and a grill for lunch and dinner. Grandpa Mark found a generator for sale but it would take him over 6 hours to get it and return. During that time the rest of us closed all the curtains and tried to make the house as cool as possible. Even with all the lake playing, we were running out of water and our over-heated spirits were waning. We opted to make the (car air conditioned!) drive into town in order to go to the ice cream shop (and buy more drinking water) for some relief. Just look at these sweaty cuties and their melted ice cream!

We arrived home hoping the power would be restored, but it wasn't. Mark was back with the generator but it only produced enough energy to power the refrigerator and a small fan. We focused the fan on the beautiful pregnant woman and prayed the power would return - but to no avail.   

Travel Log: 4 July 2012

After going 40 hours with no electricity, no running water, and intense heat - we called it. 

Being hard core campers, Maren and I were bummed. If we had known we were going camping without such amenities, we would have packed differently and been better prepared. But after 40 hours of trying our best to stay positive and make do - we called it. It was heart breaking for everyone, as we cherished our rare times together, but it was done, we couldn't stay as long as we had planned.

Within four hours on the road south to home, we got the call that the power was finally restored at the cabin. If only we had hung in there a little longer! But as it was, we had made it to our favorite Thai place in the Twin Cities area and had just settled in to enjoy our Fourth of July in typical A Christmas Story style and decided not to make the drive back up. We still had another 6 hours to home, but spending those 6 hours in an air-conditioned car was heaven on earth.

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We weren't quite ready to give up the North Shore, but we couldn't stay in our current cabin any longer since they were booked, so we made quick reservations to stay a night at a familiar lodge located just south of Grand Marais. The Cascade Lodge has a history dating back to the 1920's but was primarily built as it stands today during the 40's and 50's. It was designed in what you would imagine as classic lodge style - a large rustic lodge with hotel rooms, having a massive great hall with seating (originally used for dining but now a separate building serves that purpose), piano, and board games, and a basement filled with arcade games and ping pong. It's funny to me that the whole set up reminds me of the show Newhart for some reason, :)!

They also offer a variety of sizes of log cabins for rent, which is where we opted to stay for this visit and where, 7 years earlier, Josh and I had stayed for a beautiful winter anniversary trip of snowshoeing. We jokingly wanted the exact same cabin we had before so we could see if they had fixed the wood burning stove. Someone, not naming any names, may have almost burned down our cabin the last time, charring the door's handle, ha!

Normally, when we travel to the North Shore, Josh is completely unplugged from work, it is a true vacation. However, for me, this day, the first of the month, I actually had work to do. Our administrative assistant was on maternity leave and I had to complete invoices. I set up a mobile office in the great hall of the lodge with my laptop and printer, while Josh and the kids enjoyed all the amenities of the area - hiking along the Cascade Waterfall in nearby Cascade State Park, playing in the lodge basement, and jumping into Lake Superior. Thankfully, they came back for me at the end of the day so that I could see the waterfall and witness their bravery firsthand...

We drove back up to town to have dinner at the infamous and delicious Sven and Ole's Pizza Joint and then drove to the lookout at the start of the Gunflint Trail in order to watch the sun set and listen to the bird calls, bidding us a final farewell to one of the most beautiful places on earth.

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The least visited National Park (in the lower 48 states) is Isle Royale National Park. Isle Royale is the largest island located in Lake Superior with its widest measurements at 45 miles long and up to 9 miles tall. There are no roads on the island, no permanent residents, but it does offer 170 miles of hiking trails making it popular for week long backpackers where the goal is to either travel from one tip of the island to the other or to circumnavigate the entire island. (Something I'd love to do!) And, even though it is a 1.5ish hour ferry ride from Minnesota and a 3.5ish hour ferry ride from Michigan, the island is technically considered part of Michigan. Silly Michigan snagging the island for copper first!

We made online reservations for the ferry departing from Grand Portage, Minnesota. We woke up very early to make the drive from Grand Marais to Grand Portage, packed up a daypack of food and water, and packed up fishing gear for the boys (since they could fish without having Michigan fishing licenses), and headed out. In rare form, the 1.5 hour ferry ride was calm on our way to the island.

Once on the island, we learned about the Junior Ranger Program that the National Parks Service offers. For as many national parks as we have been to, I couldn't believe we had never heard of this before. Each park offers a different set of hoops that a person has to jump through to receive the junior ranger badge displaying the park visited's name. Sometimes it is filling out an entire booklet, sometimes answering a quiz from a park ranger, and sometimes you can just look cute. Whatever the hoop, our kids did this here for the first time and have loved doing at other national parks and monuments since.

We hiked into the interior of the island to find little inner lakes for the boys to fish in and we hoped to spy an elusive moose. A hundred years prior, moose swam over from Canada and settled happily on Isle Royale. Years later a pair of wolves made the crossing on the frozen lake. Interestingly enough, since the 1950's the balance of predator and prey, moose vs. wolf, has been studied and recorded by scientists. In the mid-ninties, when Josh was there for a hiking trip across the island, the island was teeming with moose. When reminded of it, he always proclaims, "There were SO many moose! They were everywhere!" Because the animals are studied so closely, we learned that the population of wolves was down back then due to a person (illegally) bringing their dog to the island that had a virus that infected the wolves. However, upon our visit this time, the population of moose and wolves were way down due to a current disease affecting the moose and without moose to eat the wolf population was down. How amazing to have such a contained ecosystem to study at your disposal! 

The ride back to Grand Portage was cold and bumpy. Everyone welcomed the, now, 2.5 hour ride as a way to rest from the day's hiking. This proved to be a blessing also because we decided to stop at the Grand Portage National Monument on our way back to Grand Marais.

The Grand Portage National Monument tells the history of the fur trading industry of the late 1700's. They have a newly constructed welcome center that tells the history and has artifacts, but the truly wonderful part of the monument is the Historic Depot. Although the buildings are replicas built in the 1930's, they have taken great measures to recreate the trading company accurately with a great hall, kitchen, canoe warehouse, gatehouse, and on the outskirts an Ojibwe village, voyageur's encampment, and a historic garden. During the summer months, the Historic Depot literally comes alive as an interpretive exhibit. They have an incredibly knowledgable stafff that dress and work as those of the time period. There was a man working in the kitchen, making authentic recipes with authentic tools and sharing the results with visitors. There was a man in the canoe warehouse who was building an authentic canoe of the period, using the same tools, and, admittedly, on his 4th summer working on the same project. There was a woman tending to the Three Sisters garden and another woman tanning a hide to make new shoes for herself. (It is not unlike Living History Farms in Iowa, but this is free and, no offense, the high level of skill and detail by the Grand Portage staff doesn't compare, :)!)

Herring, filleted, held on a board by wooden nails, and placed inside a fire to cook, and samples are served.

After acquiring another national parks' junior ranger badge, we headed back to our cabin on the shore for a quick dinner and then back outside for a visit to the lake once again. We have yet to tire of the lake.

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I was not exaggerating. 8AM. This was where we were. The Three throwing rocks, building dams, trying to spear minnows, making foot spas, etc, and I was reading. Josh; however, was off on a biking adventure. His plan was to ride his bike from Grand Marais, MN to Thunder Bay, Canada (over 80ish miles away). We were then planning to meet him there for a late lunch. We stayed right in this spot until it was time for us to leave, 4 hours later. No joke. 4 hours. One spot.

We really didn't want to leave, but we drug ourselves away at the last minute and drove to Thunder Bay in order to meet Josh at Prince Arthur's Landing at Marina Park. Prince Arthur's Landing ended up being more wonderful than we planned offering a splash pad area, sweet skateboard park, beautiful public art throughout, and a marina teemng with ocean-sized sailboats for "ooh's" and "aah's."

It was while admiring the sailboats that a random woman approached us. 

We had set up our camera for a goofy self portrait when a woman asked if she could also take our photo but with her camera. She said she was trying to get back into the photography business, was going to be taking some family photos in the near future, and wanted to take our portrait with the current lighting for her research. It sounds like a legit situation, but I couldn't help but feel weird about the personal questions she was asking us and how she seemed like she was tailing us around the marina and how to seemed she like she followed us to our car and... it was very un-nerving. 

And then, my over-active imagination kicked in... 

What if she was taking our license plate and planning to have us arrested for something we said or did while she was tailing us and she isn't a photographer but works for the Canadian Mounties and actually followed us to lunch and is going to be waiting for us when we leave the pub to arrest us or she is going to follow us back to the US and, and, and... holy moly! I am ridiculous!

I'd like to think this is the only time I've let my imagination get the best of me, but it isn't. Goodness, it just happened last weekend...

It was Saturday night, 11:30pm, freezing cold and windy out, we had literally just arrived home, walked into our house, and were hanging out in our basement with the kids when a ring came from our front doorbell. I went to the door and turned on the light to see a young woman, maybe 25-28 years old, with a carry-on luggage bag saying through tears, "I'm lost." 

I immediately responded, "Oh, sweetie, you're safe now!" As I pulled her into our house, I hugged her tightly, as she hugged me just as tightly in return.

We welcomed her into our home, feed her tea, helped find a hotel for her to stay in, and drove her to the hotel. She was incredibly thankful and appreciative for all we did and seemed hopeful for being on the right path for the night. 

As soon as Josh left to take her to the hotel, my over-active imagination went into over-drive. 

Wait, did she say she was walking around for an hour and a half? She didn't feel as cold as someone should for such a night when I hugged her. Wait, we had our various electronic devices sitting around the house, right in front of her. What if she was scoping our house to rob it later? Wait, her footprints started from the right? Maybe she was dropped off by someone to the front door in order to confirm that the house was empty and her counterpart was actually going to the back and we happened to slip in the house between the timing. Wait, did the map of where she showed me where she was going to look like she was starting from exactly in front of our house? She was probably scoping out our house all night!...

Even though I got my imagination under control that night, a few days later...

Oh no! We all left the house at the same time to go see a movie, maybe she's come back and they have been waiting for us to leave this whole time... THEY'RE ROBBING US RIGHT NOW!!!!! ... Holy moly! Make it stop! I am ridiculous! Oy!

It's always at such times that I go back to one of the first verses I had the kids memorize, "Fear of man proves to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe." While that doesn't mean to me just because I trust in the Lord bad things will never happen, it does remind me that overall, no matter what, I shouldn't be fearful of what man can do to me here on this earth.

Thankfully, last Saturday, just like back in ole Canada, the truth overcame my over-active imagination and soon enough, we were back to our spot on the shore, throwing rocks, buildings dams, making foot baths, etc, and I was reading until the sun gave out. We stayed right in this spot until it was time for us to go inside for a late night dinner, 4 hours later. No joke. 4 hours. The same one spot.

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My parents like to tell the story of how on the day I was born one of them was holding me looking over their shoulder and, with my eyes wide open, I was immediately trying to climb over their shoulder, to get moving, to see the world, to not be contained, and not be forced to sit still.

I've said it before, but to this day I am still that way.

Except on the North Shore.*

In 2004, at 4 & 2, our boys had bounds and bounds and bounds and bounds and bounds of energy requiring bounds and bounds and bounds of energy by me chasing them around. But when we went to the North Shore / Lake Superior that very first time with them, for what also felt like the first time in my entire parenting life, the boys were completely entertained for (and I mean) literally 8 hours straight. I hinted earlier that they threw rocks, but honest to goodness, (and I mean) literally 8 hours straight the boys threw rocks into the lake. They collected rocks of all shapes and colors. They threw more rocks into the lake. They never ran out of rocks. They never got bored. They only needed me to remind them to stand next to their brother when throwing rocks, not behind him, and then they kept right on throwing rocks. They never stopped. 

And I had nothing to do.

For the first time in forever.

So I actually read a book.

Silently, in my head, read a book.

Not a Newbery or Caldecott Medal winning book (no offense!). A real life book for me. I had nothing else to do but sit still and read a book while the boys were in heaven. It was painful that first time, a weird yet wonderful moment. It happened in 2009, 2011, and 2012...

After years of visits to the North Shore, now with 3 kids, ages 11,10, & 7, the same phenomena holds true (even at ages 14,12, & 9!). For hours on end the Three throw rocks, find rocks, build something with rocks, and throw rocks some more... all the while, I actually sit still. And read. All day long. It is a magical place indeed.

*Or when I broke my foot. But I never plan on doing that again. Oy! :)!

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I love to visit northern Minnesota, specifically along Lake Superior and in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Love it. I am so thankful I married a Minnesotan who actually traveled up to this area during his youth. Over the years, I've learned that most Minnesotans go to the lakes in the middle interior, a few may get as far north as Gooseberry Falls, and fewer still have had the amazing pleasure of going into the BWCA. Tis a shame, but also, keeps it a special secret for those in the know, the lush forest, the ocean-like lake, the rocky shores, the rolling hills, the steep cliffs, the dense chain of lakes and forested portages... it truly is an amazing section of country.

My first introduction to this area was on our honeymoon. In late November we were married and Josh had kept our honeymoon destination a secret. He told me to pack for hot or cold weather and then, as we loaded up the Rubbermaid tubs in the Lowe's parking lot, he had me flip a coin - heads we go north on I-35, tails we go south on I-35. It landed on heads and we traveled north. We first stopped in Duluth, where Josh had reservations for the night. Then we traveled further north, stopping at the grocery store in the town of Grand Marais, where Josh told me to buy enough food to last for 4 days. Then we traveled up the Gunflint Trail for another hour, through the dark and the snow, when we finally reached the end of the road, turning into the Gunflint Lodge parking lot. We were then directed to a beautiful, enormous cabin (I mean, huge! With its own hot tub room and sauna rooms!) located right on Gunflint Lake, across from Canada.

We were given complimentary champagne and chocolates, and as we thanked God for our safe travels and toasted our arrival and new marriage, Josh revealed to me the rest of his honeymoon secret. There were no plans had the coin landed on tails. He only had made plans, reservations, and deposits for going north. This cabin is normally hundreds of dollars a night but being the "off" season, we got it for a couple hundred dollars TOTAL. What an amazing gift to the start of our marriage! 

It was 4.75 years later, in 2004, that we were able to make the trip to this beautiful part of the country again. This time it was with our 4 year old, 2 year old, and me 7 months pregnant. Our plan was to drive around Lake Superior, but that was the only thing we had "planned." We had packed our camping gear and the boys in our little RAV 4 and made our way north. We stopped somewhere between Duluth and Grand Marais to camp for our first night. While reminiscing about our honeymoon, and since we had not set schedule or plans, we decided to spend a little more time in the area. Due to the rain, Josh suggested and somehow found a little cabin a little further north of Grand Marais. We were in love.

The tiny cabin was perfect. It was located right on Lake Superior, with its own secret trail to the point and endless rocks for the boys to throw. The huge picture window, that took up the entire tiny wall, gave the most beautiful view of the lake. It had exacly and only what you needed, too. It had two bedrooms just big enough for the full beds in them, it had a living/dining room no bigger than the bedroom, it had a kitchen with only enough space for the tiniest appliances, and it had a bathroom no bigger than the refrigerator. Add into that, the radiant heat smelled like my grandmother's house, the furnishings looked like my grandmother's house, and when we checked in the tiny, eldery woman who owned the cabins greeted us in her mu-mu, looking like my grandmother.* We were in love.

Like I said, "somehow" Josh found the cabins, because this was back in the day of pre-cellphones with internet (heck, even internet every/anywhere period), and it wouldn't be for another 5 years before I actually found them again. The elderly woman had passed away but the cabins that bore her name remained in the family and were the same adorable dives we dreamt of for years. Since then, we have made it a yearly family trip to this stretch of shore. Sometimes we get to stay in our favorite dive, sometimes a little nicer set of cabins, sometimes by ourselves, sometimes we have shared the secret with family or friends.

The beginning of the summer of 2012, we scheduled our trip to the North Shore to correspond with our yearly trip to Josh's dad's cabin. We would get away, just the 5 of us, for 5 nights and then go to his cabin in northwest MN for (what was to be) 4 nights. We headed out on a beautiful summer day and, for variety, decided to make the drive north through Wisconsin to Duluth. Our new route took us through what is called the Driftless Area of Wisconsin. Driftless means that the land was never touched by glaciers making the topography that of forested, rolling hillsides, deep rivers with steep rocky cliff edges, as well as prairies and wetlands. It is beautiful country, marked with an adorable cafe halfway through our journey. While we soaked in our new surroundings, we failed to take any photos but came away from the area with our bellies full of yummy food and a speeding ticket warning for me. It was definitely worth the extra time. 

We arrived to, what we all five consider, one of our favorite places in the world late that first night. Even though we rushed to the shore upon our arrival, we couldn't wait to fall asleep and wake for a full day.

*I know at one point in my blog's history I wrote about my grandmother, but I'll be damned if I can find it. Nevertheless, I think I will write about her again sometime because that woman was amazing and her impact on us, her grandchildren, was life changing. At my cousin's wedding recently, we all recounted Grandma stories with tears in our eyes and a little shakiness in our voices. 

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1.) Our constant trips to the local skatepark were paying off and the boys learned to "drop-in." Whenever I've watched a skateboarder drop in, they seem to do so with ease, they are usually already in motion on their board, when they get to the edge and go over and down. Or they are running with their board in hand, jump up and onto their board, then down onto the ramp or into the bowl.

I remember so clearly, standing alongside them at this point, on the verge of dropping in for the first time. A friend had coached us in how to do it. I stood on the board, like the boys above, showing them how we had been taught to keep our weight, feet, momentum on the board. I stood below them, in the bowl, ready to catch them if when they propelled too far forward or backward. A mere drop of 4 feet was intimidating at the time and we spent hours simply staring down, standing in this position. 

Today, they do more extreme stunts but having been right there alongside them through it all, it warms my heart to watch the videos of their first times. It is not unlike their first step videos. I cherish the videos of their first time riding their boards down a slight hill, their first time doing an ollie, their first time dropping in, and all the fears that came with those acts. 

2.) While I do not talk too openly about the life of a business owner, anyone who has been one knows that it is a time/thought consuming lifestyle, that has countless weights of responsibility and countless curveballs. On one particularly wild day, the kids and I sent Josh goofy photos of us. On another particularly wild day, I made Josh pose in cheesy photos with me. The gestures were small, but like the first Proverb we had the kids memorize, the sentiment rings true for us during those wild times: "A cheerful face makes a joyful heart." 

3.) After having had the most amazing trail run in Moab, I was re-energized in my "running." I say "running" because I have never been, nor will ever be, a runner. I am more of a speed walker or jogger or shuffler. When we arrived home from Moab, my recent Runner's World magazine had a 5-week plan for running a 5K in 30 minutes. My previous fastest time was 32 minutes, so I decided to tackle the plan as a way to have a goal in my "running." The kids were (mostly) happy to either run or ride alongside me on my road and trail runs, and I used the gym indoor track while the boys were at swim practices for speed work.

The next month when my Runner's World showed up, it had a 10-week plan for running a half-marathon. The thing I realized when looking at it was that the two plans overlapped in mileage. Intrigued, I started looking around for a half marathon to train for and started talking to my friend, Molly from EP, who was already planning on doing the EP half marathon in June. Since we were going to be in Boulder for the month of August, she agreed to run in her second half marathon that summer with me then/there.

4.) Wait... Boulder in August?

When I was growing up, we went on only a handful of "yearly" family vacations, (that lasted between 12 and 48 hours long). 4 to be exact. Chicago (for a wedding), Adventureland (for one day), Wisconsin Dells (to the cheapest/smallest waterpark there for one day), and St. Louis (to Mark Twain Cave & zoo only). Growing up, we didn't have much money and my dad didn't like traveling, but he sacrificed time and money to squeeze the six of us and our luggage into our little Ford escort station wagon to take us on, what were for us, once in a lifetime trips. It was while driving home from one trip that my dad would suggest the next year's trip. Admittedly, it was a sad day when after four years the trips abruptly stopped. I remember it was plans to go back to Chicago and visit the Museum of Science and Industry. Le sigh. 

When we were driving home from Moab, we, too, were already planning our next month long get away. This time we chose to go to Boulder for a month. Boulder was another great hub of the tech industry that we are in and we wanted to research and pursue client relationships in the area. Because we had just returned for one trip, I was slow to getting on VRBO to look for a place to stay or figure out time frames. The decision was finalized very quickly for us when late one night, Josh came to me and said, "I found a beautiful house that looks like an art museum near downtown Boulder on AirBnB that is available for the whole month of August. They say they don't want kids under the age of 10 because she has so many fragile things in her house, so you'll have to convince her to rent to us. You should contact them and try to rent it right now."

AirBnB had only been mainstream, finalizing a massive funding round and expanding throughout the country, for a year prior to this time. (At that time, they also were trying to recover/solve a scandalous robbery situation. Remember that one?) I was still under the impression that it was primarily for renting out one room in someone's house, but Josh found a whole house for rent. However, at this point in time, AirBnB was set up so that you could not make simple inquiries on places to stay, like VRBO or FlipKey, etc. You had to put your money where your mouth was and fork over the full amount to AirBnB with your inquiry. I used my "three well-behaved children" line and hoped for the best. Within 12 hours, our money was taken, she accepted our request, the confirmation was set, and we were now staying in Boulder for the month of August.

Wham, bam, thank you, ma'am. Here it was, only April, and our summer was set.

NEXT STORY...

It was time to have breakfast at the best Moab breakfast joint and hit the road for the "quick" 5 hour drive to Denver. Josh had more work meetings to take care of in Denver so we scheduled to stay 3 nights in Denver at the same hotel we stayed at for the beginning of our trip. The hotel once again proved to be a perfect business location as well as a great storage setup for our bikes and gear-filled car. We filled our days in the city with work and school and Thai food, but in the afternoons the kids and I got out to experience Denver's amazing downtown skatepark. 

At the time, at 11 & 9, (yes, I accidentally called Max 10 earlier, oy, my mind!, she fails me!) our boys were definitely noobs to skateboarding. They had bought "cheap" Target skateboards with their Christmas money and, within a month, by the end of January 2012, they had each busted those boards and wheels from their constant use. Then they saved their money and bought the least expensive boards from the local skate shop just before leaving for Moab. Even though they couldn't do many tricks other than an ollie, they LOVED skateboarding and were at it constantly.

The Moab skatepark is incredibly tiny and tame (I'd guess it's 2,000 sq ft?) compared to our local skatepark (11,500 sq ft) but the Denver skatepark was huge and filled with steps and jumps and bowls and ramps (boasting 60,000 sq ft of skateable concrete!). For our boys the Denver skatepark was a huge eye opener into the skateboarding world they were entering. At the skatepark there were little kids younger than them doing amazing tricks, jumps, and flips. Each of our boys had quite the crashes over our two days at the Denver skatepark, a combination of slippery concrete and their noob status, but nothing that made them want to quit skateboarding anytime soon. If anything, it just made them want to practice all the more.

What seemed in the blink of an eye, it was time to go back home. Our time in the desert and mountains was over and it was time to drag ourselves back across Nebraska. But the welcome into our home state was filled with life. Spring had begun, the grass was green, the trees were starting to bud, our lilacs were flowering early. 

Coming home after "only" 2.5 weeks away was not as traumatic for me as when we returned from our CA adventure. Even though there were other things in our life that were spinning out of control, the act of traveling and living/working for the second time worked better than we could have hoped. Once again, after this adventure, our family was drawn closer together. This time it wasn't that we were only with ourselves, but it was that we went on a wide variety of outdoor adventures that everyone could participate in with our varying skill levels. Once we were back home, the kids were excited about biking to the skatepark or biking for fun as a family or running with Mom on trails or biking alongside while Mom ran, etc. It wasn't that we had never done those activities before as a family, only now everyone could hold their own, the combination of age and time benefited from our togetherness.

It gave us as parents hope that maybe now there wouldn't be AS MUCH feet dragging out of 2 of 3 of our kids. One can always hope. :)!

NEXT STORY...

Today, was our final full day in the desert and, for our final desert excursion, we wanted to drive up to Island in the Sky, part of Canyonlands National Park.

Canyonlands is a national park of almost 340,000 acres (compared to the more popular Arches National Park which is 76,000 acres). It is divided into 4 distinct areas by location and geography: Island in the Sky (a lush mesa), the Needles (an amazing area of sandstone pinnacles), the Maze (a remote labyrinth into countless canyons), and the 2 rivers: the Colorado River and Green River. The rivers' deep carving of the canyons brings the views to near Grand Canyon proportions as they divide the park's three areas and make it so that by car there is no easy way to travel between the three. The Needles to Island in the Sky is a 2 hour drive, while Island in the Sky to the Maze is a 7 hour drive. 

The Island in the Sky is a expanse mesa. Though it feels like it is shaped like a land peninsula rather than island, it does sit nearly 2000 feet higher in elevation than the city of Moab and the rivers below. To get to the Island in the Sky, you drive northwest of Moab for 9-10 miles then take a left. From here, over 14 miles, you rise up the 2K to reach the mesa top. Desert greens cover the mesa floor for miles in every direction and while looking across the flat, lush, vibrant landscape you begin to wonder, "Where are the canyons?"

But then, the Navajo and entrada sandstones begin to peek up their heads and the flat mesa begins to cast eerie shadows into the landscape. The view is similar to what one would expect to have seen on Columbus's maiden voyage, you have reached the end of the world, you are about to go over the edge like a waterfall, but here the green sea disappears into the depths of reds. Island in the Sky may be a dead end but the view is uninterrupted. It's no wonder that Edward Abbey called the Canyonlands, "the most weird, wonderful, magical place on earth - there is nothing else like it anywhere."

One of the things you will notice if you look into the canyon is an area that almost resembles a lower tier. This area is called the White Rim and wraps around the three sides of Island in the Sky. It is a natural sandstone bench located 1000 feet below the mesa top and 1000 feet above the rivers. The White Rim Trail is a dirt road, generally one car width wide, that travels a 100 mile loop around the White Rim. It is a favorite trail by 4x4 enthusiasts, motorcross motorcycles, and mountain bikers. We did take our Volvo on part of the trail, called Schaffer Road (pictured below) but for Josh the drive and the view of it from above, would only make him long to tackle the 100 mile ride one year later. (I also love the below photo because the flat green mesa top and the sharp drop is definitely noticeable.)

Matrimony Spring, a natural spring right at the intersection of the main entrances into Moab, has a legend that the newly married couple who found it drank from it and vowed to never leave Moab. While we have had to leave Moab, for us the legend has become every time my husband leaves he declares his famous words about Moab, "I still have unfinished business in Moab." It happened after our first 2 day visit, it happened now after a week and a half visit, and he has said it after each of our future one month visits. (I'll get to those, don't worry! :)!)

FINAL STORY...

Once again, getting back to work after an amazing week vacation is hard for everyone, adults and kids. But, once again, the beauty of living anywhere, specifically living in a playground like Moab and living in a different time zone, means you can still pretend like you are on vacation when the work day is done.

Since our attempt to go skiing was a bust, we decided to rent suspension mountain bikes for the boys so they could ride on the infamous Slickrock Trail. Josh would ride with them on his fixed frame bike, even with his wrists still reeling from pain (strongly probable stress fractures) received during the Porcupine Rim trail ride.

The 10.6 mile, one and only, Slickrock Bike Trail is world famous, requires high technical ability, and is highly aerobic. The trail is made up of beautiful, buff-colored Navajo sandstone and is more of a sandpaper texture than slick rock. It was formed ages ago by petrified sand dunes undulating across the landscape. 

On the day we were there, someone was taken away in an ambulance for a broken leg received on the trail. Heeding the warning, we opted to have the boys try the 2.3 (tho, actually 3) mile practice loop located next to the official trail. Though it is not as long or extreme as the real trail, the practice loop is designed to be a challenging introduction for any rider considering the real trail and it was perfect for our boys. Josh took Zeke out and I walked behind Max (carrying Miriam on my back the whole time).

A 9-second video of Max riding an easy section on the practice loop. Click on black rectangle to get it to start. :)!

This is our 10 year old Max in the middle of the practice loop. It was incredibly difficult (it boggles my mind to think the real trail is harder!), he was working harder than ever (the ups and downs were no joke), it was crazy windy (see previous day's Looking Glass pics), but at this point he exclaimed with a beaming smile, "This is the best bike ride of my entire life!" 

During our visit to Slickrock Bike Trail, Josh ended up going out for part of the real trail then I borrowed Zeke's rented bike and did part of the practice loop. If you couldn't gauge by the above elevation map, the aerobic aspect is intense and the undulations are extreme even on the practice loop. It wasn't their first ski resort trip but it was an extreme sport day, one that has never been forgotten and they are counting the days to recreate.

14 as of today.

NEXT STORY...

Climb ON!

Today, our, *sniff*, last day of Spring Break, we planned to climb a new (set in 2010), yet increasingly popular rock south of Moab called Looking Glass Rock.

Photo credit. Would you believe I forgot to step back and take a photo of the whole, breathtaking amphitheatre that is Looking Glass Rock? The sandstone rock sits alone in a flat, desert field, surrounded by small brush and no other rock formations. 

We planned to climb up the east rib (seen on the right), a 5.5 PG13 sport route, that is 400' long, and required 3 pitches. (A pitch means the length of rope usually will run out at that point. At the top of one pitch you have to stop and collect all your rope and then start again.) In reality, you can scramble up the east rib and free climb it without a rope, because it is not technical and doesn't even require the use of climbing shoes. EXCEPT for the fact that it is PG13. PG13 stands as a type of warning about a climb and the warning for this climb is that it has a 135' free fall rappel in order to get down. It is important to have a rope and have the rope long enough to be folded in two and still reach the ground. (Tho, in reality you could simply climb back down the rib or, as we've seen, be crazy enough to base jump a dangerously short distance.)

Amos teaching us how to climb 3 people at a time. Make mental note of the horizontal crevice at his knee.

Amos, Josh, and I climbed as three roped together, meaning once Amos was to the first pitch he would belay both Josh and I climbing at the same time. Next, Joe and his 12 year old son Isaac would climb together. Third, Amos would go up again with Molly and Kari as three roped together. We didn't let our three kids climb this route because they had never rappeled by themselves before and we didn't think learning to rappel on a 135' free fall was a good idea. (Tho, little did we know one year later we would have all 3 of them learn to rappel on a 120' free fall, whoops!)

Joe and Isaac beginning the second pitch.

The day we chose to climb this route it was INCREDIBLY windy. Winds were steady at 27mph with forceful gusts between 40-50mph. Even though I cursed the wind, the climb was as easy as scrambling and incredibly fast moving. We hung out at the top for a while, took in the amazing panoramic view, I even happened to *cough* find *cough* a restroom up there, and we waited for Joe and Isaac.

Directly above the hole you can see Josh and my orange helmets looking over the edge.

In order to begin the rappel, you have to climb down into a crevice and find the rappel bolts at the top of the eye slit. Thankfully, we had incredibly experienced Amos to set up the rappel. He then threw the rope down to Molly who would act as our "fireman's belay." A "fireman's belay" means that, heaven-forbid, the person rappeling loses control, the person at the bottom of the rope can pull both ends tight, thus stopping the person from falling along the rope any further down. 

Amos, our amazing friend and experienced guide, and his equally amazing & experienced wife, Molly, waiting to start the rappel.

The view down to the bottom.

Molly getting excited in the wind to do the rappel. You can see how strong the wind was by the effect on her ponytail. Oy!

Kari, backing up and dropping into the free fall rappel.

It's probably just me, but when I was a little kid playing hide-n-seek or jailbreak, once I found my hiding spot I would immediately find myself "holding it." I was simply too excited and too scared all at the same time. The anxiety of wondering when or if someone would find me got me all riled up inside and I, well, always needed to find a restroom as soon as I was hidden! I experienced a similar situation when I was waiting my turn to rappel. Even though I had just used the restroom minutes before, once I was waiting in line for my turn to do my first rappel in 15 years (my previous one only being 15' at a day camp), I was too excited and too scared and found myself "holding it." Hahaha! :)!

Me, coming out of the eye slit.

You can see the boys playing at the bottom of the face, above the boulder field inside the amphitheatre.

Molly acting as fireman's belay for Josh as the younger kids watch. Another good reason for a fireman's belay this day was the wind. Oh!, the wind!

It wasn't until later that I would be told about how the start/base of this climb (that area I mentioned above by Amos's knee) and near the area that these two are sitting, is a favorite hangout of a number of rattlesnakes, 6-foot long rattlesnakes. Ignorance of that information is not bliss, we were really lucky this day nothing happened.

The entire climbing experience at Looking Glass Rock was not incredibly tiring and it did not take long except for the fact that we had multiple groups of climbers. We were back to our condo area mid-afternoon and made plans to run/hike Negro Bill Canyon with our group of other friends in town. 

This is O & M at the beginning of the trail. It soon narrows to a 1' wide trail winding around trees, bushes, boulders, etc.

You may remember this trail being the ending area for the Porcupine Rim MTB trail. Porcupine Rim swoops around the top edge and the north side of Negro Bill Canyon, while this trail goes into the canyon itself. Negro Bill Canyon is named after the first non-caucasian to explore the canyon back in 1877. At the end of the trail into the canyon is Morning Glory Bridge. Though often referred to as Morning Glory Arch, it is considered to be a bridge because a natural spring runs underneath it. There are hiking/biking trails that go across the bridge as well as bolts for groups to rappel down into the canyon at the end of their hike. Rappelers can also do a simul-rappel on the bridge which seems like a bit much for me, oy!

Josh took the kids along the trail and I ran with 5 others. For me, this was not only my longest run since I broke my foot (4.8 miles) but also my inaugural trail run and I was definitely hooked. The trail into the canyon criss-crossed back and fourth across the stream countless times and has a wonderful mix of gradual climbs and steep rock scrambling. It was exciting to experience the different terrains while running and exhilarating to go from normal runing on dirt or sand to high stepping and technical foot placement around larger rocks. Even though my ankle hurt like a mother when we finished the run, it also made me believe that running a farther distance, like a half marathon, would be possible for me someday.

This was the last day that everyone else we knew was staying in Moab. We were the only ones sticking around for 3 more days. Tomorrow was a Monday and Josh had to turn back on his email and get back to work and the kids and I had to get back into school as well. Just like in CA, we would be able to add play after school and work were done. But for tonight, the last night of Spring Break, we would party it up with our friends, with whom we had enjoyed countless adventures over the previous week. What an amazing experience it was!

NEXT STORY...

It started years upon years ago, when we had our first vacation with some extended family, all staying in the same house for a week. At the end of first three nights everyone was happiest and having an amazing time. But, while we all love our family VERY MUCH, there came a point, on the eve of the fourth night that you could sense we were done, d-o-n-e, done. Too much togetherness, too much lots of people crammed in a small space, too much trying to be on our best behavior, too much trying to keep everyone happy, too much stress for mama trying to hold it all together, we were all done. The morning of the fifth day, I wanted to lock the five of us in my bedroom so that no more stress, no more insanity could be had. 

You have to remember at the time we had the above experience, I was a sleep-deprived, zombie mom with 3 little ones. For example, during my normal days, quite honestly, I loved to simply lay on the floor and let the children use me as a jungle gym while I attempted to add an extra 5 minutes of sleep to my mere 4 hours of sleep/day lifestyle. I was not ready to share this type of behavior with others around and my pride (and false teachings) kept me from simply asking for others to help me while in mixed company. 

In addition, we had a child with an undiagnosed allergy at the time. The only thing we saw was out of the blue we now had a situation that required attention. What my self-conscious mind (and false teachings) had told me was that I was a bad mom for not being able to have perfect little children all the time. By spending a week with mixed company the fact that things were not perfect was becoming ever-so-clear for others to see and, quite honestly, my pride did not like it. (Yes, I have issues. I told you, "It's not you, it's me," rings true! Oy!)

By the time we could finally leave, I never wanted to go on another group vacation ever again. It was then Josh and I made our new rule: Limit trips with others in the same place to 3 nights, that way, we can all leave on happy terms vs. frazzled and stressed, leave not wanting to go vs. can't leave fast enough. This rule has served us well even as we have all aged and matured. 

Travel Log: 24 March 2012

And now, here we were, the morning of the fifth day, spending a week vacation with friends. Even though we had our individual condos, I began to feel like we were starting to rub others the wrong way. Sometimes my feelings are all in my head, but the fact that they could be true, made me want to take some alone time and keep our distance for a bit. This morning, we did just that. Have our friends go off and do things without us. The down time was definitely good for the kids and helped to reset my mind, as well. We could do this, we could last a whole week!

When we were ready, we met up with our friends at the Big Bend Bouldering Area, just 7 miles northeast of Moab. This is a great area to boulder not only for the quantity and quality, but also, once again, for its ease of access. The parking lot is right by the boulders, the ground around the boulders is incredibly flat and perfect for crash mats, and there were countless, non-route boulders that the kids could easily play on. And, crazy enough, it just so happened, other friends were in Moab at the same time as us and everyone had gotten together for bouldering. Who knew! 

Photos taken by my friend Tracey, who we ran into that day. Crazy! 

It was another hot day in the desert and one of the things the kids and I wanted to do was go to the local watering hole while Josh went on a long road bike ride. Locals for years have tried to keep this place a secret, but over time, a trail was made, word got out in hiking books, a parking lot installed, and tourists came. (If only they would cutdown the street sign to make it more difficult to find, :)!)

The one mile hike into the canyon to the watering hold criss-crossed the mountain stream, the MOUNTAIN stream. You could see the snow-capped mountains this water came from, it was still only March, and even on a 90 degree day, this water was skin-numbing cold. At times the crossings were a few feet wide and 4" deep and other times it was 20' wide and 18" deep. By the time we arrived at the watering hole the kids were becoming frozen to the core. (Well, except our little girl, who managed a free ride over every crossing. Lucky girl.)

They tried, OH!, how the kids tried to play in the actual watering hole but the cold temperature was simply too much and they couldn't even get up to their chests. Instead, they threw rocks and ran around, trying to warm their bodies. Except for one little guy, who sat shivering in a towel with his mom wrapped around him. Poor guy!

Oddly enough, it was when we were almost to the watering hole that we ran into more friends on the trail who had just so happened to come to Moab for the weekend! What a small, small world!

With how many off adventures the guys had been on, us women had planned to go out this night to one of the local wineries, which there are only two to choose from. Because my friends had already been to the one, we opted for the other one. We were following our GPS to its location and when the paved road became a dirt road, you could see the young grape vines and then a group of what looked like double wide trailer buildings, or pre-fab buildings of the same size. The parking lot had 5 cars parked outside so we all went in, with expectations high.

Once in the building, we knew we couldn't leave. Not because the place was SO amazing, but because we had found ourselves in an awkward situation. This wasn't what we had expected and all of us raised-Iowa-nice-women, didn't know how to get out of the situation quickly yet gracefully.

Upon stepping in the double wide building, we were standing in a tiny 8' x 8' area sectioned off specifically for visitors. Squeezed in this area were shelves displaying random items for sale, other storage, and 2 other winery visitors. Behind the counter, was the curious man who owned the winery. With the five of us, all crammed in the space, standing on top of each other, we could have fanagled around the other two visitors and made an escape. However, I think the first two guests saw this as their opportunity to run and they quickly took it, leaving us women there to make polite conversation until we too could escape.

Though hardly 50, the man's skin had obviously been living in the desert sun for many years, it was dry, cracked, and ashy with time. He gave us a darkened toothy, and partially toothless, smile and then stared at us. It felt as if he didn't want us there either but he had us there. Trying to make the best of the awkward situation, I asked the man random questions and tried to find a way of escape. He had owned the winery for 20 years, he had water rights to the lake up in the La Sal Mountains, he had lost all his vines a few years back and was just getting them going again, he loved to eat burgers at Milts, and now that he was going, he had opinions on everything and wanted to share it with us. And throughout the conversation and the tasting, we were not convinced of his winemaking ability. Once we felt the tasting had gone on long enough, I realized we were supposed to pay for each tasting or buy a bottle of wine to get the tasting for "free." I bought a bottle and we backed ourselves to the door, cutting off his conversation to make our final exit.

Once in the car, we laughed our way to the Thai restaurant he tried to convince us out of and we completely enjoyed our delicious food and drinks. Today had been a crazy day of taking a family time-out, chance meetings of two different groups of friends, a verge of hypothermia by the kids, and a curious "winemaker." Tomorrow would be a more normal day with 140' rappels...

I should also note that the winery was put up for sale shortly after our visit and is now under new ownership. The old winery owner is now flipping burgers at Milts. The new owners are working hard to make a go of the winery. I wish them the very best! It can only get better! :)!

NEXT STORY...

My friend, the kids, and I took off for a morning of fun at the skatepark and downtown Moab for shopping while the guys went on a new mountain biking adventure. 

This time for their mountain biking adventure, they chose a "real" MTB trail, a black diamond trail called Porcupine Rim. Porcupine Rim is one of the original, intense MTB trails in Moab. The way the trail is traditionally ridden is riders are dropped off at the trailhead located inside the Sand Flats Recreation Area (just to the east of Moab, past the most breathtaking recycle dump you've ever seen). Depending on your start point, the trail is between 11-14 miles long. It starts off at around 7,200 ft. elevation and drops almost 3,000 ft. before it ends at the trailhead at Negro Bill Canyon.

It is the final 3 miles of the trail that are the most intense and technical because of its slick rock, its 2' drops, and its highly exposed areas, just to name a few of the obstacles. And, in October of 2012, just six months after our guys rode there, Outdoor Magazine labeled Porcupine Rim one of the seven most dangerous trips you can take. At the Negro Bill Canyon trailhead there is a monument in memory of two young men from Iowa who plunged 150' to their death on the trail.

And my husband rode this on his single speed, fixed frame MTB. Amazing.

Now, my husband had attached his GoPro to the front of his bike for this ride. It is during the video of the final 3 miles that my heart jumps up to my throat and stops beating. In the video the camera is pointed out front and a little down, catching a view of his front tire. On the bouncy video, you can see the incredibly narrow, sandy and rocky, single track Josh is riding on, the rocks jutting up to his left and a cliff dropping down on his right. Then, he hit something off. A rock, a sandy patch, a drop, I can't remember. The camera's view jumps around wildly as it instantly changes to that of falling down the cliff face, peering into the canyon below, and then yanked back up onto the trail and brought to an abrupt stop.

I don't know if it is the fish bowl view of the GoPro or the angle the camera is pointed in, but watching the video it feels as if you are right there, in the moment, and you can't help but gasp when the bike starts to fall and shout, "Oh! My! Gosh! Oh! My! Gosh! Oh!..." over and over again when the movement stops and you are amazed that the rider (The rider? No, amazed) my husband didn't go off the cliff. (Oh! My! Gosh!)

I forgot to mention, they got to experience amazing views like this above photo throughout the majority of their trip. Whoa! Beautiful!

Thinking about it now, it was truly a fluke what Josh hit, but at the time it served as a good reminder to be respectful of the fun yet on-the-verge-of-dangerous situations we were in. It's like the first time your parents give you your own pocket knife and, even with all their instructions, you immediately cut yourself. It's never a bad cut, but it's enough to shake you a little, remind you of their warnings and instruction, and to take heed for the future. For this trip, this fluke of a hit, helped reground me as a mother to make certain that I was taking heed for the safety of the children on all our adventures.

Thankfully, our three guys returned safe (Well, Josh is convinced he has a stress fracture in his wrist from the rigid frame bike, but "safe" enought, :)!) from their adventure and when we were all reunited we decided to do an easy family hike. We went into Arches National Park and visited Sand Dune Arch and Broken Arch. The two mile, incredibly flat loop was the perfect tame adventure that we all needed. It did get a little interesting at one point when a dad and a couple kids went off to make a bathroom and couldn't find us again, but by the end, we were all reunited, and ever-so-thankful to be in one piece.

Can you spy the children in this photo?

NEXT STORY...

Our "rest" day was wonderful, but let's get back to climbing! Climb ON!

Today, we planned for an all day of slab climbing in the Kane Creek Canyon on a piece of wall called the Ice Cream Parlor. Kane Creek Canyon is just west of the town of Moab. What starts off as the paved road of Kane Creek Boulevard running along the Colorado River becomes a gravel road as it diverges south. The narrow, twisting, dirt road quickly drops you lower and lower into Kane Creek Canyon. The trickiest section of road is so narrow you have to pay attention to traffic coming from the other direction. Safe passing areas are few along your descent and backing up along the steep cliffs would be a risky maneuver. For being a remote location, the road is frequented by jeeps, atvs, and motorbikes, as well as the massive trucks pulling flatbed trailers to drop off those vehicles, as well as random groups of campers using the charming, buried campsites along the canyon, and to top it off climbers, groups of friends, like us, or large climbing tour groups and their vans.

Like the spot in Donnelly Canyon, we chose the Ice Cream Parlor for its family friendly nature. You can park your car right at the bottom and have a "short" walk up the boulder field to the base of the breathtaking red wingate sandstone. The routes range from trad to sport, from 5.5 to 5.12, from 40' to 220', and, unlike the ever popular Wall Street on Potash Road where your belayer is standing ON the white line of a highway, this area has a "safe" waiting (aka play) area for little ones.

This photo was taken along the trail up to the base of the wall. If you look to the middle on the far right you can see Josh's blue shirt up on the wall.

Josh (in blue) going up 5.6 Corner a 50' tall trad route. The other climber to his right is on Parlor Game.

Max (top) and Zeke (below) starting on Black Slab 5.6 (which is actually a 5.7), 50' tall, sport route.

The Ice Cream Parlor is also a wonderful place to climb because all the routes are within 8' of each other. We picked a home base and then our talented friends were able to set up multiple ropes so that everyone had the ability to climb often. From a simple 5.5, 40' tall, sport route called Brewed Awakenings to a 5.7+, 70' tall, sport route called Slab Route 5.7 to a 5.9, 50' tall sport route called Parlor Game. (See, once again, some creative names, some not so much, :)!)

What you may notice in the above photos is the darker, almost black areas on the what-you'd-expect-to-be red sandstone. These black areas are called "desert varnish" and is a blackish manganese-iron deposit that forms over many years due to rain and bacteria. (This desert varnish is a popular surface to find the Native American petrogylphs drawn into.) The climbing routes on these flat, black slabs are slick and are at a 65-85 degree angle, and, as is typical in slab climbing, the climber has to trust in their footing and friction because they have only the tiniest of hand holds at their disposal. Once again, this type of climbing was a first for us and the boys, but it was a fabulous experience! 

What about our little girl?! Even though our girl had been on a rope at the climbing gym and on indoor bouldering walls, she wasn't interested in climbing on this trip. She mostly played in the boulder fields, chased lizards, and entertained the rest of us. If you can't tell from the above photo, it was a crazy sunny and hot day. We were literally baking on the wall. But our girl found the only shady spot big enough to hide in and spent a good amount of the day playing there in the sand. 

The truth is, in climbing, if you have anything more than a 2 climbers to 1 rope ratio, there is a lot of waiting. Waiting to make sure all your gear is secure/safe, waiting while the lead climber sets up a route, waiting while they tie off on the top anchors, waiting while the next person switches to belayer and climber, waiting while everyone checks gear safety again, waiting your turn, waiting for everyone to climb one route so you can move the rope to another area... a whole lotta waiting. This is especially true when you bring little ones on a climbing adventure and is another reason why having a "safe" place to wait is important. The kids really are troopers for waiting so much!

We ended this day exhausted and sunburned and I think we even ran out of water. Once back to our condo area, we enjoyed a meal together and began planning out just how much fun we could cram into our next day's "rest" day. :)!

NEXT STORY...

While it is entirely possible to go rock climbing every day, the lay climber's climbing muscles are happiest if you aim for an every other day climbing plan. Alternating in Moab is a challenge because you have infinite options to choose from! Moab is world reknown for its beauty and rock climbing, but it is also known for its hiking, canyoneering, camping, 4x4 jeeping, skydiving, base jumping, rafting, road cycling, cyclocross cycling, and its unbelievable forms of mountain biking. For this trip we alternated rock climbing with biking/hiking.

Mountain biking has many forms in Moab and even over the last 3 years has grown in number and popularity. A majority of the original MTB trails in Moab are hard core, black diamond trails, taking the rider across slick rock and along towering cliff edges. Recently, they have been building new trail areas with a number of green and blue trails, perfect for first time mountain bikers and possible on cyclocross/touring bikes. The new blue/green trails are as beautiful and scenic as the iconic Slickrock Bike Trail, but then again, you're in Moab, and even their recycle dump is considered the most picturesque one in the world.

Josh continually said (and says*) that he had unfinished business in Moab after our first day trip of just hiking. (*Even to this day, after we have gone back to Moab multiple times, he still says he has unfinished business. There is simply an endless amount of adventures to be had in Moab!) This trip, he brought not only his road bike to ride on the deserted paved roads but also his new mountain bike: a Niner One Nine, single speed, fixed frame mountain bike. (At the time, single speeds were the hipster thing to do, ha! :)!)

While the kids and I went out with the other kids on mini adventures of climbing the sand dune, trips to the skatepark, and shopping at the rock shop, four of the adults in our party tackled the trails. The first trail they tried was technically an OHV trail for jeeps called Fins and Things. While one should expect sand in the desert, this trail had more sand than planned, causing the group to dismount their bikes and push more times than they would have liked. 

Speaking of sand, it's come to the point, too, that I now know to only take the kids to the 100' sand dune once per Moab visit. With how much jumping and rolling and sand angel making that takes place, it is the messiest day in the desert. For days after I am finding sand in pockets, sand imbedded in scalp, sand in car... goodness! You'd think we were in the desert! I should also mention, one of the kids' favorite visits immediately after the sand dune is to the Moab Rock Shop. This amazing place can keep the kids' attention for hours with its extensive collections. If you're lucky enough, Lin himself is there and will mesmorize the kids with his stories and knowledge.  

As our kids have aged, we have been able to tackle more extreme adventures with them, but for this trip the alternating of rock climbing and mild adventures served them well. Our condo area was proving a great source of fun for the kids with its basketball court and having everyone in the same location made group dinners a wonderful time for everyone to recount their day's excursions and plan the next day's outing of merriment. 

NEXT STORY...

Travel Log: 19 March 2012

For my own remembering, I have to go back and fill in holes, like... Where did we stay in Moab?

When we went to SF we used VRBO to find our flat and house. For Moab we searched VRBO but came up empty handed. Josh then suggested checking Home Away and Flip Key. All three are similar in that they charge home owners a monthly fee to be listed on their site and, I'd guess, 70% of the rental homes are listed on all three sites. The winner for us this time was found on Flip Key.

We stayed in a new development area south of Moab, called Spanish Valley, that had pods of 4 condos together. Since we wanted all the parties in our group to be near each other, we were able to rent 2 condo units in one pod. Living 5 miles south of the city is not ideal but for this trip it worked out wonderfully. The condo area had tennis courts, basketball courts, pool, hot tub, playground, and a large garage to hold all our gear. It also had amazing views...

Top: View to the east. Bottom: View to the west. Tall: View of one condo.

Another thing I forgot to mention was... How did you pack it all?

For this trip we bought a new piece of travel gear: a Yakima Rocket Box. One week of this trip was Spring Break, i.e. VACATION!, and because of that we packed differently and needed to include two kinds of bikes, hiking gear, camping gear, rock climbing gear, skiing clothes, skateboarding gear, hot & cold weather clothes, as well as, schooling gear, working gear, and life gear. For our trip to SF we fit everything perfectly into our Volvo for one bike, schooling gear, working gear, and life gear (i.e. Oscar, our espresso maker). In order to bring all the additional gear AND keep comfortable space for the kids,!, the Yak Box was a perfect solution. In the two and a half years we've been using it, it has proven to be an amazing investment for us and our travel lifestyle. 

*"Be Bop a Do Bop, Back it up! Be Bop a Do Bop, Forward! Follow the trail of scat!"

Why fill in these details and why the above quote?

Back in college, my friends were obsessed with Mystery Science Theater 3000 and I humored them by watching one episode. The episode I watched was Season 6, Episode 1, for a movie called Girls Town starring Mel Torme. The quote that stuck out the most to me during the entire episode was, "Be Bop a Do Bop, Back it up! Be Bop a Do Bop, Forward! Follow the trail of scat!" I say this line so often in my day to day life, that my kids have even started saying it. 

But you know what? That's not the real quote. For the last 20 years I have been saying that quote WRONG. (Skip ahead to 1:50 for the actual quote.)

This reminds me that my memories are flawed. Even though I said we rented this condo from Flip Key, I'm still not convinced it wasn't Home Away, though, I am confident it wasn't VRBO. And as I start to piece together stories based on photos we took from a mere two years ago, I am shocked I don't remember details where photos are missing. Those physical gaps have mental gaps, and for the life of me I simply cannot fill in the holes like I once could.

It stirs in me a strong desire to write faster and get caught up to today, so I don't forget today's life-filled, joy or pain inducing, precious memories... I don't want to forget surviving the 25th time someone has barfed in our Volvo or that I recreated the animal bark/howl sound that woke me up in the middle of the night for Josh at lunch. If I didn't just write that out, I'm confident those memories, too, would be lost to the holes in my mind.

"I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in, and stops my mind from wandering, where it will go..." The Beatles

And, yes, I know FB wants that info from me, but I don't want to share my favorite memories with them. :)!

NEXT STORY...

To fully enjoy the next several stories, here's my version of rock climbing definitions for you. I am not an expert on climbing by any stretch, but here's my take on the terms from my limited experience:

Bouldering - Climbing on rocks without harnesses or ropes, though the climber usually uses climbing shoes and chalk. Usually up only short distances and has a bouldering mat below the climber for the climber to fall on.

Top Roping - A rope that has been placed through an anchor at the top (either through a lead climber or because you're at a climbing gym) and has a belayer on one end and a climber on the other. (Some people call this bottom roping, since the belayer is on the bottom, but tomato - tomato.)

Belayer - The person whose job it is to keep the climber safe by using an ATC or Grigri. When belaying a lead climber, they are tied directly to the lead climber. When top roping, their rope goes up to the top anchor and then back down to the climber.

Lead Climber - The person who goes up a route first. They take the most risk by being exposed between placing protective gear, whether quickdraws or cams/nuts. If they fall, it is the distance from them to their last place of gear and whatever force pulls up on their belayer. Once to the top of the route, they tie into the top anchor and create a top rope for others to climb up the same route but without having to place gear.

Sport Climbing - Climbing on rocks with a harness, rope, climbing shoes, and chalk. Sport climbing means that there are strong bolts pre-set into the rock that the lead climber can clip into with quickdraws. 

Trad(itional) Climbing - Climbing on rocks with a harness, rope, climbing shoes, and chalk. Trad climbing means that the lead climber places their own gears, cams or nuts, into the rock that will hold/protect the them should they fall. It requires more knowledge of what type of rock you are climbing on as well as knowing how to set the cams securely into the cracks. There is sometimes an actual bolt for the top anchor on trad routes, but not always.

Crack Climbing - Trad or sport climbing that ascends cracks and uses specialized techniques, such as jamming, laybacking, or stemming. 

Slab Climbing - Trad or sport climbing where the rock face is less than vertical and climber uses friction and balance with very small holds.

Climbing Scales - Class 1 is walking/hiking, Class 2 is climbing using little hands, Class 3 is scrambling using hands and increased exposure, Class 4 is climbing with definite exposure, maybe a rope and falls may be fatal, Class 5 is technical free climbing involving a rope & belayer and falls may be fatal. Within Class 5, there are ratings of 5.1, 5.2, up to 5.15, that help potential lead climbers and top ropers to gauge the technical ability required. (For reference, 5.14 and 5.15 are very rare. I believe there are only 2 - 5.15 routes in the world currently.)

Phew! Clear as mud! :)!

Would you belive today was going to be our boys' first day climbing outdoors ever?! What an introduction! Crack climbing at Indian Creek Canyon just south of Moab! Indian Creek is world reknown for its crack climbing but is also amazingly beautiful with its red and taupe canyons and serving as a gateway into the Canyonlands Needles District. Our destination within Indian Creek would be Donnelly Canyon. (The below photo was taken at the end of our day, but on it you can see the vertical cracks that were our picture perfect playground.)  

Whenever we are hiking and I am glancing upon a rock formation in the distance, it is difficult for me to judge the height. As I sit here typing, I am staring at the sun setting on majestic Lumpy Ridge in Rocky Mountain National Park. The base looks within reach but I know it is 2 miles from where I sit. The rock faces look like a few hundred feet tall but I know in reality it is well over a thousand feet higher than where I sit. (Maybe I'll have to try to fill out this math worksheet for future practice, :)!) 

The same experience can be true when in the canyons of Utah. Some, like the actual Canyonlands National Park, the canyon walls are 2000 feet in height, but here in Donnelly Canyon, those beautiful wingate sandstone canyon walls are around only 250' above you and from the parking lot the routes are within sight making the car to base a nice distance for all ages. Add in a morning chill, and it was a perfect morning hike.

Our friends who came to Moab with us are all amazing climbers. Molly lead up a 5.8+ trad route, about 50' high, and called Binou's Crack and set up a top rope for everyone else. (Every route has some sort of name to help distinguish it from others. Sometimes the climbers who name them are creative and other times they are just lazy, as you'll see later.) It was on this crack that both our boys got to climb outdoors and learn how to use technical hand and foot jams for crack climbing. Unlike the jugs they could grab onto in the climbing gym, here they had to make shapes with their hands, jam them into the cracks, then widen their hands, and trust that to hold them. Or they had to jam their fingers into the crack and lay back on their outstretched arms, while walking along up the wall with both hands and feet. Crack climbing is something else, but OH, so much fun! 

Zeke getting the hang of the new techniques.

Max to the top!

Amos lead up a 5.10+ trad route, about 110' high, called Unknown Pod Climb. (See, where was their creativity on this one?!) This was a long, hard lead climb, and Amos was amazing at tackling it. He was kind enough to top rope it and let another family friend, Isaac, and me climb it, before he had to climb it again to clean the route. Sometimes when climbing where it is incredibly difficult, I feel guilty about taking f o r e v e r. This was one of those situations. It felt like it took a minute to simply move an inch though the crux, a crazy pea pod shape into the crack. (In the photo below, it's near the dark area toward the bottom of the crack, which is actually about 30' up from the base.) But the joy I felt upon completing this route was unmatched and I wore my bloody, mangled hands with pride.

We spent an entire day on this beautiful wall, with the most perfect views, playing in its boulder field, bloody-ing our hands, and chasing lizards. It ended up being a great place for kids to come with not only for the short hike to the base and the manageable routes for kids, but also for the "safe" play area around us. We ended our day feasting on Triscuits and Kipper Snacks before making the hour long drive back to our Moab home. 

NEXT STORY...

Everyone had their own ways of getting there, but our specific travel plans worked into a work / play / work adventure that lasted 2 & 1/2 weeks. Specifically, we would spend 3 nights in Denver (while Josh had client meetings), 2 nights in Dillon (to (attempt to) go skiing), a week and a half in Moab (some spring break, some work), and then 3 nights in Denver (for more client meetings) before returning home. 

Travel Log: 14 March 2012 - 17 March 2012

Don't get me wrong, I love my Nebraska friends, but I-80 through Nebraska, in our books, is over. It was over the first time we drove the kids across it. It was over when we drove home from CA. It was over now. We have since driven to Colorado all the way through South Dakota (beautiful Black Hills!) and all the way through Kansas (beautiful Flint Hills!) and we can justifiably say I-80 through Nebraska is over. (Sorry, Nebraska! :)!)

We stayed in a great hotel, right in downtown Denver, close enough for Josh's meetings but also possible for the kids and I to travel the city by foot or bus. My plan was to do our normal schoolwork in the mornings and then learn about Colorado history in our afternoons. One place we visited was the state capitol. We actually got to sit in on a meeting of congress where they were debating abortion legislation. Sitting in on a house discussion was a first for the kids and myself. Another observer whispered to me that the topic was not suitable for children, but seeing how this was a discussion we had at length ages before (yes, in their young lives), they found the forum intriguing and could follow along. 

However, of our adventures around the city, our favorite was finding the most amazing Thai lunch place. Our kids LOVE Thai food with a passion. Thanks to Yelp, we had read of a tiny, and I mean tiny, Thai food cart, run by a one woman show, who serves food only at lunch (though, I read now she has moved to a storefront, :(!), who makes each order right on the spot, is as authentic as it comes in the US, and knows the definition of spicy. She was only open from 11am - 1pm and you were told to expect a huge line, but the reward was worth it.

The kids and I took on the wait challenge and when it was our turn ordered the baby spice versions for us and a nice spice version for Josh. She absolutely LOVED that the kids were excited about eating her food and was quick to give them free spring rolls and banana wrappers. Truth be told, her baby spice was almost too much for the kids, but there was no denying that the flavor was what dreams are made of and they happily ate every bite. Truth be told, we ate there for lunch two days in a row.

Travel Log: 17 March 2012 - 19 March 2012

Now that it was oficially the weekend, and technically the start of Spring Break, we had planned to take our kids to a day of skiing / snowboarding for the very first time. I had researched the cheapest nearest ski resort that we could take the kids to and figured out all the hoops we'd have to jump through to make it possible: renting skis, renting some clothing, renting goggles, etc. We planned Sunday to be our big day. The kids were pumped. We were pumped. It was going to be AWESOME!

We arrived at the ski resort a half hour before it oficially opened so we could get the kids enrolled in lessons, get gear, and what-have-you. When we got there we were informed that their power was out, their computer systems were (obviously) not working, their lifts were not working, and they had no idea when anything would be up and running again. 

Not knowing what to do, we sat there, in the dark of their unheated lobby, for hours, waiting, hoping, something would turn on. Nothing. Finally, we decided to go to another resort but found out that it was going to be more expensive and they did not offer the amazing deals on rentals or lessons. Determined, we left there but tried to go to all the area rental places looking for better deals on the rentals so that the bite of the lift ticket would be easier to swallow. Nothing. 

Brokenhearted, especially the kids, OH! especially the kids, we called time of death at 3pm, when we made our way to a local brewery and sadly ate a late lunch in near tears. This wasn't the way we hoped our spring break to start but as parents, having to play the responsible ones, we didn't want to blow our whole trip budget on the first day because of a random power outage. Skiing wasn't meant to be for us that day, for whatever known or unknown reason, and it was going to be ok.

The next day, OH! the next day, was our drive to Moab day. That made everyone giddy with excitement and all had long forgotten the previous day's fiasco. My husband, for the first time in a year and a half / since we went to Czech, turned on his auto-response for his email.

It was official - Spring Break had begun! :)!

These photos are from the Fisher Towers area, along the back road to Moab.

NEXT STORY...

When we bought our home in IC, it was in the exact same condition since its 1950's construction. Thanks to the then current fad of DIY home remodel shows, we were given an idea. We ripped up the long-hair, green shag carpet and tore / scraped off the kitchen vinyl to reveal nice, tightly laid, 4' x 8' sheets of plywood subflooring. We sanded it, washed it, stained it, poly'd it, and called it done. There was a small section in the foyer, covered in some nasty tealish tile so glued in place nothing was going to move it, that we left and I simply covered in rugs. For 9 years we lived like that. It wasn't ideal, but it worked. 

While we are thankful for our IC home, it's not us. We have always dreamed of having a home like our first home in Ames: turn of the century, screened in front porch, cute character, built-ins, wood floors, dormers, etc. That winter, we made an offer on an adorable house in IC meeting all those requirements.. but we didn't get it. However, thinking about moving we realized we HAD to do something about our floors in order to sell our existing home. Exposed subflooring would not show well.  

Thanks to the kids having ITBS during the days for a week, I used my empty school time to install this beautiful bamboo flooring over our living, dining, and kitchen. I had a little help muscling out a tricky section by a closet (from Josh and Joe) and brainstorming a stair threshold (with my dad), but otherwise it was my solo project. On purpose. Because I loved every minute of it. And I didn't want to share the fun if I didn't have to.

What you may not know about me is I love wood working. I love it. I love using wood working tools (I worked in a wood shop for 3 years). I love the beauty of power tools (I sold them for 4 years). I love the smell of saw dust. I love working with my hands. I love using muscles. I love working with precision. I love problem solving. I love hard work. I love a completed project. I love the time to think. This is a happy place for me. 

At the time, I was still unable to write, but working on home projects, even though not necessarily creative-creative, were definitely a perfect outlet for me. The crucial thing was finding time to think in quiet. Some people knit, some paint, some play instruments, I cut wood. 

It has always been a constant battle for me, finding time to spend refreshing my soul and making certain I am being faithful with my husband and children. The voices on either side of the coin are very loud. When I had little ones they were loud near me, and over the years they've become louder online. Why can't we all just love one another where we're at?

The truth for my life is taking time to exercise, going for runs, being "creative," these are all important to my mental health, because I truly do multi-task and think deeply while doing them. This, in turn, helps me to be better and more focused on my work as mom. It doesn't mean anything negative against me being mom, or that I'm trying to escape from it or them, or that I don't switch gears when needed. I know Jesus took time away to pray by himself with His Father, and He also had to stop His time short with the Father to take care of His children. There have been many-a-time my "plans" have been put on the back burner. But trying to find time for it is valuable because I know my family is getting a more focused me, who's heart and soul have been refreshed.

The last 5 months had been far from perfect, oh, why!, wouldn't life simply calm down!, but I truly felt that our family was able to take on the highs and lows with greater faith and hope. Excitedly, in the midst of it all, we had planned our next big adventure. Moab was calling us back. We happily were going to oblidge.

NEXT STORY...

It was New Year's Eve. I was driving home from running errands and thinking about how much I loved our Volvo and how thankful I was for it. It was fancier than any car I had ever owned and I was still in shock that it was my car. I was amazed by how well it worked, what a great price we had gotten on it, and was excited to drive it forever. My heart overflowed with thankfulness for this car, silly as that seems. In rare form, I had parked it in the street when I got home because we were helping a family by giving them our old washer and dryer. I kept thinking, "I need to move the car back to the driveway," but never did.

Josh and I had plans at 8:30pm to go to a Mad Men New Year's Eve Party then drive up to our friend's house to ring in the New Year. At 8:30pm, Josh was still getting his Mad Men self on and I was impatiently sitting in a dark living room. I was twidling my thumbs since I was all dolled up and had nothing else to do but listen to the quiet of our house, when a single car alarm blare broke the silence. I thought it curious, but I continued to sit and wait.

At 9pm, we could finally leave. Josh went out to the street to warm the car and bring it back to the driveway. He immediately came back to the house and said, "Our car has been hit, we need to call the cops."

What the?! I went out to the dark street and sure enough, the driver side of the car was all bashed in, the car was pushed up onto the curb, and the passsenger side front wheel was all bent and whacked up. As we walked along the sidewalk, Josh talking with the police on the phone, we noticed other odd things by the curb: random car parts, a huge coil, and an entire wheel with part of its axel.

We also saw that another car had been side-swiped. I started going door-to-door trying to find out who owned the car that got hit and possibly if anyone saw anything. Everyone recounted hearing a loud noise and a single car alarm, but that was it. It was an out of town guest at our next door neighbor's party who had the other damaged car.

When the policeman arrived, we made mention of the random additional car parts on the road, curb, and sidewalk. He thought it must have been a pickup truck hauling old car parts and they fell out of a truck when it hit us. Josh was convinced it was related.

Proving Josh's hunch correct, over the walkie-talkie our policeman got word of a curious situation. 4 miles down our road, another policeman found a man standing on the side of the road with his car on fire. The man was so drunk he didn't know why his car was on fire. His car was on fire because he was missing a wheel. The man didn't know what happened to his wheel. His wheel was back 4 miles in front of our house. He drove 4 miles in his car with only 3 wheels. 

4 miles!

All I could think was, I'm so glad that man did not kill anyone! He was so drunk he wouldn't have known. He didn't know he was driving on 3 wheels, he didn't know he hit our cars, he had completely blacked out. And then all I could think was, I'm so glad we didn't leave on time! He could have hit one of us or the kids. The car alarm I heard at 8:30 was our car alarm. We were scheduled to leave at 8:30. Whoa.

The next day, I got a call. A man was weeping uncontrollably on the phone. He was apologizing profusely. It was the man who hit our car. Josh spoke with him at length and took the opportunity to speak truth to him. 

While upset about my car getting trashed, the truth the whole ordeal spoke to me was the reminder that our car, like our house, like our stuff, are just things. It's only a stupid car. I could have lost considerably more that night - my husband, my children, my life. 

2012 was off to a rough start but I was thankful beyond measure for the things people that are truly important. 

NEXT STORY...

In 2008, my father-in-law bought a cabin home in Northern Minnesota. The drive in perfect conditions could take a little over 8 hours, but with the age of our children and our old van, it would always take a minimum of 11 hours. Though we love our extended family, it was a drive that we tried to limit to once a year.

In 2011, we had no more excuses. We had our amazing Volvo and the kids were older and had proven themselves worthy road trippers for the long hauls. We planned our Cramer Family Thanksgiving to be up in Northern Minnesota with Josh's dad and his sister's family. The lake was already frozen out to 60'+ from shore and there was a fresh scattering of snow on the ground. It was a beautiful backdrop for a wonderful time of reconnecting with family.

From skeet shooting to playing on the frozen ice, the warmth of family aided our forgetting the freezing temperatures. Our daughter's dreams were made by getting to spend countless hours playing with her girl cousins, Grandpa got to be surrounded by his kids and grandchildren AND shoot guns (a favorite hobby of his), Josh and Karl took the Go-Pro, the boys, the frozen lake, and iMovie and got creative, and Maren and I got to catch up on all things life. It was sweetly memorable and is ranked as one of our best trips to the cabin.

Crooked Lake on Ice from Josh Cramer on Vimeo.

The winter brought countless swim activities by our boys. Between driving to practices, driving to meets, sitting in meets, and driving to more practices, all our free time seemed to disappear and the old normal taking over. In the midst of it all, our new normal was schemeing our next big adventure, as our subtle goal was to try to escape every 3-4 months. Sitting around joking one night, a group of us, another family and a couple, decided to go to Moab over spring break. Moab had cast its spell on our family during our big adventure and we could not wait to get back there and see what wild rides it would take us on.  

THE NEW YEAR...

I never thought we'd see this home again. I mentally prepared to either die or end up settling down in a new home along our journey. But we returned. Almost 11 months to the day I got the bright idea to leave town and my husband said, "Yes." After almost 1.5 years of insanity, I had been pulled out of the seemingly never-ending funnel.  

Our time in CA was far from perfect, there were ridiculous things that happened I can't even write about, but thanks to it all I could talk to God again. I know that may sound weird to some but when I think about where my life was headed before Jesus entered my life and how it was forever changed by the love of God... goodness, I am forever, deeply thankful for His never stopping love while I was spinning out of control.

Our time in CA helped me to see clearly through the bad advice I had been given, both past and present, and it also helped me see all the bad advice I had given over the years. Since our CA return, I have been on a quest to individually apologize to dear, old friends that I know I hurt, judged, mislead, etc, because I was/am an idiot, ignorant, and misguided. It has been a painful process and I am so thankful for the grace and forgiveness they have shown me so far. 

I am three years into doing this and I still need to come face to face with a few more people. I am reminded of the Seinfeld when a guy is doing his 12 step AA program and didn't apologize to George, though George thought he was owed an apology. If I owe you an apology and I don't do it, please tell me. I take full responsibility. I am certain I hurt more people than I realize. I would love to make things right.

Our time in CA was genuinely a time for our family to heal. Kids can tell when their parents are going through struggles and it impacts them emotionally, too. Because we spend so much time together, our kids are scarily perceptive of my emotions specifically. They usually join forces and take great pains to ease my load and encourage me. It is truly humbling yet a blessing to have your children minister to your soul. Thanks to our bonding time out west and back, we were once again closer in our relationships to one another, especially for Josh and the kids spending extended time together. And Josh and I were able to were able to think and talk through things as "just us." We were now ready to begin the process of finding a place for our family to fit in, helping our children find kids to grow with, helping us meet new people, and figuring out how we can be a part of our community.

Our time in CA left me my heaviest I've ever been. That was unfortunate. It wouldn't be until after Thanksgiving that I finally started back at the gym doing fitness classes, attempting to run, and getting my 30 Day Shred on. Carving out time to get back in shape was restorative thanks to the beauty of the positive influence of exercise induced endorphins, as well as, that I was able to listen to my favorite podcast, where, it seemed at the time, each one was catered to build upon things I had been learning throughout the previous months.

We had made it. We were all prepared to tackle the new challenges life would throw at us with renewed hearts and minds. We were all excited to see where our next big adventure would take us. We were not dead, yet. 

ONTO THE NEXT ADVENTURE...

Travel Log: 10 November 2011

Second Stop: Grand Junction, CO

Total driving time: 12 hours, 751 miles (Plus, add an hour for time zone.)

When we were first laying out our return trip I proposed to Josh several options, all of which DID NOT include driving on the lonliest highway, Highway 50. Subconsciously, I was trying to avoid it and Josh was quick to point that out. He convinced me I would enjoy it the second time and wo/man, was he right! Maybe it was the intense traffic I drove through to get from Reno to SF, but once we got onto Highway 50, I immediately felt relaxed and fell in love. It was a complete 180 for me, going from depressed to utter joy. The road I loathed was now my most favorite road in the world. I couldn't stop exclaiming, "You were right! I love this road!"

At one point a cop car came barreling down the highway, sirens blarring, and told us to pull as far over to the right, off the road, as we could because there was a WIDE load coming. We did so and within 15 minutes, well exceeding the 85mph speed limit mind you, were two more cop cars, a pickup truck, and a flat bed truck hauling a massive mining dump truck that was as wide as both lanes of the highway, followed by two more cop cars. What a sight! Aside from the freshly fallen snow on the 17 mountain passes in Nevada and thin scattering of snow across the red sandstone buttes and mesas of Utah, our drive was completely uneventful.

Once to Grand Junction we stayed at the biggest dive of a hotel. A place that, I am sure, in its hey-day was a fine establishment. Now after 50 years, the majority of which allowed smoking and pets without care, time had taken its toll. We've stayed in many a choice hotels and this one ranked up there, but as long as there are no bugs, I will sleep anywhere. In CJ we also learned that one city's 4.5-star establishment on Yelp is another city's 2-star establishment. Our only guess was that the hundred people who commented on this place had no tastebuds. However, it did have a nice and cheap wine selection and I can completely understand if that pulled them to the top.  

Travel Log: 11 November 2011

Third Stop: Denver, CO

Total Driving Time: 4 hours, 243 miles

While we still were in love with the beauty that is driving on the west side of the Rockies, we were on a mission (from God, ha!) to get my husband to an office space and get these wiggly kids to a hotel pool, where they would play, for the next 6 hours straight. Whoa. 

Travel Log: 12 November 2011

Fourth Stop: Home

Total Driving Time: 12 hours, 748 miles (Plus, add an hour for time zone.)

In all the years I have driven this drive, I have never been as happy to see our home state. Crossing the border brought tears to 8/10 of our eyes. We were home. We did not die. 

Complete drive: 34 hours, 2000 miles

By the time I did the final math, we had driven 5,900 miles over the course of our first big adventure. :)!

FINAL THOUGHTS...

Travel Log: 9 November 2011

First Stop: Reno, Nevada

This day, her 7th birthday, has continued to be our daughter's deemed, "Worst Birthday Ever." She calls it the worst because family and friends weren't with her on this day. Truth be told, we made it as fun as possible! She got a delicious chocolate cake with a requested purple butterfly on top, she got a cute new outfit and Lalaloopsy, she got to go roller skating, eat pizza for lunch, and ended it by swimming at a hotel pool. 

But it didn't have family, oh!, how she missed them like crazy. What she would've given to have her grandparents and cousins there! Poor girl! And it just so happened that our first day of driving back to home was this day, there was no getting out of that one. Stuck in a massive rush hour traffic jam on your birthday? Poor girl! Thankfully, even for all the negative, she still went to bed with a smile on her face. I consider that a win! :)!

First Day of Driving: 6 hours, 250 miles (Yep, should have been 4 hours without traffic.) 

NEXT STORY...

Shortly after having this conversation with our employee, Josh walked out onto the city streets of downtown SF. As he walked down the sidewalk, a large piece of worn paper caught his eye, he picked it up and read, "The French Laundry... October... 2009." And of all things, when Josh talked to our employee again he learned that was the time his friend worked there. The crazy coincidence of having a conversation about the French Laundry, finding a two year old restaurant menu on a city street, and knowing a person who worked there during that time frame baffled us. But, it also made a trip to Napa imminent.  

For our last weekend in the bay area we decided that taking our kids to Napa was a perfect idea. Napa isn't necessarily a kid friendly place, but our kids are great about going along for the ride and we tried to make it enjoyable for them and us. We found an amazing restaurant for lunch (best salad ever!), a fun park to get some wiggles out at, a castle vineyard (complete with portcullis, sheep, chickens, and draw bridge), a 125 year old winery (and learned about old winemaking techniques), and ended the day at a delicious tasting room that gave huge pours (that even offered grape juice, crackers, and chocolate for the kids).

The above photo I found online, but imagine this space PACKED with people, Josh and I standing to the far left with our children huddled/hidden between us eating mounds of crackers and chocolate. 

By the time we left Napa, me having a hilarious tipsy text conversation with my friend, driving through an insane traffic jam, and crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, it was late and we were starving. We ended up visiting a hip and modern Thai place in downtown SF that, with its 9pm on a Friday night dining crowd, felt like a discoteche restaurant. Once again, the kids loved it and it was the perfect cap to a very posh day in our normally low maintenance lives.

To contrast, the next day my sister, sister-in-law, and I went to a massive flea market in Alameda (on the same location Mythbusters does their car experiments!). From antiques to handmade tables to curious characters wearing full fur suits with top hats and canes, this place was a stark opposite from Napa. For all my talk of being alone, we truly weren't. Having my sister and family nearby was so much fun, and we did meet genuine people at church, and we had a family of old friends that lived nearby and our boys loved swimming with, etc. This wonderful day; however, closed out our last weekend in the area.

Our time in California was over. We had been away from our home for over 5 weeks. We were packing and mentally psyching ourselves for getting back to "normal" but with a twist. Our adventure out west taught us that we could create a "new normal," a new reality for our family. We had successfully taught our children on the road, my husband could work remotely like our employees did, our business was successful while my husband was physically out of town, we could manage bills and logistics, and we could find communities of people to interact with.

We were going home to a place of normal, a city we loved, a community of people we loved, but we now had the entire country as our playground, no longer confined to city limits or state lines.

NEXT STORY...

As I mentioned, our Sundays were usually biking, church, beach days. But what I failed to mention was the traffic. Copious amounts of traffic. Specifically, pumpkin-crazed traffic.

What you may not know is that Californians are crazy about their pumpkins.* We don't know what caused their pumpkin craze but what we did know is that the best road for us to access our beach/church was also the only road to access the pumpkin insanity. The highway from the interstate up and over the mountain to Half Moon Bay was only 7 miles long but the pumpkin traffic would stretch the entire distance, in both directions. 

"What pumpkins? Where?" you ask. Just east of the town of Half Moon Bay, on one side of the highway, is a skinny stretch of flat land made skinny by a steep hill on its far side. It may be only a half mile along this highway, but this stretch of land was filled with millions of pumpkins.* Not pumpkin patches, just pumpkins sitting on a grassy field. And it is also filled with blow-up houses and blow-up races and Santa Clause, and apples and apple pies, and tractors and photo ops and horses, and more pumpkins, and more blow -up items, and people, and their cars. We have no idea where all these people came from or why they loved coming to this amusement park of an area, but the entire spectacle disappeared the weekend after Halloween. Vanished. Everything was gone, most importantly the traffic, leaving the barren, trampled on earth was able to breathe again. 

What's odd is just south of Half Moon Bay there was an actual pumpkin patch, where people could cut their own pumpkins, and do you think that place garnered the same insanity? Nope.

But our Saturdays, oh, our Saturdays, were amazing field trips. The first weekend we visited the zoo in Oakland with some friends of ours from Sedona. Taking our kids to the zoo is like having your own audio tour. (That is, if you can keep up with them running excitedly from one exhibit to the next!) Even without reading the descriptions of animals, they can immediately identify the animals and tell a fun fact or two about each. While the zoo itself was nothing to blog about, it was a great place to spend the day with friends. The second weekend was going to the before mentioned tidal pool, seriously, a m a z i n g. Trying to spy as many different species as they could, trying to find a rare fish, it was amazing. Amazing. Best word to describe it.

The third weekend we would venture down the coast to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Here again, we were so envious of the opportunities available to those who live near by, middle school and high school students were able to volunteer at the aquarium for an unmatched experience. Because the aquarium is as much a research facility as an educational facility, there are countless hands on exhibits.

Hands on exhibit led by a high school student. 

Two of our favorite exhibits were the "Open Sea" and "The Jellies Experience." The Open Sea is a 1.2 million gallon tank that boasts the world's largest single paned windows and reaches 90 feet tall. Inside the tank are ocean sunfish, hammerhead sharks, blue fin tuna, a school of anchovies, and sea turtles. The ocean sunfish were the most spectacular to see in real life because this is the first captive group and because you simply could not get over their scale (even knowing the water makes them seem larger). 

(Unfortunately, I can't access all my photos of this trip. Thanks, Fred, for uploading this!)

The Jellies Experience was partially finished upon our visit. It was mesmerizing to view these curious creatures with no bones, brains, blood, teeth, or fins and, at the same time, who are one of the most feared of sea creatures. The only decoration in the tanks are the jellies themselves. The solid color backdrops highlight their shapes, tentacles, colors, or lack of colors. 

(Thanks again, Fred!) 

From the zoo to tide pool to aquarium, our kids' science world was bursting from the seams. I did end up changing the focus of areas of study for our science lessons because the ocean was calling our names once again. We were hooked and new documentaries and books were to be experienced! I only wish we could have easily returned to these places to soak up more hands on knowledge.     

*Gross exaggerations, but close. :)!

OH! And speaking of Halloween! For the first time ever, I bought the kids costumes at Target because I was without sewing machine. They went as Cleopatra and her mummy guards. Pretty cute for cruddy pictures! :)!

NEXT STORY...

I love making our kids' dreams come true and this took the cake. He had been to the Gulf of Mexico, he got to touch a sea star at the aquarium, he found one along the bay, but this... seeing countless sea stars, in an active tide pool, in the ocean, was what dreams are made of! 

It may have been a typical foggy day, but during every single moment of it, our son's face was brighter than the sun. He was beside himself. Everywhere we looked was teeming with sea life: sea stars, hermit crabs, chitons, rare fish, sea kelp, anemones, urchins, etc. He ran from one place to the next, not wanting to miss anything but wanting to see everything.

These starburst anemones were our daughter's least favorite. She called them squishies. If they were exposed by the tide going out, they would squirt water if accidentally disturbed. 

We didn't go crazy touching all the sea stars, but I did let the kids each gently touch one once. (It was only later that we found out we were not supposed to touch them at all. Whoops! So sorry, we didn't know!)

As the tide went out, the sea stars that were sticking around fought to stay as submerged as their space allowed. This guy filled his crevice and had just enough water to survive until the tide came back.

It's a funny thing watching a child and their passions, you never know what is going to stick and how it will look later in life. Maybe they will be the next Yo-Yo Ma or maybe they will be like me and play cello for fourth grade only and call it good. Or maybe they are good at something but don't enjoy it. We had one child exceed at swimming but he simply did not enjoy it at all. Or maybe their passion for car engines could make them a mechanic, or a car collector, or just the person you call when you need help with an oil change. Or maybe their passion for art could make them an artist, or (as my older sister) a missionary, or simply an outlet they use to release stress. To have a child passionate about sea life, for over half of his short life, is one of those things that makes me wonder how it will play out.

Helping our children in their individual pursuits, from mountain biking to cooking to language learning to medium techniques to sewing to baking, etc, I am constantly watching and waiting at the ready. I don't want to stifle them by making them choose one thing. I want to give them the freedom to explore their entire world but I don't want to miss out on digging deeper into a subject that ignites them. Maybe it will be one of their hobbies in life or maybe they will discover a new prehistoric sea creature. Whatever path they choose, I couldn't be more proud of all of them and the inquisitive people they are while continuing to pray for where their lives are leading.

NEXT STORY...

On the flip side, the neighbors did not care that we were a nice family and were taking good care to respect them. They did not want anyone renting the house, they were annoyed. If we were talking on our back deck, they were annoyed. If the kids were playing in the pool, they were annoyed. If my son drove his RC car on the driveway, they were annoyed. They were quick to make certain I knew it, too, even if it meant the 65 year old woman approaching me in her incredibly short, silk, leopard print robe at 2 in the afternoon to tell me what for. We had sadly found ourselves in a lose/lose situation and no matter of love or Iowa-nice could help us. They had nothing but contempt for us. 

"Normal" school was going great! Just look at this perfect photo! We were being faithful at doing everything I had reported we would do. We were going through all our required subjects. We were taking amazing Saturday trips to zoos and aquariums. Not to mention, we found a great church in a surf town where we would spend our Sundays.

On the flip side, it didn't dawn on me until we were there that the nearest park was a half hour drive away - and that's without traffic. We couldn't walk to anywhere or anything. If we left home after school we never returned until way past bedtime due to the insane traffic both ways. It sadly became that I inadvertently confined us to the house grounds throughout the week.

In addition, even though I was getting better, I was still trying to figure out how to buy foods without dairy. Most of the food I bought was from Trader Joe's and everything says "May contain milk." It was definitely a hit or miss. This made school more difficult and overall life more difficult.

But isn't this pool great! Just look at this perfect photo! Seriously, the heated pool was the greatest gift of this entire house. It was simply wonderful. The kids played in it every day after school and could even practice their swimming strokes. We are talking October and November, swimming in an outdoor HEATED pool - amazing!

On the flip side, you would think with a heated pool at my disposal, I, too, would have attempted to learn to swim or get in the water even, but I didn't. (I am simply not a fan of being in water.) As I mentioned before with all our changes, I had kept myself active with fitness classes, running, and spin classses for most of the year and, except for driving time, I had been keeping the kids and I walking everywhere on our trip. But living here was a challenge for me physically. Josh was doing great, as he was able to bike to amazing places from this location. But for me, running from our location was such that you couldn't run on the roads safely due to the one lane/two way roads, no sidewalk, continual tight curves and hidden intersections/driveways, and a guarantee that you will get lost. It also didn't help that I was actually alone a lot and then it causes me to become even more recluse and lack a desire to leave the house. After a month, I would only get "exercise" on weekend adventures and that wasn't much. Thanks to some poor eating choices and a lack of real exercise, I gained more weight than I wish to admit. 

But on that flip side, as I've said before, being "alone" while living in California, with only my best friend to talk to, and now without the bustle of a city and a lot of quiet, it was incredibly freeing. I am not saying this is a healthy way to sustain life, but because I had this feeling like I had lived for so many years under the watchful eye of others, I now had no one to report to, no one to judge me, and knew that all my decisions, good or bad, were mine to own. I love living in community with people but because I had been so entrenched in something, to finally be alone and breathe... *sigh*... that was a relaxing moment.

But on that flip side, when we finally returned to home, I cried tears of joy. I embraced my friendships and community so much more. I was able to appreciate everything and everyone with new life and love. What an important gift community is and I valued it so much more now because of my alone time! 

But isn't that simply life? Many sides to every situation. These fancy facades, those perfect photos, the Facebook posts - they all have something behind them, sometimes it is perfect and sometimes it is ugly. I could share more of those stories, you could share those stories. But when I remember that, "God works all things for good for those who love God and are called according to His good purpose," I have hope. I may not always know the exact "good" things will turn into but I trust that it is there, somewhere, because I do know who I have hope in.

OH! I almost forgot! So remember my story about ending up at a first state park and how "the aura felt like melancholy and infinite sadness and I could not shake a sense of weirdness?" Later, retelling the story to Josh, we found out that the state park beach was actually next to a private beach that allows nudity. And that said nudity is known to spill out onto the state park beach, in addition to some nude, not-meant-for-primetime PDA. Not that I'm against nude beaches, it's just not something I was prepared to expose my children to at that moment and I was so thankful we had left when we did. Phew! :)!

NEXT STORY...

Travel Log: 19 October 2011

Josh still had one final day at his conference and we would pick him up at a train station later that night. So after a "normal" school morning, I packed up the house and the kids and headed out of the city. To travel down to the suburbs the kids and I took the coastal highway along the Pacific and I planned to take the kids to a state park beach along the route. 

When we got to the initial beach I picked out, something inside me kept telling me it was not quite right at this place. Maybe it was the cloudy sky, but the aura felt like melancholy and infinite sadness and I could not shake a sense of weirdness. On the northern most end of the beach were interesting structures built of driftwood and as we walked along the beach to the south there were signs warning of possible water contamination from the farms above. I hated leaving since I had already forked over the day use fee, but after only ten minutes, I couldn't take it and I made us get. out. of. there. 

I drove us back up to the state park beach at Half Moon Bay and thankfully the kind entry guy let me in on my previously purchased ticket, phew! The sun came out upon our arrival there and the kids had a blast playing in the massive waves of Half Moon Bay. 

After a quick seafood dinner, the kids and I made the trek over the mountains and up the hills to our suburban destination. The house we had rented for the next month was located in Emerald Hills. This community of massive houses is built on every square inch of said hills, and has winding one lane roads throughout. The house itself was typical California style with stucco outside, typical Sante Fe decor inside, three massive living spaces, large kitchen and dining, and 3 bedrooms. But the selling point of this home was the backyard. 

Built on a hill, with the bay in the distance, the backyard had 4 terraces, wrapped completely with a privacy fence. The first terrace was the huge back deck with a hot tub and large outdoor seating. The second huge terrace was a full-fledged, legit Tiki Bar built under the first terrace, complete with bar seating plus additional seating, fridge, sound system, sink, and surfboards, not to mention an outdoor pool shower and toilet. The third terrace was a beautifully landscaped seating area with fire pit and the fourth terrace was a heated pool. 

Even though we weren't supposed to think about parties, we couldn't help but name this house "The Party House." When we made arrangements to rent this home, the owner had mentioned that their neighbors had complained to the county about previous renters due to loud weekend parties. She was hopeful if she rented it to a nice family, the neighbors would calm down. After Josh and I saw this place all we could think was, "Who could blame the guests?! This whole place is built to par-tay!" :)!

Lucky Josh missed out on my initial move-in-freak-out, but thankfully the kids and I got us all unloaded and unpacked without much ado and ready to tackle finding a grocery store. Being in this tightly wound area in the hills, it took us a solid 15 minutes simply to get down to the city. From there, it was a fight through massive traffic to the nearest grocery store. This traffic would be present our entire stay, at all times of day, never ending, never giving any break, massive traffic, always, traffic, traffic, traffic. (Can you tell I'm not a fan of traffic?)

It was at the grocery store I experienced for the first time the downside to only having only one piece of plastic. My cash/check card freaked out at the check-out, due to me traveling to multiple cities in one day, and refused to let me use it. With no other method to pay, our groceries already bagged, almost closing time at the store, I wrangled through our bank's automated system and finally got a real person to unlock my card.

After embarrassingly holding up the cash register for almost half an hour while the store was in final closing mode, I was completely frazzled. Then to drive back through crazy night traffic up to home, I was frazzled. Then to drive back down the winding roads then through traffic to the BART station to pick up Josh, I was frazzled. The day had won and I was done. After a hug and a kiss, I gave Josh the keys and admit defeat. Time of death: 11:30pm.

Drive from city to suburbs: 2 hours, 48 miles

Suburb traffic driving to groceries and BART station: 2 hours, 15 miles

NEXT STORY...

Today would mark the start of "normal" school days for the remainder of our time in California. We would reserve our excursions for the weekends when Josh could join us. By this Monday, our time change wake ups were starting to wear off and the kids were getting back to their normal 7am wake-up (vs. the 5am of the week before, oy!).

I have never been a stickler for waking up early as I have never been a morning person. However, I have also read a lot of articles about children needing more sleep, especially teenagers, and I happily let my kids sleep-in, no matter the day. If we start our school day between 8:30-9am, I'm happy. :)!

I tell you what though, it's always a rough go when we get back to "normal" after having an amazing week of "unconventional" school days. We all love the "unconventional" days, we all prefer the "unconventional" school days, but it was time. I wanted to make certain we were faithful with all we reported we would do for our school year and not have to finish some subjects into June, :)!

As I mentioned, we did have our history lined up with our big adventure and our The Story of the USA books were ready to start us at the California gold rush. Our science lessons were also more geared toward studying the earth and earthquakes. Our other subjects we had worked on during the previous week but we were now back into extended teaching lessons of new concepts. 

Yep... that first day back was rough... but the promise of going to play at the beach was a great reward!

In the cute shirt she hand drew, :)!

Tuesday was quite the similar day but had two rewards: going to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, our final event on our City Pass, and going to Chinatown to buy a set of daggers. The museum was quite a distance from us but thankfully we had one more day to use our transit pass, too!

I do love museums. For me, the most fascinating things about seeing art in person is experiencing the scale of the pieces and noticing the details that photos don't do justice, whether it be the shock of how tiny Salvador Dali's paintings are or studying the brush strokes on a Frida Kahlo. Modern art is also something that is fun to experience with children. Josh's mom had once told me while we were at a MOMA, "Modern art can be anything the creator or the viewer wants it to be." The kids could see Marcel Duchamp's Fountain and really discuss what it means to question art establishment authority via a simple gesture as placing a urinal on its side. They all agreed it was plain silly.

And like I said, with this, our final full day in the city, we HAD to go to Chinatown for one last time. Wo/Man, do my kids love Chinatown. We took the bus instead of the tourist-filled cable cars in order to make our trip there "quick." Our bus was entirely filled with Chinese dialect speaking people and the kids were loving every single minute of it. They felt as if they had traveled to China and it was a wonderful cultural experience!

These last two days in the city were wonderful and made us get a great sense of what it would be like to actually live in the heart of the city full time. We all agreed it would be awesome. 

NEXT STORY...

Even though we woke mildly early due to the time change, we were a sleepy, lazy morning bunch. The long, fun filled days were finally taking their toll and we were t i r e d. We woke to the smell of espresso and the sounds of the San Francisco Marathon passing by one block north of our house. (It is my dream to run this marathon someday. Anyone wanna join me? :)!)

Once we s l o w l y got moving, Josh went for another beautiful bike ride while the kids and I played at the beach near our house. I asked them to try their best not to get wet, but for some reason that never works with our three.

Josh had yet to get to enjoy the city with the kids, so for the remainder of this beautiful day they showed him the city through their eyes. They waited in the long weekend tourist traffic to ride the cable cars with him, showed him their favorite shops in Chinatown, walked up, up, and up to Coit Tower, experienced the various street performers by the SF Bay, smelled the sea lions, etc. They also convinced him to take them to the Boudin Bakery for an early dinner. Each of the previous four days they had tried to get their mom to take them there, but for some reason she wouldn't. Dad; however, was easily swayed. :)!

Boudin Bakery brought out the highs and lows of our life. Having any sort of food allergy and dining out at a new restaurant can require a handfull of questions. Today, we've found most restaurants are very up front about all allergy issues, but back then, only 3 years ago, it wasn't as common. In those beginning years of the diagnosis, it was embarassing for our child when we would ask question after question about the food or have to send food back because the restaurant made a mistake by not omitting something that was to be omitted. That happened at Boudin and it took a while to help our child overcome their embarassment. It wasn't "pretty" until that was over.   

But when life was "pretty" again, Josh took some beautiful photos of the kids while the four of them were being incredibly goofy taking photos of each other with our stash of cameras at the table. They were so goofy that they were even entertaining a group of Japanese businessmen walking past. Those men ended up taking pictures of the four of them even. Ha! :)! It's in moments like these that I always think, "This is what it means to be a Cramer." 

I wish I could come up with good examples of what that statement means, "This is what it means to be a Cramer." It's such a heightened level of goofiness it's hard to quantify. Most of you have never had the priviledge of watching home movies or seeing photographs of Josh and his sister interacting together, but if you've spent enough time with either Josh or Maren, I'm certain you know what I'm talking about, :)!

For me, it is also a beautiful reminder. Josh's mom's creativity was out of this world and she passed it onto her children in the most fun and imaginative ways. Even though she is no longer with us, it is in these moments that part of who she was is visible. It encourages me to tell stories of her and who she was to our kids who never got to meet their Grandma. *Sigh* When you're in the midst of a Cramer moment, you'll know and you'll be smiling, too.

We ended this day having racked up another good stash of walking miles but overall had an incredibly restful day. The new week had Josh attending the Web 2.0 Summit Conference and the kids and I getting back to our regularly scheduled homeschool programming. 

NEXT STORY...

For the previous six months, Josh had been loving his new BMC road bike and he was incredibly excited to experience California on two wheels. Thanks to the time zone difference between IA and CA, Josh could generally work until 3PM PST / 5PM CST and then go for a beautiful bike ride across the Golden Gate Bridge, northeast to either Sausalito or Mill Valley, and still be home in time for dinner. Now it was the weekend and he was able to go on a nice long ride northeast of the city, into the mountains, and along the Pacific Ocean.

We planned it out so that the kids and I would drive to a secret little surf town north of the city and play in the ocean while Josh rode his bike the long, hilly, windy way there. However, when we got there the tide was in and the beach had disappeared. Unless you had a surfboard, you were out of luck. We opted to head back down the coast to Stinson Beach and enjoy our ocean time there.

Even in the cloudy weather, even with the cold breezes, even though the water was really cold, even with NOT bringing any towels, even though I was fully clothed in many layers while they were in their swimsuits... the kids loved playing in the Pacific Ocean. They quickly made friends with other kids at the beach and enjoyed burying themselves in the sand and playing on a new friend's boogie board.

At the end of our beach time, I did something stupid. Well, two things stupid. The first stupid thing was not bringing towels with us, or even a blanket. It was not entirely my "fault" since when you're renting someone else's house that only has white bath towels, even if I had brought them, it would have been rude to our host to destroy them at the beach. 

The second stupid thing I did that was my fault was I completely embarassed my daughter. We were using the outdoor, COLD showers and had no towels to help clean or dry. Due to the coldness of the situation, I was quickly and desperately trying to wash off the sticky sand that was stuck to her like tape residue. At that moment, I was only thinking about the sticky sand and not the embarassment of having your mom start to strip you down in public. 

While in actuallity no one saw anything, I stopped due to the immediate shock and horror-filled look on her face at that moment. That look has stuck with me to this day as it was the first time I could see my daughter as a young woman. (Yes, at 6 years of age.) Looking back on that memory I can see how part of her personality has always been being consciously modest. I would like to credit us for raising her that way, but this truly was / is inherent within her. In my moment of stupidity I grossly offended her sense of self. I should have known better. I should have known her better.

However, that moment and other similar situations over the upcoming year, were the start of deeper, more beautiful things in my / our relationships individually with each one of the kids, to truly get to know each one of them better. There were many previous years of fog that if it wasn't because of the last year's funnel, it was because of the years of undiagnosed allergy, or because of the years of lack of sleep due to newborns, or the insanity of trying to do too much, etc, that made things cloudy. I wish I would have "woken up" earlier, but for a long stretch I felt like I was simply trying to keep us all alive. Now, now I could see clearly, it was another "second" chance to seek forgiveness, to accept grace, to build stronger relationships, to strengthen our family. Oh, what a gift second chances are!

We spent the afternoon letting the kids experience the beauty of the Muir Woods National Monument. By the time we got home late for dinner it had been another long but rewarding day in its many life's lessons and blessings.  

NEXT STORY...

We were completely loving our City Pass to its fullest. We had ridden mass transit countless times, we had visited Aquarium of the Bay and California Academy of Sciences, and now we were going to use it to visit the Exploratorium and Alcatraz.

I decided that the kids and I should walk the 2.5 miles to the Exploratorium along the edge of the San Francisco Bay. On a very hot, cloudless, windless day, it was not one of my brighter ideas, but I did have a reason for it and was going on a hunch. While we were walking along the edge of the bay, the kids were all staring into the water, looking for any signs of life. They stumbled upon dozens of hermit crabs, amazed by each one. But then, the mother of all finds, Max saw a sea star, in the wild, and he was able to reach out and touch it. (Sadly, his mom wouldn't let him take it home. Poor guy! :)!)

Touching his first sea star IN THE WILD! :)!

SO HAPPY afterwards! :)!

From Zeke's dream of seeing a $400,000 Ferrari in real life or flying an airplane to Miriam's dream of having a neighborgirl she can play with (We love you, Kenna!) or doing science experiments every.single.day., our Max tends to have the most extreme and biggest dreams and we have loved making them come true, one by one. (OH!, for the day we get to go to Japan!)

The Exploratorium is the most amazing children's museum we have ever experienced. (Today, they have moved to a brand new location and building. It blows my mind to think this place could get even more amazing, but I am certain it is!) Each installation is beautifully created from both a scientific and artistic perspective. Say you want to learn about how sand dunes are made in the Arabian desert? Or experience a monochromatic room? Or understand perspective tricks of the eye? The installations are built not of typical plastic food and fake construction vests normally found in children's museums, but are solid works of metal and wood, science and art combined, built at the Exploratorium by artists, and truly meant for people of all ages. 

We all hated pulling ourselves away from the Exploratorium but we had a reservation for a ferry to Alcatraz that we could not miss! We walked/ran the 3.7 miles to the pier to meet Josh for our afternoon tour time. By the time we boarded the ferry, the kids and I were overheated and a bit grumpy. Thankfully, the cool breeze from the ferry ride to the island was a welcome relief.

Once at Alcatraz, you are given an audio set with a recorded tour that directs you around the entire island. The tour recording is wonderfully made filled with sounds and backgrounds noises, characters, stories, and interviews. However, it is erie when you remove your headphones and realize you are walking around in near silence with all the other visitors. The only sound being the shuffling of feet.

We once again closed down another attraction, and caught the last ferry back. Along the ride, Max spied a pod of dolphins swimming alongside our boat and everyone aboard got to enjoy the experience! What a treat! By the time we bought a mound of crab and walked home, we were all happy to call it an early night! Especially after we realized we had walked around the city for over 8 miles!

I was absolutely loving all the exercise the kids and I were getting in the city. Throughout our entire downtown stay, the intense amount of walking we did was one of my favorite parts. (It was even worth it when attitudes waned!) Sadly, we would not have the same experience once we got to the suburbs.    

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For our second full day adventure after bookwork, we headed to the California Academy of Sciences!

The location of the California Academy of Sciences is by Golden Gate Park and required us to ride several different electric buses. The electric buses in SF run on electrical wires overhead and though their wires look like clutter in the city, their eco-friendly design is perfect for traveling in a city of intense hills. While the three cable car lines are generally used solely by tourists, the buses gave us an honest view of "The Real People of San Francisco" (trademark pending? :)!).

At this time, too, SF was experiencing Indian Summer and the days were incredibly warm for October. Miriam had bought a fan in Chinatown the day before and was happily using it while we were waiting to transfer buses. At one point an adorable, eldery Chinese man approached Miriam and said, "You look Chinese!" Which absolutely made her day.

The California Academy of Sciences is more than simply a zoo or aquarium, they are an institution that supports education and research both at their facility as well as through field work. From enjoying the building itself, designed by Renzo Piano, to interacting with an adorable colony of African penguins, we spent the whole day here, from open to close. I don't even think now we could choose our favorite part of the CAS. Was it the massive living coral reef and aquariums? Was it the 4-story rainforest and its creatures? Was it the planetarium show? Was it the live snake demonstration? Was it watching the penguin try to hit on his trainer or seeing the whole colony swim around so playfully? Goodness. We learned so much during our visit and can say the whole experience truly had us all mesmerized... 

It was during our visit that I started to realize how out-of-this-world the opportunities are for students who live in or near large cities and how much our smaller local communities need to find ways to engage in similar experiences. The California Academy of Sciences offers so many opportunities for students from not only the visits, classes, or camps they offer, but also by allowing students, as young as middle school, to volunteer or intern with them and work alongside the scientists themselves. Seeing the amazing benefits of those experiences while talking with the students at CAS, makes me excited knowing about our local IC events happening like School of the Wild, Iowa BIG, or CodeDays, but it also makes me long for many more subjects to be experienced.  

After shutting down the CAS, we wrangled ourselves home on the very hot, overcrowded, rush-hour filled bus with all 4 of us sharing one seat. We were ready for dinner at home and a night of cartoons on cable. However, I opted to end this wonderful day by excusing myself to the roof deck instead of watching cartoons...

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By now, it was Wednesday. Even though my husband managed to work some on the three weekday travel drives, he had to get back to work 8 to 5 style and we had to get back to gettin' schooled. 

Prior to arriving in San Francisco, I bought 7-Day City Passes for each person in our family. The City Pass we chose gave us a pass to ride the Muni trolley, buses, and cable cars for the week and gave us entrance to the Aquarium of the Bay, California Academy of Sciences, Exploratorium, Alcatraz, and the SF Museum of Modern Art. It was a perfect purchase for how much time we had in the city and how much I love mass transit!

For the kids and I and our week in downtown San Francisco, I had planned to do our math and language arts in the early morning (hooray for two hour time change!) and then head out for hands-on adventures in science and history for the rest of the day!

For our first full day adventure after bookwork, we walked down to the San Francisco Bay to see the Golden Gate Bridge and visit the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park (Free with our National Parks Pass!). Then we walked two miles along the Fisherman's Wharf to get to our science field trip location of Aquarium of the Bay.

They call Fisherman's Wharf a "Merchants Association" but it is really just your typical, bright lights, flashy signs, souvenir, touristy area jam-packed with people, street performers, and salespeople of all kinds trying to get any money they can from the tourists. One of those people is a guy who I just found out has his own wikipage! He hides behind a bushy tree branch and then as an unsuspecting tourist (*cough, me, cough*) walks past, he lunges out with a loud "Boo!" Tourists will take videos of people being scared and he makes money, :)! (Admittedly, our kids were not fans of this guy since he scared their mom.)

Aquarium of the Bay focuses on the animals that live in the bay itself. While it is not a large aquarium, our kids are incredibly knowledgeable about sea life so no matter the size it is fun to watch what they've read in books come to life. The Under the Bay exhibit of clear glass tunnels was where our kids competed to name all the species without aid, as well as discover new things about the animals they love so much. The Touch the Bay exhibit was for interacting with sharks, rays, skates, and sea stars - and by interacting, I mean you get to touch them! For our son who is incredibly passionate about sea life, this was a step toward a dream come true. He has always wanted to touch a sea star in the wild and touching one at an aquarium was getting closer to his goal.

After stopping to learn, see, and smell the Pier 39 sea lions and enjoying the musician street performers along the way, we hopped on a historic SF cable car and headed to the original San Francisco Chinatown. SF's Chinatown is considered the oldest and largest Chinatown outside of Asia. I loved this place before I went there, after I went there, and was incredibly excited to bring my kids there - yes, all by myself. :)!

Hanging out in Chinatown was a wonderful lesson in culture and history for our kids and undoubtedly/still one of the kids' favorite memories of SF. From the goofy shops to the crazy food and herb stores to the amazing and sometimes disturbing smells to the fact that all the people were speaking Chinese dialects, they loved it all so much. And once we found our way to an authentic Chinese restaurant for a very late lunch, the kids had all declared they were in heaven!

After spending all afternoon enjoying the sights of Chinatown (the kids finding souvenirs, too!), we hopped back on the cable car and headed toward home to meet Josh for a late dinner (and beers!) at a wonderful place called La Trappe Cafe. Goodness, I love this city and I had so much fun sharing it with our Three.

I also loved that I had made the kids walk over 8 miles and they didn't even notice... ok, maybe one of them noticed...

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This day started off craptacular but thankfully ended on a high note.

Fifth & Final Stop: San Francisco, California

Dairy allergies are a funny thing and people can react to them differently. For us, when it used to happen, it required incredible patience on our part till it passed. The patience was needed not only for dealing with the reaction but also for dealing with a child who purposefully disobeyed by eating the dairy in the first place. (Holy smokes, am I SO thankful we are through with that phase!) Just like one little white lie can lead to a thousand more white lies, so can one act of disobedience leads to much more disobedience. We tried to drive around and enjoy some time in Lake Tahoe, but it was not going to happen. Lake Tahoe was over. One forced smile photo and then we simply needed to strap everyone in and get back on the road. 

We were able to continue on the two lane Highway 50 up and over the Sierra Nevada mountains, stopping briefly for hot dogs at the goofy Weinerschnitzel hot dog joint. We crawled through Sacramento, made a dash for the city, crawled through the city, and arrived at our first VRBO, right on time: 4:30pm.

Fifth day of driving: 5.5 hours, 189 miles

(Would have been 3.5 hours without traffic. Good thing the morning's issues had us leave when we did, :)!)

Our first VRBO claimed to be a beautifully restored Edwardian flat in the Russian Hill district. Oh. my. goodness. It was too beautiful to be true. It was a typical downtown San Francisco flat, built on a steep hill, beautiful ironwork gate, 3 stories tall, huge bay windows, tall ceilings, gorgeous bathrooms, and a beautiful rooftop deck with views of the Golden Gate and Alcatraz. It had a perfect location in downtown San Francisco, on a quiet street off a busy street, secure underground parking, one building from mass transit, two blocks from Trader Joe's, an arm's reach from the Ghirardelli Chocolate Marketplace, and a stone's throw from the San Francisco Bay and Aquatic Park. (Ok, more like one building away from the chocolate fatory and 1.5 small blocks from actually touching bay water, but still, you get the point, it was close!)

After staying at countless rentals and hotels over the years, I still have a mini-freak out each time we arrive at a new place. If we traveled like "normal" people with only suitcases, I'm sure it would be different. But we don't. We travel with a big cappuccino maker and dirty bikes and school books and laptops and devices of all kinds. Plus, I'm a stickler for not wrecking or scratching anything in the places we stay in. So while we are trying to unload into a place, I am trying to make certain what its condition was before we arrived in order to make certain we leave it exactly how we found it.

It usually isn't until after we unload, unpack, start laundry, organize, rearrange, situate, plug in, grocery shop, unpack again, and organize again and then pour myself a drink that I truly r e l a x. And holy smokes, what a beautiful place to r e l a x...

View to the north from the roof deck, with view of Ghirardelli Clock Tower, Aquatic Park, and Alcatraz.

View of the roof deck itself. When not galavanting around the city, this is where I would spend all my "free" time, from morning cappuccinos to afternoon drinks. 

Seriously, we're not the fancy-smancy type. We get by with little and we really don't need much. (Just visit our house to know that! :)!) This flat was an amazing find and, continuing the theme since we decided to go to California, since our Miriam was returned to us, since we bought our "new" car, since we even arrived safely in SF, I once again spent a lot of time thinking about really, truly, deep-down, being thankful to God.

I used to write down all the blessings we had received and how God had provided for us. During that previous year of our crazy, a person I considered a friend questioned me about where those blessings came from and lowered the significance of them to being coincidence, not from God. (They lowered the significance of how I had seen God work throughout my entire life, as a matter of fact.) Add into it, how much the image of Christians thanking God is like a band-aid, catch-all, typical, empty, self-centered thing to do, and how often Christians are portrayed in general, why would I ever want to publicly thank God?

It breaks my heart to say but during that previous year, unlike the Biblical character of Job, I slowly caved under the pressures of life, the words of the people around me, and I could not bear to rejoice or speak much of God. I knew He was there, through it all, but... but... I just was so dizzy and weak from the funnel. 

Finally being "alone" while driving out to California, with only my family, I was able to see through the things I had been listening to that were false. I felt so hopeless before leaving Iowa that, as I mentioned, I truly thought we were going to die on our journey. But with each new day of our journey, I was able to see the good of the last year, see the tethers, see the slivers of hope.

And now, here I was, drinking a beer on the roof deck - I was able to be thankful for the previous year, thankful for the crazy, life altering experiences, thankful for the grace, thankful for a new friend who had been a soft voice of truth through the chaos, thankful for the forgiveness for all the terrible errors I had made over the previous years, thankful for the many blessings - thankful to God.

This was only the beginning, these next five weeks we were going to be spending in California were truly a time of change for me and my faith - but oh, in such a good way! :)!

We planned to spend 8 nights in this beautiful home before moving to the suburbs for the rest of our California adventure. From here on out, the kids and I were going to begin a week of amazing adventures.

NEXT STORY...  

This day was not about the stop, but completely about the journey.

Fourth Stop: South Lake Tahoe, California

This was going to be a SOLID 12 hour day of driving. Like the trek from IC to EP, we would be driving straight from Moab, Utah to South Lake Tahoe, California. That means driving 90% across Utah and 100% of Nevada, stopping just a few feet from the Nevada border in California. 

The drive across the middle of Utah and Nevada is the less traveled path with gas stations marked by the number of miles to the next, 100 miles the norm. However, the view of the drive, oh my, oh my. The morning sunrise drive across Utah was breathtaking, the rolling hills, the intermixing of the red sandstones and the navajo sandstones, the buttes and mesas jutting up here and there, and the green brush spattered throughout.

The four lane interstate through Utah abruptly takes a sharp turn to the south, refusing to go into Nevada. Turns out the two states had a big disagreement ages ago and Utah refused to make their interstate end in Nevada. Because of this, you have to continue west on the two lane Highway 50, the path of the original Lincoln Highway across America. 

While the Utah section of this road is not well maintained, you do get to drive past the Sevier Lake, a dry salty lake in western Utah. The white auora of the salt mixed with the haze of the sun and desert, created this moonlike glow in the horizon and we couldn't help but stop. The signs warn of a $500 fine for having to be towed out of the lake and you can see the tire tracks of donuts that were spun. Josh and the kids walked along the edges and had the odd experience of walking on something that isn't dry but it isn't wet, either.

(Photo credit because I can't access my photo database right now, eekk! But this accurately shows what Sevier Lake is like.)

Once in Nevada, the quality of the road of Highway 50 increases as the speed limit increases to 85mph. Prior to leaving IC, Josh had read up on this road and learned via Wikipedia that this 409 mile highway through Nevada was nicknamed "The Loneliest Road in America" by Life magazine in 1986. This is a completely accurate description. We also read up on the three towns and one tiny ghost town, each spaced about 100 miles apart. Stephen King had driven this Highway 50 and used the tiny ghost town of Ruth as inspiration for his book, Desperation. (Which my husband found appropriate to read when he wasn't driving, :)!)

The geography of Highway 50 through Nevada is something else. For 25 miles you drive on a flat, generally straight road, sometimes desert or plains, with nothing in sight, no cars, no houses, no wires, no signs, nothing. But off in the distance you can see a mountain range. And as you reel in the range, it isn't until you are right at its base that you are quickly shot zig-zagging up 2000-3000ft and then quickly brought back zig-zagging down again and you are driving on the flat incredibly straight road, sometimes desert or plains,... but off in the distance you can see the next of the total 17 mountain passes you will be quickly be thrust up and over.

The funny thing about Highway 50, though, was how different we felt while driving it. As we were well into the rhythm of flat plains to sharp mountain pass to flat plains again, I was slowly becoming more and more depressed and I could not wait to get off this ridiculous road. At the same time, my husband was becoming very introspective and thinking deep. meaningful thoughts about his life and loving every minute of it. 

US 50 from Josh Cramer on Vimeo.

(This video is of our return trip on US50, but I wanted you to experience it now.)

The part of the final leg of this journey does include what the state of Nevada has called "The Most Dangerous Highway in the State," the 50 mile portion of highway between Fallon and Dayton. However, after that and Carson City, it is a beautiful mountainous drive up to South Lake Tahoe, California.

Fourth day of driving: 12 hours, 728 miles

Our hotel was directly across the state line to Nevada, the neon casino lights were brighter than the ones in our hotel room. We threw together a hodge podge dinner with the scarce restaurants still open and went to bed, completely wiped, but once again thankful for another safe drive.

What we didn't know was that our dairy allergy child had got ahold of some dairy and tomorrow would prove to be a massive challenge of patience.

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Our extra day planned in Moab would be our gateway drug to this amazing part of Utah.

Third Stop: Pause in Moab.

At National Parks you can buy a National Park Pass that is good for a whole year and will get you into all the National Parks for free. (With a couple exceptions.) We knew we would be visiting other national parks in our trip and bought the year pass. Every year since, we have continued to buy the pass, have never regretted it, and definitely get our money's worth! 

Arches National Park is a short 2 mile drive north of Moab and, as the name implies, home to the beautiful arches you see on the Utah signs and license plates. We chose our first hike of the day to be the longer hike to Delicate Arch, the most famous arch. Being the morning in the desert in early October, we didn't know exactly what the weather would bring. We wore light coats and packed day packs with stocking hats and light gloves, shorts, ball caps, lots of water, and snack bars. Being this was the kids' first big hike in the desert, we didn't know what their attitudes would bring either.

I would love to tell you that all our children LOVE hiking as much as my husband and I do, but truth be told, 2/3 of our kids are not fans of hiking because a "normal" hike for our family is generally intense. The 2/3 will do it, but we have to find ways to entice or distract them along the way. This hike we enticed them with hunting for collared lizards and desert kangaroo rats and having awesome trail snacks.

The beginning of the Delicate Arch hike is a gradual, crushed gravel path that is fairly low rolling. Then, halfway to the arch you have to climb up a massive, steep, slickrock face. At this time, our children were shedding clothing and stopping painfully often. (I never thought we would make it to the top.) Once to the top of the slickrock, the hike becomes a trail more than a path, it is harder to follow, and has cairns leading the way. (The cairns served as a new distraction tool, "Who can find the next cairn first?!" See what I did there? :)!)

The last 200 yards of the hike are along a rock ledge about 3' wide. The ledge drops way down to the left and is a wall on your right. I had the kids walk with their hands on the wall in order to keep my heart in my chest. But my faster pace heart was blown away by the beauty at the summit. The view of Delicate Arch is amazing. The slickrock bowl you have to walk in to get to the arch is another heart beater, but completely worth it.  

The kids had made it the mile and a half to the summit but as we started the trip back some attitudes were starting to wane. We changed the subject to hunting lizards and spirits were revived! Parents FTW! We got off the main trail and out of sight and the kids hunted lizards atop this beautiful slickrock area for a solid hour. When it was time to finally make the trek down, everyone was ready and excitedly talking about the near catches they had.

Then just as we were ending the hike a child called out, "A lizard! I can catch it!" And he did. And it bit him. And he was shocked. And he was embarrassed. And he quietly cried to himself. Poor guy.

We would continue this day in Arches with a hike to Sand Dune Arch and Landscape Arch. Landscape Arch, being our last hike of the day, after hiking 4 miles already, was like pulling teeth to get there, but knowing if they survived it, we'd have time to go to the massive sand hill. And they did it. And 1/3 of them liked it. :)!

In order to make certain we sucked all the marrow out of this absolutely beautiful day, we decided to put off dinner a little longer and drive up along Potash Road just in time to watch the sun set through the canyon. Potash Road continues along the Colorado River and goes west from the town of Moab. It is home to a famous climbing area called Wall Street, has lots of petrogylphs, actual dinosaur tracks, and countless hikes and canyons that shoot off from the river. 

Third Day: ? hours, 6 miles of hiking

By the time we returned to our hotel, it was way past bedtime. We ordered Thai take-out and everyone recounted the stories of our not-so-lazy but definitely peaceful-pause of a Sunday. From finally being able to laugh about the lizard bite to enjoying running up and down the 100' Sand Hill, everyone was in good spirits as they snarfed down pad Thai and curry. The day truly felt like an honest to goodness family vacation day.

To be honest, we hadn't really enjoyed time like that in the last year, just us 5, being ourselves, watching cartoons in the hotel, truly enjoying life together. For us as parents, all the "fun" moments we had during the last year were shrouded with the weight of all the other issues bearing down on us and our smiles were forced. For our kids, while they did not feel the weight like we were, they could see it in us. They knew. But this day, this day they could tell, they could tell it was not forced.

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Second Stop: Moab, Utah!

Ignorance is bliss isn't always a bad thing.

Take, for example, driving Peak to Peak Highway and I-70 during a snowstorm.

When we headed out at 10AM that Saturday morning with the snow gently falling, we weren't overly concerned, we were too enamored with the beauty of it all. Thankfully, my Minnesota-bred husband is great at driving in snow and naturally took driving the winding, snow covered highway of Peak to Peak with great skill. 

By the time we got to I-70, the snow had picked up. Everyone on the interstate was caught off guard by the first snowstorm of the season. The interstate was covered in snow, the plows had not arrived yet, no lines were visible on the concrete, trucks were over-crowding the chain stations, and while some cars sought to take refuge at the over crowded chain stations, other cars, like us, tried to keep moving, some better than others. 

Inch by inch we moved and it seemed like all the cars around us were participating in a slow motion ice dance over and down the mountain. I would think you would be able to YouTube a video of "The Blue Danube Waltz" being played as cars did this dance. You know, they slide to the left, spin to the right, trucks taking baby steps forward while others rush the audience. If you found that then you could share in our experience driving over the pass that day. Well, maybe it was more like Elaine's dancing over and down the mountain but still, you get the picture. :)!

All in all, it took us twice as long to get to Vail for our lunch stop, but we were all incredibly thankful for our safe passage there considering all we had just seen. By the time we were back on the road, we experienced the awesomeness that is snow melt in Colorado. The snow was already melting on the roads,  the clouds had passed, and the sun was beautifully shining. From then on, the driving conditions were completely normal, like it had never even snowed.

Driving down the west side of the Rockies was the beginning of all new experiences for me until we reached San Francisco. The terrain of the west side of the Rockies is incredibly different than the east. All of us were once again in awe of our surroundings as red rock walls replaced the gray rock walls of the east side. Then there was the winding roads, the tunnels for holding your breath (driver not included), and the beautiful rushing Colorado River... amazing. We finally felt empited out of the mountains when we came upon the beautiful sandstone Book Cliffs by Grand Junction. 

Our EP friends told us about the "back road" to Moab through Cisco and how even though it is a tiny bit longer, you will not be sorry. Wo/man, were we glad we took their advice! The back road, i.e. Highway 128, continues to take you right along the Colorado River. It twists and turns, as rock formations begin cropping up on all sides, antelope are jumping across the plains, and tall towers of red entrada sandstone show up seemingly out of nowhere. It was hard to tell if the red canyon walls were growing taller or if we were shrinking lower as we made our final approach. We were racing a magnificent sunset, but were not fast enough and it was the canyon's turn to empty us into a now dark town of Moab.

Second day of driving: 10 hours, 394 miles

(Yes, it should have been 6.5 hours without the snowstorm.)

We made it to our hotel, ordered delicious Paradox Pizza and PBRs, and settled in for our two night stay in Moab. 

Wait... Pizza and a dairy allergy? Yep. By now, we were a year into living with a dairy allergy and knew some questions to ask to make certain the pizza we order has no dairy - besides asking for no cheese. Most crusts are dairy free, though you need to ask them if they put butter on the crust for baking. Most sauces are dairy free, though you need to make sure they don't put grated parmesan in their sauce. Most toppings are dairy free, though some Italian meatballs/sausages have cheese added or milk as a binder. But, it is totally easy otherwise... until you don't ask.

As we went to bed that first night in Moab, I was once again overwhelmed with thankfulness. Thankful for another safe trip, thankful for the amazing beauty we got to experience, thankful for the gift of my family... but I was most thankful for a pause in the intense insanity of the previous year. The snowstorm was truly nothing in the grand scheme, (we weren't being blissfully ignorant after all, :)!). We were given a beautiful gift during our travel days to spend time focusing on our hearts, our relationships, without all of the insanity distracting us. 

NEXT STORY...

It was a Friday morning when we packed up and headed west.

First stop: Estes Park, Colorado!

In the days prior, I had successfully emptied our refrigerator, emptied the garbage cans inside and outside, and completely cleaned the interior of our home from top to bottom, inside and out. Call me an extremeist, but before leaving town I cleaned my house to the point that if we all died, going through our possessions would be an easy task. We even finally had our will prepared prior to leaving for California because, friends, deep down inside, I never thought we'd return. 

The kids were all locked and loaded in the car with each kid having a bag that included their own stash of: granola bars, fruit bars, beef jerky, crackers, fruit snacks, water bottle, books, journal, pencils, new toys for each, handheld devices, headphones, and some odds and ends. I also had a Target plastic bag within arm's reach for each child, just in case someone got car sick.

We packed one large suitcase for the kids' clothes, one carry-on sized suitcase for Josh and one for me, Oscar (our espresso maker), schoolbooks' box, Josh's road bike, and backpacks packed with clothes for our 5 car travel days (so we wouldn't have to unpack the large bags at our 4 overnights).

We met dear friends at the gas station in IC and wished them well as they headed for the East Coast and we headed to the West Coast. Deep down inside, I never thought we'd see our friends again.

Halfway through Iowa, about 2 hours in, Miriam threw up all over herself and the car in her far backseat. She didn't reach the Target barf bag for the first vomit, but did for the second. (I'm so thankful for leather seats and we didn't have to get the car detailed like that one time in Thunder Bay, :)!)

Nebraska was its normal uneventful, sleepy self and the kids ate way more of their car snacks than they should have.

Driving through Colorado for the first time with the kids was wonderful! The kids were amazed at even the blowing tumbleweed, which was worthy of multiple videos by them. Once we started heading up the mountain the "ohs!" and "ahs" were constant. Then a, "I saw a baby mountain goat on the rocks!" discussion kept their spirits up for that final push. However, the mountain goat wasn't enough to stop our kids' typical last-half-hour-in-the-car-craziness / oh-my-goodness-get-us-out-of-the-car, but we made it to Estes Park.

First day of driving: 12 hours, 804 miles.

Our good friends in EP were kind enough to have dinner, drinks, and a fire waiting for our arrival. It was wonderful to spend our first night of our big adventure chatting with friends, laughing and talking about life and the future - both the known and the unknown. Spending time at friends' home that first night was a great transition for our Three, too.

We went to bed on a warm, sunny fall day but woke up Saturday morning with snow gently falling and a storm rolling in.

Even with the cloudy skies - hanging out in flip-flops in snow, eating a good filling breakfast out with our friends, stopping to take countless photos of huge elk herds bedded down in open, snowy fields, and trying to capture in video the beauty of the yellow aspen leaves against the snow covered pine trees... we were completely blown away by the first stop of our big adventure.

When we first got onto the road that Friday morning before and were praying for our big adventure ahead, I could not stop crying - mostly fear but a little excitement - I was convinced we were saying goodbye to everything.

But here we were, onto the second leg/day, and praying for the drive ahead. We survived vomit in the car and were about to drive through a massive snowstorm over the Rocky Mountains, and my heart was pouring over with gratefulness and hope. I had the four most important people in my life with me and I knew we were still never / not alone. "The Lord will never leave you, nor forsake you." Though I was shaky and had made mistakes in the funnel I had been in, God never changed - I was finally starting to see that truth again.

I'm also happy to report, there would be no more vomit for the remainder of our trip. Phew!

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I have rarely talked openly about our home education process. For so many of those early years when I would mention it, I was met with questions that, although great, had an aura of negativity rather than honest curiosity...

"What about socialization? How will your kids know how to play with other kids?" 

"What is your problem with local public schools? Or teachers? Do you think I'm a bad parent for using public school?"

"How does the state regulate you to make certain your kids are learning the right things? Do you test them? What are their tests scores?"

"Are you some kind of religious nut job? Are you in a cult?"

While I don't mind answering any question (with love and patience and kindness on my part), the constant negativity was too much. From then on, I decided to keep the whole home education thing on the down low. But quite honestly, recent interactions at a networking event gave me hope that the times are changing - so I don't mind sharing what we did now...

And California would be the first time we were going to home educate on the road. This seemed like something of hippies and VW vans, RV living and learning by osmosis. But for me, I wanted to make certain it a valuable trip for the kids' education so I planned out our school year accordingly. Since we would be driving across the country to the west - we studied the westward expansion. In the school months before we left we studied the Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark, the Oregon Trail, etc. Once we got to California, we studied more specific California history, early settlement and the gold rush, as well as studied the art and ecology of California.

From reading books like Naya Nuki to watching documentaries about the redwoods, we took our new knowledge and made it tactile that school year and it was very successful for all the kids. Yes, we did the normal lessons of math (Teaching Textbooks / ABeka) and language arts (Sonlight / A Beka), but our science and history were truly brought to a whole new level.

So, what did I pack?

I was able to put all student books and teacher books (and some art supplies) in one decent sized box that fit perfectly next to Oscar (our espresso maker) in the back of our car. As the years have passed, I have switched between using the kids' backpacks and using my school travel box - each has its perks. With the backpacks there's more storage-room in the back of the car, but with the box, the toys are out of sight while in the car, making more person-room. I prefer my box because since we are staying in random accommodations, our schoolwork has a place to go, it's organized for us, and it keeps things in the houses more tidy. (Which I appreciate! :)!)

I'm really not this micro-managing of a person - making Google slideshows of driving routes and writing my own full-blown science and history curriculums. But taking our education on the road opened a whole new world for me in how we approach our kids' education, modeling it more for them, their world, and their success. 

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Look at all those smiling faces!

We had decided to treat Josh's grandparents to a Twins game with the whole Cramer family. (Oh!, how Grandma Elaine LOVES Justin Morneau, even if he now plays for the Rockies, :)!) We met up with his sister and her family of 5 (at the time, :)!) and parked our cars a safe yet close distance to Target Field in downtown Minneapolis. With 4 adults and 6 kids, we made the trek in two packs, the dads with some kids and the moms with some kids, and the kids changed groups continually throughout our walk. 

We reached the final street crossing to Target Field by crossing over the Metro Train Lines just as it had stopped and started unloading cars full of passengers. We crossed tracks and turned left and walked toward the gates to figure out if it was the best one to use and all of a sudden my sister-in-law Maren turns to me and says, "Where's Miriam?"

"Where's Miriam?"

I direct my eyes to Josh, "Where's Miriam?"

"Where's Miriam?!"

"Where's Miriam!!"

I would like to think that my initial response was one of calm, collected, control. But oh no. I was in full blown freak out mode. I began screaming. 

"MIRIAM!!!!"

"MIRIAM!!!!"

I could barely move from my spot. I was stunned beyond belief. My screams became more panicked. Josh and my brother-in-law Karl took off running in either direction. Maren huddled in a pile with her 3 kids and my two boys and began praying.

"MIRIAM!!!!!!"

A Target Field worker approached me, "Did you lose a child? Calm down. Can you tell me what she was wearing? Calm down."

"MIRIAM!!!"

I can't stop shifting my gaze from left to right and left to right.

*SWOOSH* Karl goes running past in the other direction.

"What is she wearing?"

"She's... um... wearing... MIRIAM!!!!... she's... um... wearing purple leggings and... umm... MIRIAM?!?!?!"

I can see what she was wearing in my mind, but I can't for the life of me get the words to form out of my mouth. Why is this person bothering me with this?

"What is she wearing?"

"She's wearing purple leggings and a cherry dress that's not red... MIRIAM!!!... She's wearing purple leggings and her dress is not with big cherries so it's not red but it's... MIRIAM!!!! She's wearing purple leggings... and a cherry dress that is not red..."

The Target Field Worker is on his walkie talkie.

"MIRIAM!!!!"

All I can think is, she's 6, we're downtown in a huge city, there are thousands upon thousands of people here, we're outside the stadium, anyone can hang out here, the train lines are right there... I just kept looking left and right and left and right... screaming her name... hoping to see her run toward me... time completely stopped.

"She's wearing purple leggings... MIRIAM!!"

I have no idea how much time had lapsed.

"We found her," says the Target Field Worker.

"She's wearing purple leggings? And a cherry dress that's not red?"

"We found her. Come this way."

"She's wearing purple leggings?"

"We found her."

They walk me half way around the stadium. I see her. It's really her! I hug her so tight as we both are sobbing uncontrollably. I have no idea of how long she was missing for, but for me, it was an eternity.

It turned out, when we had crossed the train tracks and turned left, Miriam didn't see us turn and kept going straight. She then thought we had gotten ahead of her and she took off running straight ahead, thinking she was catching up with us. Thankfully, Miriam was one of the only people NOT wearing Twins gear and a woman (aka gift from God) easily noticed this crying and running little girl, asked her if she needed help, and took Miriam to a Target Field Worker. Miriam was halfway around the huge stadium when she found her.

"You need to pay closer attention to your kids in a situation like this," says the Target Field Worker.

Well, duh. Each parent thought the other parent had her, we made a mistake. But I am forever grateful for God redeeming our mistake and returning our Miriam to us.

In my crumbling faith at the time, that moment was both the last thing I needed but also the right thing I needed. God was still in the midst of the swirling funnel I was in. He wasn't going to give me more than I could handle. He was still there even if it seemed so faint.

My world got to collapse one more time that summer of 2011. I can't write out that horrific story. But after it happened all I could do was cry out to God, "Something has got to change!"

Both moments remind me of the scene in City Slickers where they are discussing their best days and worst days and Ed describes his best day as his worst day. That was those two days for me. Each day I thought I had lost something so incredibly precious to me and each day those gifts were returned to me. Bad things happen all the time and "happy" endings are not always given, but given these second chances I was not going to give up on life and was going to climb out of the funnel - thanks to an undeserved tether thrown down to me by God.

But this is a travel b/log, why all the drama?

I wanted to set the stage. When we decided to run off to California, skip town with the kids, it wasn't all Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, glam, and frivolity. It was truly a necessary step for where our lives were at the time. Just like how I felt guilty driving our "new" car, I felt guilty thinking about spending 5 weeks in California but just like that car was a gift, this trip to California would be a gift and would be the start to taking us on our family's new lifestyle path that would benefit us all as individuals but more importantly, as a family.

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As I was spiraling down further and further into the funnel, my creativity waned, my passions waned. I think I did a fairly decent job putting on a good show but my insides were a crumbled mess and I struggled to find joy in the day to day. From being separated from my closest friend to watching my better half take the weight of the world on his shoulders to the raging battle over dairy (or lack there of) etc., my struggles were minor in the grand scheme of all the atrocities in the world but at the time they were overwhelming me.

There were definitely some highs and some lows, and little did I know two of my darkest days were yet to come.

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California. 

People for centuries have been running away to California. Why not us, too?

It's sunny in California, we have family there, we had been there often over the years and know the flow, and quite honestly, it was good for our company.

After the sale of the IT business on July 1st, 2011, my husband worked hard to make certain clients knew there were always two separate companies: the IT company and the web and mobile app company. Finally being able to focus on solely on one company, the web and mobile app company, it made sense to go to Silicon Valley and work on networking, go to conferences, and plan out a vision for the next steps of our company. That being the case, we decided to spend part of our time in downtown San Francisco (close to conferences) and part of our time in the suburbs (close to the hubs of many great start-ups).

And where would we stay?

Looking back, it seems silly how many fears I had about using VRBO.com (Vacation Rental By Owner) for that first time in 2011. On VRBO we found an amazing flat (gorgeous and smack dab in downtown SF by the Golden Gate Bridge) and an elaborate suburbia home (complete with heated pool and tiki bar - say what?). Both places we found seemed too-good-to-be-true from their pictures, reviews, and prices - that made me nervous. Plus, we promised the home owners that we had "three well-behaved children." Could we live up to those expectations in such emmaculate homes? Plus, we had to pay for the places in advance. What if they turned out to be scams afterall? I would have to wait until October came to find out our fate, but paying for the rentals made everything about our big adventure very, very real.

And how would we drive there?

At the time we were driving a hand-me-down Dodge Caravan with a bolted shut passenger door and WELL over 220K miles. However, thanks to being debt free for two years, we had been saving the money we had been paying toward our previous debts. Two months before our big adventure, we used our savings to buy a new-to-us Volvo XC90 - V8, AWD, third row seating if needed, decent storage, a place for a bike on top, and not a minivan (no offense, :)!). I had never owned such a nice car in all of my life. After all my life of driving hand-me-downs, this car made me feel incredibly spoiled and, dare I say, guilty - like I shouldn't be allowed to drive such a nice car. Who the hell did I think I was buying such a nice car? Those feelings took a while to conquer, and I'm thankful that my guilt did not overpower my utter thankfulness for that car - which we are still driving, almost 75K miles later today. (And our old minivan? Once again "sold" for the cost of two lattes. :)!)

And how would we get there?

There are many paths to California and my husband had me map out every. single. one. Ok, ok, that's an exaggeration, he didn't make me, but he did suggest I lay out our different route options. So I did, in a Google slide presentation doc. It was actually very helpful laying out all the route options in that methodical way. I was able to think through how many hours and days it would take, figure out places to stay, where to spend more or less time, and in the end it made deciding our path easier. Remember, this was our first big adventure, I didn't know what to expect. I planned more for that first trip than any other subsequent trips. (Hence, why we now know what it's like to run out of gas on I-35. Ha!)

This was it. We had our when - beginning of October until mid-November, we had our where - San Francisco flat and Redwood City house, we had our hows - "new" Volvo and driving across the lonliest highway in America... but it wasn't time yet. Other hiccups had to happen first.

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He said yes.

However, it was January and we had to survive where life had us at that point until October.

At the time of my last entry on this blog, September 2010, our family was beginning a wild roller coaster ride. Actually, it was more like the funnel ride at a water park, swirling around and around, not knowing when you're going to make that big drop out the bottom. The food our family could eat was changing, the things we had moved for were changing, roles at work were changing, friends were changing, and life was taking a toll on us not only mentally but also physically. I couldn’t bear to write anymore. I didn’t have anything nice to say, so I didn’t say anything at all. 

At that time we confirmed one of our kids had a dairy allergy. It was a struggle throughout that first year trying to remove dairy. It wasn't that it was hard to leave out physically, quite honestly, that was the easy part. The hard part was having to convince a child how to eat properly for them, to have them own their allergy, to have them make wise choices when you're not with them, to trust them to not sneak foods they loved and ate for many years before you found out it was slowly poisoning them. That part sucked. That part took several years to conquer. I am thankful that part is over (for the most part) today.

At that time we learned that our small church family would be merging with a larger church family. While this was very exciting and good for our small church, it was emotionally painful in ways I couldn't even understand at the time. The confusion, the unknown, the expectations, the switching around... I honestly didn't know where we would fit in and, at the same time, wanted to make certain we were the ones making the decision for the best place where our family belonged, not simply going where we were told. 

At that time there was now a need to sell the IT business. For those who have never been involoved in the sale of a business, it is an incredibly complicated event. It is a very secretive affair, requires intense planning and preparation, and precise execution. And even if one takes the utmost care to provide for everyone involved, some will still choose to be unhappy - to the heartache of all the hard work put forth. I am incredibly proud of the amazing work and dedication I saw my husband put into the sale and thankful for its successful completion.

As 2011 began, the secrecy of everything was taking its toll on me emotionally. Dear, dear friendships I had given so much to were now weakened by my inability to speak openly about what I was going through. Emotionally weak, I checked out of close friendships because of the weight on my shoulders and in the process I hurt so many people I loved. A few of the new relationships that were being thrown upon me were not coming easily for me, either. Though I know it was not their intention at all, my emotional instability at the time made me feel like I was met with cruel judgments instead of comfort. However, in the midst of it all, I am thankful that during this time there were friends, both old and new, who reached out and offered shoulders instead of band-aids and grace instead of two-cents, while I was stuck in a selfish funnel unable to give anything in return.

And, as that new year began, we knew we were out of shape. We got a gym membership, enrolled our boys into a swim team, and got our butts to work. My husband's love of cycling was rekindled and the spring brought with it my his first new bike in over 20 years. My "love" of running was finally possible again and I worked hard to relearn to run a (pathetic) 5K. The boys excelled at swimming and our sweet little girl, well, she was happy to play at the pool as much as we'd let her. I’m thankful for that initial gym membership and how it truly put us on the right path for our health. 

"How about when all this is over, we skip town with the kids?"

He said yes. 

We had to survive until October.

And little did we know that this was going to be the beginning of a new way of living for our family.

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Sightseeing around Eastern Europe was fun and exciting, but it didn't improve who I am as a person like English Camp.  Camp was amazing for me in so many ways besides helping me speak in public again.  The entire camp experience united Josh and I more as a married couple.  I thought we were tight, but I cannot express in words how we came home with a deeper oneness.  Our young family was united closer together in loving each other, loving others, and being on mission together.  Working alongside extended family (in this case my older sister Leah) was so encouraging, what an amazing woman.  Not to forget, watching young lives changed, amazing!  Yes, all those things can (and do) happen stateside but for some reason these things happened with our family in the Czech Republic.  I'm ok with that.

As I was looking back at my pre-trip blog post, I was so encouraged to see how things played out!  I know this is where my faith can seem over the top but when I think about the life I was saved from, I can't refrain giving thanks in all things, the "good" and the "bad," to the one I have faith in.

- We were ready to love, serve and sacrifice for those around us from the moment we got there, God blessed us as a family helping us to live in such a way to reflect Christ, and each of us connected with the students. Thank God!

- The boys were able to see the world through a new lense, love & pray for the students, and embrace a new culture whole-heartedly.  Being in a place to see teenagers in all places of life helped to open their eyes to things bigger than themselves.  And Miriam didn't get hurt, phew!  Thank God!

- Even though it is advertised as a church based English camp, a few camp kids weren't so jazzed about the Jesus part of camp and ignored that side of things.  However, a lot of kids were interested and asked some amazing and tough questions we all need to wrestle through.  Thank God!  Follow up is going on RIGHT NOW, so please continue to pray for the kids at Strakonice Camp.

- While we did have bouts of temporary sicknesses throughout the entire trip, from skin rashes to vomit, nothing took us to the ER!  We were safe throughout our entire trip, nothing was stolen like wallets, purses or laptops, the car didn't get scratched (VERY AMAZING) or stolen, we didn't lose any kids, and no damage was done, emotionally, physically, spiritually.  Thank God!

- Our employees did an amazing job holding down the fort!  While we were at camp Josh only worked a minimal amount and only during a scheduled free time, so it worked out perfectly and did not detract from camp or us.  I am so incredibly thankful for protection of our business! Thank God!

There were also little things that were blessings I am so thankful to God for like I have a crippling fear of bugs and our camp did not have bug issues, which I heard another one did have them.  The hygiene at our camp was not stellar, but they did have a dishwasher, which again, I heard another camp did not have one.  And though I made light fun of the food we had, there is worse food to be fed, food so terrible words cannot express.  As I said mentioned except for the idiot tax on our heavy suitcase, we did not go over in our budget, I am so thankful our finances were protected.

Another thing I didn't think to pray for but was truly a blessing from the Lord - I was very aware of my role as wife and mom at camp; I had my priorities in check.  This was a HUGE blessing to my family and me.  In the camp setting it would have been very easy to lose myself in the students, spending all my attention on them, to the point that I'd ditch my husband and kids, acting like I was single or without kids.  I was so thankful Josh and I had laid out a game plan for our family beforehand and then on our first day God made it very clear (in a good way) to Josh and I how important this (understanding priorities) was to our family's health.  Really, what a blessing!  When we were apart in our morning English classes, it was planned, well explained to the kids, and everyone was on mission together though we were in different rooms.  We loved on all of the students but kept it in balance.  Even Josh being the one to put the kids in bed each night was a huge blessing for him and the kids.  The whole time we were all united together in some way which in the end made us closer than ever.  No one was left behind, thank God!

Would I venture to take our young family overseas again?  You bet!  I don't know the hows or the whys, but I truly look forward to the challenges and joys.

Though... I think I'll start praying for my anxious heart to not be anxious about driving in Europe and the kids getting continual illnesses now.  And we'll buy more wine for good measure, too.

ONTO OUR NEXT BIG ADVENTURE...

We returned our VW to the rental car guys and they were SHOCKED (as shocked as we were) there was no damage or scratches to the car.  I mean, the car was dirty, inside and out and you'd think it would have a scratch somewhere, but nope.  Seriously, praise God!

The check-in line was LONG (since their website was down) and SLOW.  When we finally made it to the front the check-in woman was RUTHLESS.  Our 1 bag we checked was overweight and she was NOT going to wait AT ALL for me to rearrage the weight and said she was closing shop and we had to (in my words) SUCK IT and pay a HUGE heavy luggage fine.  Yeah, I'm still bitter about that one.  Josh says it is to be expected from airline travel.  But if it wasn't for that idiot tax, we would have nailed our trip budget... Yep, still hurts.

Even though we made it to the airport early, the long, slow line made us late.  From here everything was rushed, our plane was already boarding and we still had to go through 2 security checkpoints.  We quickly said goodbye to Leah... Wow... How do I even begin to express how wonderful it was to spend good times and hard times with her in Czech?... No time for that - Bye, Leah. :(!

The passport security guard made each of our kids go through one by one, vs. letting us go through as a family like they did when we arrived.  The guard sits raised up in this enclosed booth with a small slit to slide your passport through.  There is a gate and a line of people behind you about 5 feet and a gate in front of you and to the side 8 feet.  From the inside gate, I can still see just the top of little Miriam's head and watching her hand reach up to hand him her passport and confirming she is who she says she is.  She looked little, but what a big girl for doing that! 

We ran through the airport only to wait in a long luggage security line and finally made it on our plane just moments before take-off.  All that rushing just to sit on a plane for 11 hours of daylight, phew! 

The boys pooled their travel money and bought a wooden chess set while in Prague.  They had a lot of fun playing on the plane!

Unlike the rest of us, Miriam did sleep for a good chunk of the flight (6 hours!) but when not sleeping she was playing with her little things like this.  I am truly amazed we didn't lose anything!

By the time we landed in Atlanta and got through customs it was 4pm (our bodies thought it was 11pm) and our flight to Moline didn't leave until 9:30pm (when our bodies would think it was 4:30am).  We didn't want a 6 hr layover but it was the only available flight. 

Max was the first to go while sitting at dinner. 

Zeke, Miriam and I were next, and we fell asleep in front of our boarding gate.  Josh, thankfully was only partially last to fall asleep.  He was awake enough to hear them change our gate just before boarding.  We made multiple trips to get all our sleeping children and their backpacks to the new gate.  We were both so groggy, Josh and I are still not entirely sure how we managed to get the sleeping kids and our luggage onto the plane in one trip.  When we landed in Moline, Zeke woke up and said, "When are we leaving for Moline?"  Yep, no idea how we got on that plane.

By the time my parents picked us up, we took them home to D-port and drove home to IC it was 1:30am (our bodies think it is 8:30am).  Whoa.  24 hours of continuous travel from the time we left our hostel till the time we pulled in our driveway. 

Whoa.  24 hours prior we had been in Europe.  Thank you, God, for letting us have such an amazing trip, from camp to traveling in our VW, sicknesses and worries, everything!

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What I forgot to mention since Cesky Tesin is what happened to Max.  Remember how Max was rolling around in the grass playing with the Ellenwood's dogs the night before?  Max ended up being allergic to the grass he rolled around in, leaving his body ENTIRELY covered in puffy, white, itchy hives.  Thankfully, I had my Burt's Bees Res-Q-Ointment and as soon as his hives would flare up, I would put on the ointment.  But still, Max was miserable, breaks a mama's heart.

We arrived to the Prague Castle and St. Vitus gothic church at 10 minutes to 6, just before they were suppossed to close (Hooray!) but sadly we arrived just in time to find out the church had closed 5 minutes prior for a private service (OH NO!).  I. was. crushed.  I tried with all my midwestern, Iowa-girl kindness to get us into the church, just for a peek, but they wouldn't do it.  Knowing we were leaving in the morning, knowing I'd be saying goodbye to my sister, knowing Josh really wanted to see the church's interior, having Max miserable, still recovering from our trip to Auschwitz, nearing the end of a fabulous 2 week family vacation to Eastern Europe, or maybe I was just sad we couldn't go in... whatever the reason, I ended up crying on the steps of the church.  My slightly embarassed family comforted me and I snapped out of it.  Goodness, my family is amazing.  Thankfully, even though we couldn't go inside, we all enjoyed the castle grounds and the beautiful flying buttresses to their fullest.

The long walk down the Old Castle Stairs to the river below was beautiful.  The stairs were at the edge/side of the hill and gave a beautiful above view of the city, and definitely too beautiful to fit our beautiful panorama photo of it on my blog, :)!

(Did you notice the beautiful roofs?  Now go back and look at the photo of communist era apartment buildings.  See why I used the sore thumb analogy?  Can you imagine those buildings, twice as tall as anything around and definitely not as quaint?  Ok, maybe it is just me.  However, I should also note that throughout Prague, the lower 6-8' of each of those quaint buildings is covered in some form of graffitti, mostly black spray paint.  Maybe it is the color "Quaint Black.")

We crossed the river at the most famous bridge in Prague, the Charles Bridge.

Even though we only had one night, we were not and did not rush ourselves at all.  We strolled and soaked in every minute of the remainder of our evening in Prague with Leah: eating at Leah's favorite restaurant, listening to the sounds of the Bohemian Jazz Fest in Old Town Square near the Astronomical Clock, shopping for gifts for kids (I would have bought gifts for adults but I had a dad moment after spending a small amount of money on gifts for kids I couldn't bear to spend any money on adults, not even for postcards, oy!), while we shopped Josh enjoyed taking photos of all the cobblestone streets and manhole covers, we got to drink yummy brews, let the kids enjoy souvenir shopping in the countless/repetitive shops, ate gelato at Leah's favorite gelato place, walked around Old Town, walked to St. Wenceslas Square, rode on the subway and one of the longest escalators in Europe (100 meters long!), then got on a tram and made it back to our hostel at 11:30pm.  Phew!

When traveling around Italy once, my friend and I had only 3 hours to spend in Venice.  We jumped off the train, ran through the craziest maze of streets and bridges to San Marco, ran inside the church and then ran all the way back to the train station.  Our tour of Prague was twice as long and there was no running, but we were merely skimming the essence of a city but not able to fully embrace everything it had to offer.  Prague is definitely on my "must go back before I die" (i.e. bucket) list cities and hopefully next time for more than one night.

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Here's my delicious reindeer meat wrap from lunch...

This was an all around fabulous drive though!  It included Josh and I having a great conversation with Leah, one I wish we could have continued forever.  It also had Max and Miriam accessorizing Leah and themselves with the things in her purse, which was hilarious!  Then they all had a rocking dance party!

In a mere four and a half hours we were in Prague, for our *sniff, sniff* final night in Czech.

*Btw, she was not joking.

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Now some people when visiting Leah in the past did not find the accommodations at Hotel Central as "great" as we did, and not that there is anything wrong with that, ;).  Admittedly, we are rarely phased since our family of 5 has stayed in some choice accommodations in the past (The Big Inn outside of Lincoln, Nebraska comes to mind).  Besides providing a delicious, complimentary, authentic Czech breakfast in their dark and rustic restaurant...

The Hotel Central also had rooms where you entered directly into the bathroom from the hallway...

(Yes, Leah is sitting on a closed toilet talking on the phone.  It was the only "chair" in our room.")  The red carpet is the hotel hallway, the green carpet is just inside our room.  Even though you'd think there would be a second door between the green carpet and bathroom tile creating a small vestibule, there is not, just hinges where a door should be.  You open the hotel room door from the hallway and BOOM toilet!  And BOOM, you are also directly facing a glass, free-standing shower, too!  In order for privacy you have to lock the hotel room door with its room key and shut the sliding (but not locking) door that leads into the bedroom area.  We laughed about this set up constantly!  Hahahahaha!  :)!  Hotel Central was clean and had no bugs, so in my book with what some may consider negative quirks, like being across from noisy train tracks, noisy drunks on the street, and all the other sounds of downtown city life, we thought it was great!

Hotel #2: Hotel Malenovice

Hotel Malenovice is located in the mountains, a half hour from Cesky Tesin, outside Frydlant.  Malenovice houses the Josiah Venture headquarters, training facility, and English camps.  God provided this old hotel to JV and they have done an amazing job renovating it into an excellent, first-class facility.

Hotel Malenovice was yet another reason we wanted to come to this part of Czech.  Unlike everyone else who teaches at an English Camp, we were not able to come to the training at Malenovice before camp started.  It was great to at least see what training is like for JV camp leaders, short term leaders, long term leaders, etc, even though we didn't get to participate in it.  (We also got to meet a lot more of Leah's friends there, too!)

Hide Away: Selah

One of the things JV takes very seriously is missionary care.  JV works hard to provide a support network for all their missionaries, because like any mission field (at home or abroad), there is a physical, emotional and spiritual battle taking place.  God provided an amazing high mountain cabin for JV to buy, across the valley from Hotel Malenovice.  Mel named it Selah and it is to be (of course, renovated first then) used as a free vacation / retreat home available to all JV staff.

Wow.  I am so thankful to hear about this ministry within JV and how much importance they give to supporting the health of their missionary staff.

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We got to see her old apartment complex (Which, did mom cry when she saw them?  Maybe it was like when I moved out of that frat house and mom said, "Had I known this was where you were living, I wouldn't have let you live there?" Oh, Mom!).  Needless to say, the stories from Leah about living in this complex were always very entertaining. 

While they don't look any different than a 70's built apartment complex in the states, they do look incredibly different from other construction in Czech.  These complexs were built by the Communists in clumps throughout Czech's larger cities.  All of them are the exact same size and shape, unphased by city or culture.  They stick up like sore thumbs in bland Band Aid colors across the beautiful Czech countrysides and quaint cottages.  In recent years the Czechs have been covering them with thick styrofoam and then painting them bright colors and patterns.  They still stick out only now like decorative/themed Band Aids, much more fun and much less depressing.  This photo is of them before painting:

We Josh also wanted to stop by a Kaufland.  Kaufland translated in German means "Buy Land" and Josh had to go there for that reason alone (goodness, I LOVE that guy! / though we also needed to buy some wine).  Most store chains in Czech: Kaufland, Tesco, etc, are similar to cramming a Walmart, Fareway & Aldi into one small place.  The biggest difference is that beer is cheaper than water, literally.

We were also incredibly excited to join up with the amazing Ellenwood family & friends for dinner, swimming and a movie.  The Ellenwoods (Mel, Amy and their 3 kids) have lived in Czech for over 12 years.  Mel is the VP of JV, but more than that, Mel and Amy have been (and are) amazing friends to Leah since she's lived in Czech.  We have met them before (I designed the JV website circa 2000, hahahahaha! What was I thinking!) but we have never had the chance to spend time talking with them personally at length.

It was wonderful to listen to their stories about life in Czech, speaking the language, cultural differences, traveling around from camp to camp with the kids in their VW van, in general raising kids in the Czech mission field, and laugh!  The Ellenwood family's humor is absolutely perfect for our Leah, if you knew how funny Leah is, wo/man!, you'd think God hand picked them for her.

Happily too, Leah's dear friend Romana, who is a sweetheart, and her husband, who my aunts think is a cutie, were able to visit.  (Romana just got married during the floods and Leah, Lucka, and the bride and groom were stranded in a flooded field together, oy!)  And, since the Ellenwoods are constant hosts, there was also a pastor from California visiting, scoping out Czech housing for his young family to move into next year.

Mel and Amy wanted us, but more importantly our kids, to feel relaxed at their home.  They served up a fabulous "American" dinner of grilled BBQ chicken and pasta salad (Miriam had 3 large servings), had two big dogs that Max and Miriam loved playing and rolling around in the grass with, let the kids swim in their pool (with Noah their 14 year old son, who has a knife collection that our boys think is the coolest and who gave Miriam a gummy bear key chain some swooning teen girl had given him, ha!), and then snuggled them into the living room and put in "Over the Hedge" in English... Our three were so happy and right at home! 

Though admittedly, it doesn't take much for our three to make themselves right at home, anywhere, but still, they were loving it!

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Just like our trip into Poland was short and sweet, here is a short and sweet photo recap...

We found an authentic Polish restaurant along our drive back to Czech.  They had you sit on sheep and goat skins laid on benchs.  (It was cool and creepy at the same time.)  The kitchen was in the open with one small wood burning stove where all the food was cooked. 

Not to forget the perfect Polish napkins.  For those unfamiliar with napkins in Poland, they are a single ply square, are thinner than paper, semi-transparent like a tissue paper and they are always presented beautifully.

They served delicious Polish dumplings as an complimentary appetizer and then Leah and I ordered more for our meal.  (Though they were good, they paled in comparison to Marta's mom & aunt's amazing dumplings!)

Miriam ate dumplings with us and the boys all shared the most expensive thing on the menu (ribs) which in dollars was around 5 bucks.  Josh ordered borscht and then, of course, ordered something that he didn't know what it translated into and it turned out to be breakfast (hahahaha, I LOVE that guy!).

And last but not least, the local Polish brew.

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We expected Auschwitz/Birkenau to be a rough trip, seeing something so tragic and learning more about the horrors that took place right where we were standing, explaining very difficult topics and sights with the kids, but with the dust, sun, dryness, coughing, smells, and heat, oh the heat... it compounded everything, it was a miserable trip, which I found fitting.

...

Ok, I have tried to write this exact post for over the last two weeks.  I could not get past those above paragraphs.  Every time I try, I end up crying or my heart aches so much I can't continue or my chest tightens and feels like it's being ripped out or my hands shake or I can't sleep from the thoughts and memories... from getting into the parking lot to getting out of the parking lot, this trip was incredibly difficult, emotionally, physically and very personally, so much happened and yet we didn't even fully experience it all.  God bless Leah for going through this with us. 

Do I think that everyone should visit Auschwitz?  Yes.  Do we want to visit it again?  Yes. 

I simply cannot write this trip out into words.  I'm going to skip past these details.

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Josh, Leah and 2 kids spent the morning at the bus station saying goodbye to our Czech friends and the American Team from Cherry Hills Church.  Then we had lunch with some of Leah's friends at her favorite restaurant, two of the women there were school English teachers and one of whom has been a huge support for Leah and her efforts at the high school.  The high school kids and Leah recently got permission to start spending time with some of the elderly there and it has been a great ministry so Leah, 2 kids and I went to visit a nursing home and one of the women Leah spends time with.  There was no AC and no fans at the nursing room and the heat in her room was intense but so was her and her daughter's love of Leah.  

When we were finally certain that Zeke had enough strength and was definitely on the mend, we decided to make an evening drive to Cesky Tesin, stopping in Pisek along the way.  Pisek is a half hour from Strakonice and where Leah's church, Elim, is located.  There we got to meet Lucie, an adorable gal who works with the women's ministry in their church.  Josh got to tour their building, which has an amazing sports ministry in Pisek.  We also had WAY too much fun at a Tesco buying food that we didn't know what it was.

Then we began the 5 hour drive across the entire country of the Czech Republic, from the southwest to the northeast, with all 6 of us loaded into the VW. 

Remember how I said I had been r e l a x e d when driving the entire trip so far?  Well, that was fading fast.  I was thankful for Zeke's healing but to be honest, by now my nerves were shot.  My back seat driver nature which, let me tell you, is known to be INTENSE had been rare up to this point of our trip but was now in full force.  Once, from the third row of our car I yipped out something driving related to which Josh and Leah in the front seats quickly laughed and scolded me.  I totally deserved it.  The entire trip to Cesky Tesin I was trying hard to keep my mouth shut but in all honesty, I was struggling.  Josh lovingly forgave me countless times during the drive.  (What a guy!) 

And as I mentioned, my phrases of "if you're going to throw up, use the blue bag" and "take another sip for mama" were said hundreds of times over the course of this drive (no more heat stroke!) and it was now a big joke for everyone because I said them SO much.  Goodness, I am thankful my whole family gives me SO much grace while I wrestle through calming my heart and trusting God! 

Even still, crammed into the VW, our three are THE BEST little road trippers EVA!  Zeke was content and quiet but definitely feeling better.  Miriam and Max were writing songs with dance moves / hand gestures, just like at camp.  They drew up all the dance moves on paper and even included Josh in their routine.  Here's a little snip it, can you see Josh's role?

By the time we arrived at Hotel Central in Cesky Tesin it was after 11pm the kids were actually tuckered and ready for bed.  (Once in their beds it only took a little extreme sports dubbed in Polish and they were out.)

We had to pay for our rooms when checking in and when I looked for my check card I couldn't find it anywhere in my wallet.  My heart started racing as I feared it was stolen or lost.  Josh went about paying for the room while Leah looked in the wine/beer cooler at the front desk.  They weren't as concerned as I was and quite honestly, I think they knew.  Josh picked out a local brew and Leah a local wine as I was still frantic, then searching in my wallet once again I finally found my check card hiding in a different slot than normal.  At this point both Leah and Josh were saying, "Dana, you need a drink." 

Now, I don't want to start any blasphemous rumors, but someone may have poured me a larger than normal glass of wine and someone else may have said, "Take another sip for mama" and someone may have said, "Take another sip for me" and then two someones laughingly discussed together and may have said, "I think Paul actually added in Timothy that along with drinking a little wine to help your stomach it also says, 'If your wife is freaking out, give her a little wine,'"... oh, and then someone may have said again, "Take another..." Hahahahahahaha!!!  :)!

*sigh*... I love that my husband and sister get along so well and that they love me enough to laugh at me instead of get mad at me and that they unconditionally forgive me more than I deserve.

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We drove (a beautiful drive with a view to the south of the Alps for the whole drive, mind you) to Munich as planned, hoping the AC and rest for Zeke would help, then we could find dinner in AC to help continue to keep Zeke cool.  When I was a little girl I got heat stroke often so I knew what to expect.  It would generally happen after a long day of swimming, but when it would happen I'd throw up once, rest for a while, drink water and be better.  I was hopeful for the same type of healing for Zeke.

We got to Munich and went to the main square Marienplatz hoping to find an AC restaurant to eat dinner since Zeke was tired but hungry.  Sadly, it was the same unbearable heat in Munich as in Salzburg.  We found an ice cream joint that had indoor seating but no AC.  I ordered 4 waters but I forgot what country I was in and paid a hefty $3 for each small 8oz bottle.  Yikes!  They did bring ice, which I used to rub on Zeke's neck to help cool him down while Josh walked the square looking for any place with AC, but he came back empty.  Josh, Max & Miriam shared a fancy ice cream sundae (Zeke was no longer in the mood for food, and I was in trying-not-to-be-worried-mama-mode and couldn't eat) and then they went to a fountain to play.  But the fountain was filled with trash so they were quickly back. 

Our time in Munich was turning hopeless as within the hour there: Josh was finding nothing, the square and fountain were trash city, Zeke was becoming more tired, and to top it off, the restaurant said it was closing and they kicked us out on the street.

As soon as we were outside and on the Marienplatz square, Zeke said, "I think I'm going to throw up" and even though he says he missed the trash can, it was overfilled with trash a foot high (which was true of every Munich trash can) and would have been worse had he made it.  He ended up spewing water and chunks all over the busy sidewalk while I held him from falling into his own vomit.  A passerby was kind enough to hand Josh some napkins and thankfully nearby was a public drinking water spigot to wash the vomit off our feet. 

With that, we said goodbye to Munich.  Only 6 photos taken in Munich, and this one sums it up:

I suppose one would say we should have just headed straight for "home" instead of Munich.  No matter how you sliced it, things were not going to be "perfect" this day.  It was about the same distance to "home," aka Leah's apartment, adding only an hour more car time to drive thru Munich.  I was honestly hopeful he would have healed like I used to, but on a continent where AC is a novelty and fans are scarce, it was near impossible to cool down, even for us. 

When I think about it then/now, the timing of it all, it was either going to be puke in the car or puke in the main Munich square.  Quite honestly, I am happy it happened where it did.  Zeke, too, was the ultimate trooper.  Even sick, he was so excited we got to drive on the Autobahn and drive up to 105mph.  He loved seeing (/get passed by) SO many amazing sports cars he'd only seen pictures of before.  Max and Miriam were troopers, too, they were sticky but full of energy and just rolled with the spew, I mean flow, HA!  (Ok, that was kind of gross, Dana.) 

When I think about it then/now, it is all part of the adventure that we call "life."  I've said it before, even on vacation "life" happens and we have to keep moving.  Thankfully, Zeke didn't throw up again, but it did take 24 hours and a load of prayer to get him feeling better.  It wasn't how we had planned the vacation half of our trip but we didn't plan on a lot of things: me getting bit by a deer tick before leaving for Europe, me having a severe toxic reaction to the medicine, Josh getting strep throat the day before leaving, kids having sore throats and coughs throughout camp, Miriam throwing up donuts in the middle of the night, and now Zeke having heat stroke... and we still had 4 more days of "life" to happen while on vacation. 

Yes, more unplanned fun was to come!

OH!  But there were perks to our sidetrack to Munich as Josh found Faxe Bier, and this made Josh very happy!  Max and Miriam ate these German paprika flavored kangaroo shaped snacks called Jumpys, that they loved!  Max also got some German candy all his own that made him OH SO happy.  I was still reasonably r e l a x e d while Josh was driving an average of 95mph on the Autobahn and the soon-to-be-funny phrases "if you're going to throw up, use the blue bag" and "take another sip of water for mama" were born from my lips.

AND!  I would go back to Munich again, only I would do it on a not as hot day and pay to go on one of their 4 hour city tour bike rides. 

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* Home and residence of Mozart, and with three universities, one of which being the Mozarteum University, music is everywhere in Salzburg.  We walked around the Old Town and were drawn into a coffee shop area where a man was playing the accordian and a woman was playing the harp.  It was beautiful.  Walking around Mirabell Palace we were drawn in by the most amazing music wafting down to us from a beautiful gold leaf covered hall and concert above in the palace.  Walking around the Domplatz every collonade or archway had amazingly skilled musicians using the architectural acoustics to enhance their sound.  (They even waited their turn for their favorite spot in case it was being used by another musician at the time.)

* We walked up Linzer Grasse and saw a Swarovski store.  The sight of the Swarovski swan always fills me with emotion.  The day before marrying Josh, his mom brought me a beautiful Swarovski tiara she owned to wear for my wedding day.  Joy for my wedding day, happiness for her kindness, sadness that she is no longer with us, but I am truly filled with emotions from the simple sight of their swan.

* As we walked around the Old Town area with all its storefronts we could not help but think how much Josh's dad and step mom would love this area.  As we ate amazing German food I couldn't help but want my dad to try it off my plate.  As we walked the Mirabell Palace and Gardens we couldn't help but want G-Bob & G-Elaine to see the beautiful gardens.  As we sat eating breakfast outside a cafe, I couldn't help thinking about how much the older women walking past reminded me of my Grandmas, Great Aunts and Great Grandma, both in appearance and mannerisms (lots of German blood in my family!).

* Josh had been using his high school German skills as much as he could on our weekend trip and to help him remember he got a translator app for his iPhone.  When it came to ordering from a menu he would use his translator to help me order but he would just pick something at random for himself.  He always got food doing it this way, but what type of food was the surprise.  When we were having Sunday breakfast at Cafe Habakuk, he ordered something that way and ended up with a soft boiled egg in a martini glass.  Hahahahaha!

* But I finally received a "large" coffee at Cafe Habakuk which was the same size of a small US coffee. 

* In Strakonice, Zeke watched 4 motorcycles popping wheelies driving down the motorway while he was sitting and eating.  He loudly proclaimed, "That's the most awesome thing I've ever seen in my whole life!"  Standing close to a $400,000 Ferrari was probably second.  Being passed on the Autobahn by the Porsche Cayenne going 130mph being 3rd.  All the countless expensive & incredibly fast German cars he saw being 4th.  Zeke's fast lane nature hit the top four seen-with-his-own-eyes highlights of his short life in our two week trip to Europe.  Lucky boy!  Look at that excitement!

* It was inbetween the above picture and below that the outside temperature spiked and we were walking around in the gardens in the hot, hot, hot sun.  It was beautiful, but painfully HOT.  Josh and I were managing, Max and Miriam were sticky but Zeke was definitely overheated.  By the time we were walking up to visit St. Peter's Cemetery Zeke started feeling a little worse but was still a good sport.  He hung in there even though he was tired and would simply sit in shade and drink water while we explored around him.  He did make himself climb up into a 1100 AD cave/church carved into the mountainside (they call it a catacombs, but I think that name is semi-misleading as there are no graves up there, there are two small church rooms, and the tale about it being a hiding place for a marytr that has been discredited over time, though monks have used it for a place of solace... but I digress) because he thought it looked cool, but he had to rest longer in order to have enough strength to climb back down the steep stairs.  In the process, while we were waiting for Zeke, Josh took one of his all time favorite photos of Miriam.

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For those who don't remember, the Von Trapp family lived in Salzburg and for the movie, they filmed on location throughout Salzburg.  While there are a number of fabulous paid tours you can go on for both actual Von Trapp locations and/or movie locations, the little girl in me was happy to see anything related to the Von Trapps... that was within walking distance and that didn't cost any money. 

Here's the best movie clip I could find, pardon the remix (and I could not embed it due to copyright so you'll have to go to YouTube to watch it).  From 4 minutes till the end, all the scenes are of Julie and the kids dancing around the Mirabell Palace and Gardens which was located right behind our hotel, is free to the public, endless, beautiful and we played here for hours!

The Mirabell Palace & Gardens are a beautiful maze of an exquisitly designed garden masterpiece.  As soon as you begin to marvel at one section you turn the corner to find another beautiful section, and then you turn the corner to another.  The attention to detail in colors and flowers, the beautiful sculptures, the Hedge Theatre, the park, the water features, it is truly a garden lover's paradise!  (I thought of you, G-Bob & G-Elaine, the entire time I was snapping photos!  More photos here. :)!)

The Cramer 5 in the Mirabell Gardens in Salzburg, Austria on an incredibly hot and sweaty day.  If you happen to notice the look on Zeke's face, it is the onslaught of heat stroke, we just didn't know it yet.

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It wasn't until after he had booked the room that I thought to ask if it was ok for 5.  Josh said he didn't know either because they only had room for 2 kids so he just left it blank, but he did know it was located across the street from Mozart's Residence, :)!

It wasn't until we pulled up to the square that we began to realize that we would be staying in more than just a hotel, we were going to be staying in elegance... with our cutie Three.

Josh had booked us into the 5-Star Hotel Bristol.  Originally built in 1619 for aristocrat offices, it was transformed into a hotel just before 1900.  Don't let the age of the building fool you.  For over 75 years, the family owned and operated Hotel Bristol has done everything possible to make their hotel worthy of 5-Stars.  The interiors from the lobby to the room are ridiculously elegant and in wonderful condition, only to be outdone by the most amazingly attentive and dedicated staff.

When Josh was checked into our room, the receptionist was incredibly nice and helpful, spoke perfect English though was obviously Austrian, escorted him upstairs to the room, made sure it was to his approval, then escorted him downstairs to the doorman who came to our car and carried our luggage up to the room.

Now, the Three and I had waited in the car because we were planning on Josh checking in quick so we could continue our drive up into the mountains.  By the time we were driving away from the hotel we were truly wondering what we had gotten our family into.  We've stayed in fancy hotels before but not with the Three and not this style of elegance.  As we drove along the river we saw other hotels and considered switching, but our bags we there, so we decided to go for it and fit our family of 5 into a romantic room for 2.

When we got back to the hotel (and being in Salzburg and all) I instituted Von Trapp Family Law.  With our partially wet Three, quietly and on mission, we marched our family in single file line into the hotel, up the grand hotel staircase and straight into our room.

Did I mention our room had two sets of doors?

The hotel was booked but it was incredibly quiet and we never heard a single person or the loud street noise below.  Our first order of business was cleaning up the Three so we could go to dinner.  The marble covered bathroom was half as big as the bedroom and it was dreamy.  The bathtub was long and deep begging to be soaked in, and was made complete with a towel warmer on the wall. 

It got christened by the Three needing a foot scrub.

Out of respect and uncertainty, we continued to leave and enter the hotel in a quiet, single file line for the remainder of our stay.  When we returned to our room late, after a fun night on the city, our room somehow looked different.  It was the kids who first said, "Someone was in here!"  The curtains had all been drawn, the cover on the bed was removed and the duvets were turned down, foot mats were in place next to each side of the bed, and they even cleaned up the smudges the kids left on the mirrors of the bathtub... the room was cleaned for the second time and now ready for the perfect sleep.  Wonderful.

The below shots were taken just minutes before we finally checked out.  I attempted to make the bed for the shots, but did not do the hotel staff justice.  (See anything different in one of them? HA!) 

Did I mention the location was perfect, too?  It was the perfect location for exploring Salzburg's Old City.  We could take the secret Bristol Passage to the amazing Mirabell Palace and Gardens, or take a short cut past the beautiful baroque Church of the Holy Trinity to walk the Linzer Gasse, or walk over the river and see so much more.

It could have been that the night prior we were staying at a communist era built camp or it could have been that the 5-Star Hotel Bristol is just ALL THAT.  My money is on the later.  It was an absolutely beautiful hotel with the most amazing staff.  Even though we broke a "rule" by having 5 in a 2, there was nothing I would change about our decision to stay there as a family for one night.  Everything about it was simply perfect!

*Ok, there is a hostel in Munich that sleeps 6, but the cost is expensive enough to the point that if you're going to spend that much you might as well try and find a deal on two rooms for a nicer place kind of thing.  But everytime I'd think about having to get two rooms for our family of 5, I couldn't help but think how silly that sounded! :)!

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But, OH, how the view was different!

Shortly after entering Austria (for reals this time) our horizon became filled with shadows of what was to come.  Similar to that feeling you get when you are driving through the plains before reaching the Rocky Mountains, their presence carried the most amazing anticipation and excitement.  With the foothills of the Alps drawing us to them, it was impossible to want to stop and walk around the picturesque little Austrian villages I was so looking forward to see.  I did look and admire each one along the way to Salzburg though!  They were adorable, clean and not industrialized, filled with cute concrete cottages with tile roofs, and the most beautiful gardens covering every yard!  But sadly, the best photo I took of them was this...

We arrived to the bustling city of Salzburg, waved "hi" to Mozart's home as Josh quickly checked into our fancy hotel (more on that later), and then we got right back on the road and kept on driving up the valley.  On this absolutely picture perfect day, we simply had to go as high into the mountains as we could.

We were driving along the beautiful Salzach River, located between two mountain ranges and known for its white water rafting.  While the mountains in this area don't top out higher than around 9K, the view from the valley to mountain top was good enough for us Iowa folk.  The water of the river is a mesmerizing aqua blue and the road we were driving on hugged and criss-crossed back and forth over this beautiful water.  We got to a National Park at the top and then turned around.  And once again, we found ourselves crossing a border and not realizing it until AFTER we were headed back down the river.  (Tricky, tricky, Germany!) 

Yes, we did not end up hiking up in the mountains because the aqua blue water was too much for the Three and they HAD to go in it.  We found a little off road, a lightly overgrown footpath, a family of locals and we were there.

And within our literal first two minutes there, Max had pinned down this...

Thankfully, we convinced him to let it go, phew! 

We played here forever and I think the Three will remember this as their favorite place in all of Salzburg.  They LOVED playing in the aqua blue water, walking along the rocks, pinning the water snake, and the only thing missing was us allowing them to get their clothes completely soaked, though they tried really hard to get as wet as possible.

They simply did not fully understand the fanciness of the hotel we were soon going to be sneaking them into.

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Once again / ask my husband, that is always an amazing feat, but incredibly true.  Even Josh driving the windy, hilly, Bohemian countryside, I was completely r e l a x e d.  English Camp is TONS of non-stop fun that I can't wait to do again, but I think everyone would agree it is nice... that first moment of silence after camp is over, similar only to the *sigh* right before you fall asleep at night after an amazing day.  Being in the car, our three kids happy in their car seats, Josh driving wonderfully, a picture perfect day, no agenda, nothing to do but sit... *sigh* 

I was so r e l a x e d we drove right through a border crossing and didn't realize until 30 miles later that we had crossed a border.  After a quick search on the internet, we learned that it didn't matter anymore since Czech is in the EU and thanks to Schengen border rules.  (Phew!)  I was so r e l a x e d I thought we were in an entirely different country than we were.

Our first big, planned stop we programmed into TomTom Europe was specifically for our kids...

Yeppers, for their first meal after camp we let them eat at McDonald's!  Our kids were super champs with the camp food so we happily let them have this as their reward!  (I don't think we've eaten at McDonald's in over 4 years, whenever it was we saw Super Size Me.)  I did have a bite of Zeke's Big-n-Tasty, and I must say, it tasted like a real hamburger.  We heard this was because Europe has different standards on the quality of food in fast food joints, but whatever the case, it was surprisingly decent.  From a McDonald's?  Who knew!  Except for the fact that they only took cash, it was definitely a meal and surroundings that the kids recognized from "home" and really enjoyed!

Josh and I didn't have our celebratory meal at McDonald's, instead The Wirtshaus Beirgarten was where we ate our lunch.  We had our stomachs set on eating some delicious local food and me drinking local wine and beer.  Since we were unsure if other European countries had the same drinking rules that Czech has and since I wasn't authorized to drive our rental car, I got to do all the drinking, :)!  

(The city was absolutely covered in cyclists of all shapes and sizes and kinds, from the 65 year old decked out in gear from head to toe to the hippy-esque carrying their home on their bike.  Everyone parked their bikes, unlocked, around the city, and right in front of this beer garden.)

Maybe it was because we are novice foodies, maybe it was because we were hungry, maybe because of camp mystery meat, maybe because of the restaurant itself, whatever the case... With each bite we took of our food, we sighed the most happiest sigh, we yummed the happiest yums, we marveled how everything tasted so, so good it literally melted in our mouths.

I about cried when I ate this salad, I was SO happy to eat a salad.  If you know me at all you know how much I love, love, love eating salads, and OH how I loved this salad.  The dressing was different but delicious!  The veggies were normal veggies but they were veggies(!) and they were green, red and orange!  SO colorful!  OH, how I had missed color!

We knew we were in a city named Passau and this was their local brew.  It was delicious!  It's interesting how in the states the local brews are more common to be hit or miss.  As we would find in our travels around Europe, the local brews were always amazing.  Once I had this beer I started to question exactly what country we were actually in... I thought we were in Austria, isn't that south of Czech?  But maybe we were in Germany.

Once back in the car, I looked up on TomTom where exactly we were and it turned out we were NOT in Austria as I had been thinking (since the border crossing!) but we were actually in Germany.  Doh!  Obviously before leaving I hadn't looked at the map close enough to see the little jut in part of Germany.  In my defense, TomTom Europe did NOT have dark/obvious border lines on their maps.  They are this light gray, lighter than the below Google map.  Just saying!  (Oh, and if I could put this photo in quotes to prove my point, I would, :)!  But see, see how I could have been confused?)

When I realized we had been in Germany the whole time, I was SO happy!  See, the short little jaunt we did make into Germany, where I thought it was Austria, I was very bummed.  I have always had these very picturesque visions of Austrian villages.  Every little village we had driven through thus far was not like that at all, there was tons of advertising on buildings, lots of modern buildings, very industrialized.  Once I figured out that what I thought was Austria was Germany, I was tickled pink!  I had not missed seeing the cute little Austrian villages, we just hadn't gotten to them yet, hooray!

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The Thursday night's Evening Program was about Jesus.  After the program, we were dismissed into our Discussion Groups and from there we were dismissed into a "Labyrinth."  The Labyrinth* was a simple and beautiful candlelit walk around the camp that had 6 or 7 stations set up with messages to read and an action to take or reflection to make. 

My job during the Labyrinth was to dismiss the Discussion Groups to the first station.  Needless to say, I didn't get to participate in the actual stations.  To be honest, even though I had multiple staff describe the stations to me at different points, I was so concerned and in prayer for the students, my memory of all the stations & details is fuzzy.  I know I am missing 2 or 3 stations in there. Gack!  (Also, since it was at night, I have no pictures to record how amazing it looked with all the candles everywhere.  I mean, I tried but my old camera couldn't hack it.)

The Labyrinth was set up so the students had a quiet place to reflect on the things they have heard while at camp.  From a station to think about those close to you, to creating with clay sculptures, to a letter to yourself... the station I heard the most comments about was the one where (I think) you dipped your hands into water then sand and then someone else would wash off your hands.  A lot of students said that was a very meaningful lesson for them.  The final station was a large cross on the grass made out of unlit tea lights.  The written message said something to the effect of, if you have chosen to take the step and trust Jesus then to light a candle as a symbol of that commitment.

Most of the students enjoyed the Labyrinth, though honestly there was a very small group of students who didn't (and admittedly, they had been grumpy about everything throughout the week, so it was no surprise).  But I do know of several students who lit candles at the end, who previously did not have faith in Jesus.  I am very thankful for Leah & the JV/KAM Team being there to follow up those students!

In the end, Josh's class had one guy accept Jesus at camp and a girl make a commitment to reading the Bible.  As I said, in my class we had amazing discussions throughout the week.  We talked about topics like, "Why did King David's first son with Bathsheba have to die?" or "What will happen if my brother who has cancer and does not accept Jesus, dies?"  Every question was very genuine and from the heart, and some of the students were thinking about for the very first time.  I am thankful that ultimately it is between them and God but I trust that everything they heard and saw at camp will be for good, and I am continuing to pray for them.  "So as the Holy Spirit says, 'Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts against Him.'" 

If you have a moment, please continue to pray for all of the JV English Camp students.  They are all amazing kids and I pray it was not by chance they all made the time and financial sacrifice to come to English Camp.  In the Czech Republic there can be a city of 100,000 people and literally only 1 small chuch, literally.  English Camp is often the first time some students hear about Jesus.  The Czech Republic is also one of the most atheistic countries in the world and some of the kids have come to camp for years, enjoy the camp, but want nothing to do with God.  Pray this would be the year their hearts are softened and they take a step of faith.  Pray for God to continue to raise up leaders among them, especially for the men.  Please pray for the follow up that Leah and the JV/KAM team will be doing, this summer and the new school year.   

The awesome/exciting thing is, God IS on the move!

(*I know there are varying levels/seriousness/goofiness/rituals of Labyrinths.  At camp, the Labyrinth concept itself was a tool not a belief structure.  Don't read too much into it, :)!)

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Dear Ministry Support Team of Leah,

Ahoj!  For those who don't know me, I'm Dana, one of Leah's 2 younger sisters.  My husband Josh and our three kids just had the trip of a lifetime!  We were able to go and visit Leah in the Czech Republic and participate in the Strakonice English Camp.  Let me tell you, it was fabulous!

Like you, as a family we have supported Leah both prayerfully and financially in Czech since her beginning there, 10 years ago.  You all have met Leah so you know how great she is, her love, her enthusiasm, her youthfullness, her drive, her giving, her creativity, her compassion, her empathy, everything, she is a beautiful woman inside and out.  Supporting her in Czech doing high school ministry has always been the perfect fit for her. 

Like you, over the years we've read all her stories about Czech through her emails and blogs.  She has written about the good times and the bad without hesitation and from her stories we/you could tell she was having a huge impact with those in her sphere of influence.

But having just been there, watching her live it out in person, all I can say is WOW!  It was as amazing as I thought it would be PLUS so much more!  Y/our prayers and financial support are truly being used to their fullest, nothing has been wasted or in vain, her stories are spot on, her impact has been and is eternal, and YOU have definitely multiplied your life through hers!

And yes, she is more amazing in person than in print!  Yes, her youthful look DOES make her fit right in with high school kids.  Yes, her energy DOES help her keep moving when playing sports and dancing.  Yes, she DOES an amazing job teaching English and translating Czech.  Yes, her apartment is not her own and it is constantly open and available, whether she is there or not, to be used by clubs, studies, dinners, parties, etc, it is a safe place for so many young people.  Yes, she is serving the Lord in a place that is need of many more men and women just like her!

But it is more than that... We got to meet two Engligh teachers from the local schools and they are so supportive of Leah's work in the schools.  We met an older woman Leah visits at the nursing home and her young daughter happened to be there too, and you could see the appreciation in their eyes for Leah's love of them.  Then, one young guy at camp genuinely talked to me about how Leah is a main spiritual leader for them in that area of the country and how she gives so much wisdom to him and the others.  He was so grateful that he personally had Leah there in Czech to give him that spiritual wisdom.  And over and over young teenage girls were telling me how special Leah is in her love and support of them as young Christian women and encouraging them onto be leaders of other women.  Young lives are truly being changed for good!

My main point, is THANK YOU!  Thank you for all your love, prayers, notes of encouragement, packages, but especially your financial support of Leah in the Czech Republic.  She would not be able to have this amazing impact for Christ without all of you!

Love,
Dana

(And to those who read my blog here, in case you are interested, there is still a great need for more laborers like Leah in Czech & other Eastern European countries.  If you'd like more info on supporting nationals through Josiah Venture, the 2x3 Campaign can help you do that and much more, :)!) 

(Maybe this also means we can go on trips to visit all the other missionaries we support so I can write the same type of letters about them!!!  Hooray!!)

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Here's the theme song and dance for Redeem 2010, Never Going Back to OK by The Afters:

As promised, notice around 1:50 you can Zeke busting a move with his air guitar solo, :)!

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Over 6 years ago I was invited to speak at a woman's conference in Ames.  A few days before that I changed entirely what I was going to share and didn't take the time to have my husband reread through my outline.  Needless to say, moments after sharing at the conference an older woman approached me and let me know I screwed up with what I said BIG TIME.   She was right but to say I felt miserable would be an understatement, I was crushed so deep inside I couldn't see an end.  After that, I swore I'd never speak in public again.

Earlier this year though, I had a heart to heart with my sister Leah on Skype and she called me to the carpet.  Not only did she say everything Josh had been telling me the last 6 years, say I couldn't swear such a thing, but she went one step further and said I had to try and speak in public again, actually she told me I had to speak in public again.  (She even hinted to finding a way for me to speak at English Camp, and I said kindly, "No.")  But a few months ago, by random chance Rachel asked me to share for a couple minutes at a small women's time, in front of about 10 women.  With lots of prayer, Josh's prodding & editing, knowing it was a small/safe environment, I did it.  It was very, very short, I read exactly what I wrote on my sheet and I did it.  While most would have seen it as no big deal, it was a huge step for me.

But now, here it was, 3pm on Friday afternoon, and my sister was taking the opportunity of a hole to fill and asking me to speak in public, in front of a large audience.  With a LOAD of encouragement from Josh, I wrote a short part of my testimony, read it word for word off my sheet, and Eva translated wonderfully.

It really helps that I am forever/eternally grateful for the fact that I have a testimony to share!  I am happy when I can share it with others.  I am also very thankful for the amazing encouragement I got from Josh and Leah in order to even speak in front of English Camp.  While I'm not running to speak in any sort of public setting again, I feel like in these two instances helped me to approach speaking with a prayer-filled, God-centered confidence, as well as a plan of attack on how to do it.

With how much time, effort, heart, prayer, soul, and tears went into me preparing a simple testimony, just think how long it'd take me to give a State of the Union address! HA!

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Outside of our three, there was one of the Czech Team, Alca's, sweet little baby boy at camp and one family from the Cherry Hills Church.  The Hartman family are planning to move to the Czech Republic next year and be on full time staff with JV.  Their kids were 8, 6, 5, & 2, the oldest a girl with three younger brothers (Caden just turned 7 last week and Hannah will be or is 9 soon!).  Our kids and their kids hit it off really well, like they had been friends for life!

The kids all loved the camp setting!  They loved our room, the main lodge, the games, the students, everything!  They also immediately found a home in the creek that ran along two sides of the camp.  During Free Time the kids walked in the creek the several hundred feet from the man made dam (which was also the designated smoker's corner) at the southeast side of the camp to the natural dam at the northwest side, back and forth, back and forth.  Closer to the natural dam there was a deeper pool and trees.  The kids would slide down while holding onto a tree and splash into the deeper water.  It was cold water but they absolutely loved every minute of it.  We finally had to limit the time all the kids played in the water because even though they had swimsuits they were jumping in constantly and we were running out of dry/clean clothes for the kids! AH! :)!

And in case you were wondering, little kids plus high schoolers can and did mix really well at English Camp in Czech, too!

During English Class in the morning two Czech high schoolers would watch the littiler kids, which would always include Miriam, Asher & Hayes and sometimes include Max and Caden.  It was always goofy but they all had a great time!  One day Miriam and Asher came running through the main lodge shouting over and over, "Cookies!  Cookies!" as a high schooler ran after them giggling.  After 5 minutes they came back running the other way shouting, "Cookies!  Cookies!" with cookies in hand and the high schooler still running giggling after them.  Whatever the goofiness, this time was a great way for the littlest kids to spend time with Czechs and for the Czechs to spend some one on one time with the cuties.

During the Sports Time the older little kids would join in with the teams, like Hannah and Zeke and their Sports Team, the Cougars!  Zeke was always right in there participating during Sports Time and it was great for him!  Max would sometimes join in and on Water Day he especially had a great time!  During the Evening Program our three would join the song and dance portion before going to bed.  At first the three were apprehensive about dancing with all the students but after they saw Aunt Leah, singing and dancing like a crazy woman on a chair at the front of the room, they got over their shyness.  Again, I have a video coming of this, one has Zeke running up front doing an amazing air guitar solo, it's great!

The Czech high school kids were great sports throughout the entire week with these 8 cuties!  They welcomed the kids into their games (except Viking Football, only Zeke was allowed in that one), pushed little baby Martin in his stroller, and played the Freezer Dart Game, even when the little kids were going a overboard playing the game.

Freezer Dart is this game where you say someone's name and when they look you in the eye you put your hand to your mouth and pretend to blow a freeze dart at them.  They then have to freeze until someone comes up to them and pulls the "dart" out of their neck.  However, while the person is frozen you can do something to them, tie their shoes together, put their hands in strange positions, etc.  In the above photo Majda froze Max and then proceeded to pick him up while he was frozen.

Even though our kids did make mistakes at camp and were often times being "kids," I easily had over two dozen students come up to me and comment on how well behaved our kids were, or how they obeyed their parents, how they weren't wild, or how they were so loved and loved us.  I can only imagine it was because our kids weren't like this little boy I saw from a German Language Camp nearby walking down the curb with his penis out of his shorts, peeing on the curb as he walked, while a little boy and girl walked on either side of him giggling.  Yeah, at least my kids didn't come up with that idea. HA! :)!

Overall, our family of 5 was greatly blessed during our time at English Camp!  It truly united us together as a family in a fresh and new way!  It was amazing to have our kids at camp laboring with us in this type of non-stop setting, but also encouraging to have them enjoy camp as much as we did.  The boys really understood why we (and JV) were there (Praise God! What an answered prayer!) and they prayed for the students, who were now their friends, every night.  It is awesome too that one of their favorite high school friends accepted Jesus at camp!  Whoo hoo!

In a heartbeat, I think we would all love to go back as a family and participate in another English Camp!  I would not hesitate about bringing our three with us either!  (Though I still contend at my age "I" need a week or two to recover before going to the next camp.)  :)!

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While the soup, potatoes, dumplings and kraut we had were good & typical, the chicken and roasts were good & typical, there was this one type of "meat" that seemed strange from the start.  Not that were were upset or complaining, in all honesty we found the whole thing very funny and entertaining!  :)!

They were using what we loving called Mystery Meat in a majority of the dishes.  Leah was unsure what it was actually called but we guessed it was bologna-esque "meat," though it sometimes had bones and sections of fat in it.  She also thought/confirmed that the meat was very untypical for this camp.

Mystery meat in our first dinner at camp.  The "gravy" is actually called UHO in Czech, which translates to Universal Brown Sauce.  They served the UHO in a variety of forms, some light, some dark, but no two the same.

Mystery meat with a Chinese-esque sauce, pasta noodles, and white cheese.

Mystery meat thinly sliced for breakfast sandwiches.

Mystery meat hidden inside a pepper.

Mystery meat ground up with pasta.  This meal was the breaking point for me, it was very hard to swallow.

While we were incredibly thankful for the hard work the cafeteria ladies put into making these meals, by the end of the week I would find myself consciously trying to not think about the meat I was eating and just eat it.  Again, we didn't complain outloud there, we were able to manage, take smaller portions, ask for only dumplings, or go hungry.

It helped that breakfast was the best meal of the day, with a really delicious bread, cereal & yogurt, and sometimes meat & cheese.  Sometimes the meat was the mystery meat, but other times it was a really good ham with a nice smoked cheese.  (Though once they incorporated the mystery meat into a paste like butter and served it for breakfast.)  Nicely too, for a treat, one of the camp kids would take his motorcycle into town and bring back dozens of donuts to sell during breakfast.  (Our kids LOVED this guy!)  The camp did serve hot dogs for breakfast, though, that I thought were good...

And once the camp served these delicious donuts for dinner, the boys were seriously bummed they only got 3 of these.  (Though, truth be told in the middle of the night Miriam threw up these donuts all over herself, her bed and the room.  Not fun.)

As Leah foretold us, we were served an ostrich egg casserole.  It had tomatoes on top, fish on the bottom, & creamy mashed potatoes on the side.  Everyone liked this meal and it was actually Max's favorite meal, and that is saying something!

A farm, literally 30 feet right outside the camp's backdoor, supplied the ostrich eggs.  It was so close that one of the camp rules was you couldn't touch the ostriches or go inside their pen.  The flimsy fence was the only thing that protected you from the ostriches.  The students at camp loved to get a rise out of the birds and I think Josh may even have a video of their attack stance, I'll look, ;)!

While the food wasn't necessarily spectacular, it was food, and we were very grateful for it!  (Even though both Josh and I thought we lost an easy 5 lbs while at camp.)  Our three kids ate it, especially Zeke who generally went back for seconds (he would even figure out Czech sayings so he could get just what he wanted from the cafeteria ladies).  But as you could guess, it was Max who was quoted as saying, "When can we eat good food again?" 

Yes, very fitting coming from Max.  :)!

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The hike started at 9:30am and the way up was simply beautiful.

The rolling countryside turned into woods and we were hiking straight up a hill.  Some of the students were trying to do the entire hike walking backwards but when some got to this steep section they switched to face forward.  By this point everyone hiking kept asking "How much further?" (or maybe it was just me?  :)!) but it seemed to keep going and going. 

Now, at the end of the hike there is a lookout tower and at the lookout tower there is ice cream for sale.  Max simply couldn't wait any longer for ice cream so at this, the steepest point of the hike, he took off running.  I then took off running after him, thinking he'd get ahead of the whole hike and not know where to go.  I chased him and we ran straight uphill forever!  Well, maybe for just a kilometer, but it was going up and it seemed like forever!

By the time we finally reached the end of our 6km hike, we were at the lookout tower where it went from beautiful and sunny to rain in a heartbeat.  We ate our sack lunch & ice cream (which had mystery meat in the sandwich) and then we started the hike down.  1.5km down the hill we came to a little village, where we ran into Jozef who kindly offered Miriam (and I) a ride back to camp.  Miriam had been a super trooper hiking 7.5 km thus far but you could tell she was exhausted, not complaining but absolutely exhausted from working so hard.  (She was a zombie once she sat down in Jozef's car.)  At this point too, we drove with Jozef to go and rescue some camp hikers who missed a turn along the hike and ended up over 2 villages away from where they were suppossed to be.  Yikes!  Thank God for cellphones!  Our boys and Josh continued on down the hill with the rest of the students and then participated in the ropes couse.

The Rope Course was put on by what is normally a weekend/week long Adventure Camp based out of Prague.  The guy who runs the camp, David, also incorporates deep theological discussions into his camp.  When the hike & rope course were all over, around 5pm, David held an optional theological discussion time (in Czech only) at Benesova Hora.  All but 1 of my students went and they all said it was a great time and David really approached topics very intelligently and thought provokingly.  His talk also lead into some amazing discussions for us which was so great!

The more I learned about the Czech culture through the students at camp, the more perfect it is that they have this kind of day during English Camp.  When we had stopped in Leah's city, on a Saturday, it was like a ghost town.  Everyone leaves their cities and go to the countryside on the weekends to be outside doing something, anything.  I think Hike Day refreshed us as much as it did the students!

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Leah's Class meeting outside on a beautiful day.  Notice Zeke right in there participating! He did an amazing job both at participating and being a great example!  Praise God!  One day of class all the kids interviewed Zeke (in English) by asking lots of questions about his family.  At one point someone asked Zeke to describe each person in his family and he said his dad was "open minded," his mom was "thoughtful," his brother was "creative," and his sister was "crazy and funny."  Leah said it was SUPER sweet!  On the flip side, there was another day when the class was talking about dating/marriage and one of the girls started talking about her boyfriend /kissing at which point Zeke says to Leah, "I don't think my mom would want me to listen to this," and he asked to leave.  Awwww!!!

Josh's Class meeting outside on a beautiful day.  It was taught by a great bible college guy from the Cherry Hills Team who went by the nickname Ragu (which is based off his last name).  They had an advanced class and after the first day they realized they need harder class work.  Josh's internet connection & iPad came in great handy at teaching some lessons with harder vocabulary.  Josh had great conversations with some of the guys about deep philosophical topics and it was a simply perfect fit for Josh.  They also had lots of fun too when they wrote a short film and Josh filmed / edited their shorts.  They're great & if I can upload them from Josh's computer to YouTube I will!

In my class I had Zuzka as my translator, an amazing young woman from Moravia who came out specifically to translate.  She was an amazing support for me both in teaching class and in praying for our students.  Then there was Ondra, a great young guy from a local city who was there to translate and to love & pray for our students.  Aaron was a high school kid from the Cherry Hills Team and I want to say this was his 6th or 7th English camp?  The other 6 in our class were high school kids from local Czech cities, one of which was sweet Bara who attends the school year long English club that Leah leads in Strakonice.  For 4 of the students, Honza, David, Jana & Mirka, this was their first English Camp and for Klara, this was her second camp.

One of the perks for a Czech student to coming to a JV English Camp is that they get to speak English with Americans 24 hrs a day.  They get to learn more about American traditions, culture and slangs, but also learn English in a very creative setting.  (Though the one downside is that in school they are taught British English, not American English and yes, there is a difference.)  Even still, each English class went about teaching English in very creative ways so that camp was not exactly like "school" and we played a lot of games, acting, relay races, etc in class.

For example, this was a relay game we played to work on English vocab of body parts.  Aaron and I were the guinea pigs and the students had to race to put all the body part names on us.

Or the day we did food we had blindfold taste tests like you see Jana and Bara doing.  I brought along A&W Root Beer from the US for this game that thankfully did not explode in our suitcase!  They do not have Root Beer at all in Czech so it was new for our students!  :)!

This is Honza and David doing an activity where they created their own menus using a US Steak-n-Shake menu for an example.  (Thank you Steak-n-Shake for giving me tons of your take out menus!!) 

All the activities we did were for the students to practice both speaking conversational English and writing conversational English.  For example, dressing up and acting out a traditional American wedding...

Or in Josh's class (like I mentioned) when they wrote and filmed their own movies in costume...

Overall, with the 3 hours of English Class plus the extra Discussion Time at night, we got to know all our students really well.  I am probably fairly biased when I say I had the BEST class!  They all contributed so much in class and in discussion time.  I appreciate watching people really think through deep topics, it's a beautiful thing.

Admittedly, I have not spent much time with high school kids.  Outside of the 3 awesome and only high school kids in our church, the only other high schoolers I've dealt with has been in less than desireable circumstances.  But my students were amazing and I love each of them so much!  I am incredibly thankful for Facebook so that we can continue to keep in touch!

The class minus Aaron & Zuzka.  Bottom row Klara, Ondra, Bara, Honza, Jana & Mirka with David & me on top.

The tough girls.  Nice muscles, girls!

The silly guys. (Minus Aaron, who was spending 5 hours filling up 1750 water balloons.)

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Starting Sunday morning until Friday night, so for 6 straight days, a typical day at English camp looked like this:

7:30    JV / Staff Devotion, Worship, Prayer, & Info
8:30    All Camp Breakfast
9:15    All Camp Video & Announcements
9:20    English Class
12:30  All Camp Lunch with Free Time after
3:30    All Camp Sports
6:15    Dinner
7:30    All Camp Evening Program
9ish     Discussion Groups
10:30  Maybe Evening Activity

The Strakonice English Camp is the largest of the 21ish JV Czech Summer English Camps with 105ish people total, again, the majority being the high school kids.  The high school kids who sign up for these English camps know that the camp is sponsored by Josiah Venture and that during the evening programs they will hear Bible stories.  My guess is that more than half of the students who attend the camps are not Christians.

Thanks to Leah, our mornings would start with a hot pot, french press, and (thanks to Dexter) a bag of fresh roasted & ground Brazilian Roast Coffee from Capanna Coffee.  Then we would leave a note for our sleeping kids & go to a morning time of devotions, worship, prayer and info for our day ahead.  This was always a refreshing time, even during the one morning they gave us off from meeting, ;)!

The JV Team / Staff was made up of an assortment of people.  First, there was a full time JV missionary, Leah!  Then, there were JV Summer Interns who had committed to spend 3-7 months in Czech running summer camps, we had 4 from the states and 3 from Czech at our camp.  Then, there was a church team, our camp's church team was from Cherry Hills Community Church in Denver.  They brought with them a team of 4 adult leaders and 8ish high school students (not to forget 4 cutie little kids).  I love the fact that JV purposefully has American teenagers reaching out to Czech teenagers in their summer camps.  It is a brilliant and effective setup!  Then, there is a group of Czech nationals, some are translators, some are kids who go to the school year English camps, some are seasoned Christians and some are young in their faith but they all have a heart for the lost.

By 8:30 we would go back to wake the Three from our room and take them to breakfast. 

At 9:15 the whole camp would meet and they would watch a 5 minute music video that told a story.  The theme of the camp this year was "Redeem."  Each video, story, question, and the camp theme song revolved around redemption.  The stories they shared in the evenings tied into these morning videos as well.

Immediately after the video the students were dismissed to their English Classes.  The camp was divided into 10 classes of 10 people each.  Each class had an American teacher, Czech translator, American teenager and maybe an additional Czech Christian or translator.  Zeke went to the English class taught by Leah, Josh assisted in a class taught by a leader from the Cherry Hills team named Ragu, I taught an English class that Max would sometimes come to, and yep, Miriam played with a babysitter & the other missionary family kids during English class.  English class would start with a journal time where they would answer questions about the video and then it a a full blown English class that lasted 3 hours long, right up until lunch.

At 12:30 was Lunch followed by Free Time.  Most days the little kids would play in the creek while the students would go swimming or play soccer or board games.  One day they had separate VIP Girl's Time and Man Hour.  The girls sat and did nails and massages while the guys beat the snot out of each other playing this incredibly violent game called Viking Football.  Every single guy who played this game had scratches and bruises and stains and cuts and aches.  Josh ended up knocking a guy out and in return got a HUGE gash on his shoulder along with many other wounds.  Every single guy LOVED playing the game.

By 3:30 it was group Sports Time, which the older little kids would participate in as well.  The entire camp was divided into (I think) 8 teams complete with team names and team dances.  During Sports Time they would compete at a variety of games, most were goofy like dodgeball with finger darts or more sportslike with basketball shoot offs.  The last full day of camp is always Water Day.  Every "sport" is a water sport from Duck, Duck, Goose with water to Freeze Tag with water, to the concluding ultimate water balloon fight with near 1,750 water balloons.

At 6:15 most people were starving for dinner and by 7:30 it was time for the Evening Program.  The Evening Program always started with songs with hand gestures led by Leah and Janu (sp) one of the Czech Summer Interns!  Whoo hoo!  That was a fun time!  As the last song we would do the camp theme song and dance, "Never Going Back to OK."  (At this time Josh would put our kids down to bed and be back in time for the story.)  As a transition into the story there was a great skit organized by Eva, another Czech Summer Intern.  Then the speaker would come up and share a story from the Bible about redemption.  Based on the theme for this year, the Bible stories were tied together through the family tree of Jesus; stories about Rahab, Judah, Ruth, David, Jesus himself, and the last night was a series of many testimonies of redemption and I got to be one of those testimonies.

Near 9ish, whenever the Evening Program would end, we would break down into our English classes for Discussion Time.  During Discussion Time we would go over questions about the story told that night.  This was one of my favorite times of our day!  The 15-16 year old kids in my class had amazing and genuine questions, most were incredibly deep and thought provoking.  My Czech kids were really chewing on some heavy duty topics, and never stopped asking questions to find their answers.

Around 10:30 the discussion would wrap up and games would be played, more talking would be had, but sooner than later, I was heading to our room to check my students' journals, get my lesson ready for the next day of class, and get myself ready for the new day that was now quickly approaching.  Phew!

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At 9:30 am, our first few moments in the Czech Republic were quite the blur since our bodies thought it was 2:30AM Iowa time.  Leah met us at the airport with a super large blue bag filled with water, snacks & 3 car seats (yes, in Czech all three kids had to have a car seat).  It was amazing to see my sister!  It had been two years too long!  Josh drove us the one and a half hours to Strakonice (while I dozed off for a few minutes*) so we could pick up Leah's camp luggage and have lunch at her favorite restaurant.

After a brief stop in Leah's apartment (and after I accidentally took a short little nap for a few minutes*) we headed to lunch where the kids snarfed down pizza.  It was there we learned all about the fact that you can't have any alcohol in your system while driving in Czech, not even 0.0000001.  If you get pulled over and have even 0.01, they take you to the hospital where you have to take an official test.  Crazy, but at the same time seems safer.

We went back to Leah's apartment where I fell asleep again for a few minutes*...

...then we drove the 20 minutes to the Strakonice English Camp at Chata Benesova Hora.  It was Saturday, July 3, and camp registration started at 3pm with dinner served at 6pm and the first camp meeting at 7pm.  As soon as we got there at 5 we started being introduced to all of Leah's friends.  This was really cool to be meeting people in 3D we had only heard about for so long.  It was also great to see again the Czech friends we had met 2 years ago.  In Czech a lot of people have the same name but they can also can then have a fun nickname to help distinguish them from the next person; one Martin would be called M. J. and the next Martin would be called Mister.  I was incredibly thankful for name tags!  :)! 

*Now you may be wondering about my super power of not needing sleep and the fact that I feel asleep 3 times since landing but even this ended up being a huge blessing for me!

The Strakonice English Camp had 10 classes of 10 people.  The way it worked out, Leah divided Josh and I into different classes; Josh was in a class lead by Ragu and I was going to lead my own class.  What that meant for our first night was it was ok for Josh to go to bed with the kids but I had to stay up late and have my first introduction meeting with my class kids.  By that point, except for the 3 snip-its of sleep, I had been awake for over 30 hours and had to stay up another 3.  See?!  Blessing my super powers seemed to have failed but in reality they were giving me that extra push to maintain through to the end.  Phew!

Speaking of bed...

For the 8 days of camp our family of 5 called a 10' x 12' room home.  Josh and I had two twin beds pushed together, the boys had bunk beds, and Miriam had a chair that folded out into a bed.  The beds were basically 4" thick cushions on plywood, each coming with a large pillow and small sized douvet covered quilt.  Thankfully, our room had its own bathroom, that although the toilet was broken for the first night, it was a huge blessing that it all worked for the rest of the week.

Even with states of being trashed to being clean, living in this small room with our whole family worked out surprisingly well AFTER we got rules laid out and got things organized.  The rules came AFTER the first day when our three kids invited an additional 4 little kids into our room and all of them were all jumping on our beds with sandy shoes, raiding our snack & candy stash, and being careless with Josh's electronics.  Sigh... live & learn... :)!

Our room, emptied, and right before we said goodbye to Chata Benesova Hora...

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Thanks to Rick Steves we knew what we were getting into when we started looking to rent a car in Europe.  We foreknew about the insane insurance rules, toll charge tags for different countries, and lots of other hidden fees.  Surprisingly, renting a small car in Europe could be cheap, really cheap.  However, renting a car large enough to hold 6 people (our family plus Leah) was proving to be expensive and difficult to find that right sized car in Europe. 

Enter my amazing husband and his skill of the internets!  Josh had looked through consolidated websites and the like but he was finding lots of hidden fees, shady business deals, and could not confirm the right sized car.  Soon enough though, Josh was able to find a coupon from an external site to use on an official Budget site so we could get the right sized car, find an external insurance company (with help from Steves) and all said & done we were able to rent our car for a fair price.

Looking back, renting a car was a great plan for our family especially since the weather was unbearably hot and the car's AC was our only retreat from the heat.  We were able to go our own speed to the cities we wanted, enjoy more of the countryside & mountains, and not to forget, drive our VW van 105 mph on the Autobahn while getting passed by a Porsche Cayenne driving 130 mph.  Seriously, it was amazing!  And, until our kids are big enough to carry their own week's worth gear on their back, I think renting a car is the best way for us to go for if/when we return...

Who would want to miss out on all this fun?!

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Not knowing what to expect or how to entertain a 9, 8 & 5 yr old on a plane ride for 2, 8 & 11 hours, I asked lots of questions and read many blogs/articles about flying with children (this one was great!).  While most focused on traveling with newborns and toddlers, I did read some universal notes that really helped our trip. 

Here's a small collection of them in case you are interested:

- New $10 toy.  Prior to leaving, I let each of the kids pick out a new toy that was a something-to-do kind of toy.  Zeke picked out an album for his sports cards with some extra packs of cards.  He sorted his collection of baseball, football & basketball cards into the album while on the plane.  It was a fabulous idea!  Max got a doodle book that showed you how to draw characters but left a large white area so you could practice right there on the sheet.  It too was fabulous!  Miriam got a little key chain toy called a Tamagotchi.  It is a silly little thing that you have to check in on, feed, play with, etc.  It was small and cute and a great toy for her.

- Socks.  For the trip itself, a blog had suggested the kids wear socks and shoes and not sandals on plane rides because of when they would have to go through security.  While we did let them wear either shoes or sandals, they all had to wear socks and it was a truly brilliant idea.

- Gum, but not too much.  We did have the kids chew gum for take off and landing on the first flight but I think we pushed it too much and by the second flight the kids never wanted to chew gum again.  (I felt the same way.)  I think now it was the flavor of gum, it was fruity not minty, and I think it was a bad choice.  By the end of our flights we just had the kids yawn instead of chew gum and it worked just as well.

- Barf bag on hand.  Oddly enough, there was not a barf bag in front of each seat.  Before taking off I double checked each kids' seat to make sure a barf bag was in front of them just in case.  A blog has said that kids can get sick at landing more often than take off so I wanted them to be prepared.  None of our kids got sick during the take off or landing but Miriam got nauseous during the middle of each long flight right after eating dinner.  She didn't throw up, but she really thought she was going to and dry heaved a few times before falling asleep.

- Journal.  This was our friend Angie's suggestion so before we left I got each kid a hand picked journal for the trip.  To be honest, Max was the only one who used his on the plane, but Zeke and Miriam definitely used theirs on the car rides back and forth across Czech.  Either way, it was great they had a blank book all to themselves to record or do whatever they wanted.  Zeke recorded the things he saw, Max & Miriam wrote songs with dance moves, etc.

- Empty water bottles.  A blog pointed out that it is easy to dehydrate on a plane ride and to make sure to keep kids especially well hydrated.  I got each of the kids the new style of CamelBak Water Bottles with built in straws in hopes of more water drinking and less water spilling.  They worked fabulous!  The only spill was by ME when I spilled OJ into Josh's computer bag.  Yep, that was the one accident on our entire trip.  Lucky me!

- Good meals before flights.  Same blog recommended making sure the kids ate good and healthy meals before getting onto the flights.  Due to timing, I packed a sack lunch that we all ate before we boarded our noon flight to Atlanta because they were not serving meals on that flight.  Having a balanced meal with meat, dairy, grain, fruit, veggies, really helped them.

- Healthy snacks.  I packed a ton, I mean a ton, of granola bars and fruit leather.  I got ones high in fiber because constipation due to nerves was another comment I had read.  While I could've brought more, it was really great for flight-sake and English camp-sake we brought as much as we did.

- iPad.  Our kids don't have game boy/ DS type of toys and most blogs recommended just letting the kids play with those on planes.  However, our kids do have a gadet dad who has an iPad.  Josh loaded the iPad with movies & games for the kids.  This proved to be a huge blessing because all the movies they played on the plane were strictly for adults and not for kids.  We did ration their time on the iPad so they weren't glued to it constantly, a little here and a little there, but they really enjoyed it when they did get to use it.

- A Relaxed Mama.  Like I mentioned, I don't like flying, but God really gave me grace and I constantly kept looking at the kids and smiling and making them feel comfortable and safe.  Only one cutie, on our way to the airport was getting kind of nervous but thankfully, with much prayer, they were calm when the time came to fly.

The Three did a fantastic job flying!  From the 2 hrs to Atlanta, the 8 hrs to Prague then the return 11 hrs back to Atlanta and the 2 hrs to Moline, they really did a great job! I wouldn't have changed a thing except for the timing of the flights.*  That was the toughest part about flying was getting back on the plane in Atlanta for Moline.  We had a long layover and the Three were walking zombies and they don't remember getting onto the plane.  (By that time their little bodies had been awake for over 20 hours and it had caught up with them hardcore.) 

But in all honesty, I can't wait to travel on a plane with them again! 

*Ok, ok... the one more thing I'd do different would be to have us save a little more money so we could let Long-Legged Josh sit in First Class, :)!

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While I was scrubbing I noticed a very small "mole" I had never seen before on my upper thigh.  Then I thought it was dirt, so I scrubbed some more.  Then I saw that it had legs. 

It was a deer tick.

(Photo Credit)

I quickly yet calmly pulled it out with my fingernails (which I now know is a no-no) but as soon as it started to walk across the top of my fingernail I SCREAMED!  Josh came running, confirmed it was a deer tick, and due to my screaming/freak-out, he flushed it down the toilet per my request.  I had Josh search the rest of me and then sopping wet I proceeded to wake up each of the kids, strip them down and check them for ticks while Josh researched just what this meant - getting bit by a deer tick.

I was glad that he was doing the research because prior to this I had only known friends who had gone through the horror stories of Lyme Disease.  The first thing he read was that you are suppossed to keep the tick. Doh, Dana!  The sites all agreed that symptoms would not show up for 1-2 weeks, right around the time we were going to be leaving the country.  We decided to wait a day, talk to our doctor, and keep an eye on it.

Within 48 hours both my doctor & Josh agreed that being preemptive and putting me on the antibiotic Doxycycline for 14 days would be best.  The medicine has great results at treating Lyme Disease but it also has all these strange dietary requirements and side effects, one of which being sun sensitivity. 

I tried to stay in the shade, or inside, keep 85 spf on me, but I never thought to cover my hands with sunscreen.  Welp, I ended up with a severe toxic reaction on the top of my hands.  They literally felt like they were on fire, burning fire, cannot be stopped fire, intense and constant fire that was not going away even after many days.

After one incredibly painful night I finally called my doctor.  They recommended switching medicine but the switch would cause more crazy side effects.  Not wanting any other whammies before we left the country, we decided I should finish the entire 14 day treatment of the first medicine.  I tried to keep covered in sunscreen while at camp but on two separate occassions I forget to put sunscreen on my toes and on my nose or even enough on my hands.  I ended up with bright red and blotchy hands, toes and nose for the rest of our trip.  (Hence my Rudolpf nose in all our trip pics.)  

Thankfully, before we left for Europe a friend recommended Burt's Bees Res-Q Ointment.  While it didn't cure the intense pain, it was nice to have on my burns and knowing it was all natural, I knew (well, hoped) the ointment wouldn't make it worse.

In all honesty, this whole ordeal was a blessing in disguise.

Prior to this, I had never seen or removed a tick.  Being that ticks were the one thing people worry about at English camp in Strakonice, and I now had full and calm knowledge of ticks and Lyme Disease.  This made for a lot more relaxed mama at camp!  Also, since I had the burns I had the Res-Q Ointment on hand in Czech.  When Max ended up with his entire body covered in hives (as a reaction to a type of grass in Czech) the Res-Q Ointment was the prefect treatment to stop the inflammation of his hives. 

Really, a blessing in disguise!

Here is my PSA I posted on Quora on how to remove a tick:

(Photo Credit)

If you find a tick DO NOT twist, use a match, cover with nail polish, cigarette, etc the tick.

1.) DO grab a pair of tweezers, plastic baggie and antiseptic/soap.
2.) Carefully position the tweezers close to the skin (without touching) and gently place the tweezers on/toward/near the tick's head.  Gently/steadily pull up, making sure not to squeeze the tick's body, which would cause bacteria to enter into the person/animal the tick is biting.
3.) As you are gently pulling upward, your skin should be pulling upward as well with the tick.  The tick should back out, head and all. (Do not touch tick with your hands.)
4.) Look to make sure you have removed the entire head of the tick.  If you are concerned or don't think you got it all, seek help from a physician.
5.) Place the tick into the plastic baggie and freeze.  That way, if you do come down with a sickness they can test the tick or instead of waiting it out you can have the tick tested for your own piece of mind. (Don't do what I did and scream like a banshee and flush it down the toilet.)
6.) Wash the area with soap (antiseptic) and water.

For more information:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/...

http://firstaid.webmd.com/tc/how...

For information about what sicknesses are caused by tick bites:
http://www.webmd.com/skin-proble...

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I was in college the first time my older sister Leah went to the Czech Republic for 3 months as a summer intern for Josiah Venture.  I remember at the time that our family thought that she was freakin' crazy (or maybe just I thought she was freakin' crazy) and it seemed like the strangest place to choose in the world - the Czech Republic, really?  Where is that?  She's going there to teach English to high school kids?  What the?  (Yes, #notquestions galore!)

Well, two years later she went back and moved there commited to serve a 2 year stint with JV.  Now here it is 10 freakin' years later and she is still kickin' it in Czech!

Czech is freakin' perfect for her, not only as a country but also how perfectly she was made her for the job she was called to do there.  It is amazing to see how many lives have been affected and changed because of my sister's love for Jesus and for others.  Those 10 years have seen much fruit and much heartache, and the hand of God was in them all.

As you can imagine she has always wanted family & friends to visit.  My mom, aunts, a few of her college friends, and just last year, my younger sister!  (The real shocker will be if we get Dad in a plane to go there!)  We Cramer 5 have always wanted to go and visit her but it has never been possible, both financially and logistically, or newborn-babily. 

2 years ago we got to see Josiah Venture's 2x3 Campaign presentation.  After seeing that, both Josh and I wanted to not only go and visit her for visiting-sake but also go there to see what Josiah Venture is doing in action.  It took those 2 years of praying, planning, saving & hard work by my husband (with a BIG load of thanks to Dave Ramsey FPU and "Living like no one else, so we can live like no one else" logic) to get everything in place and here it is...

We're Freakin' Going!

Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!

For the first week we're there, we will be participating in one of Josiah Venture's Summer Camps.  They are English camps for high school kids, they teach English class for the morning, have sports in the afternoon, and have teachings in the evenings.  (With a theme song and hand gestures to boot!)  I will be teaching an English class for the week, Josh will be assisting, and our kids will be right beside us or Leah during those morning classes.  (Well, we'll see how Miriam does, :)!)

We are very thankful/honored to be able to get this first hand experience with Leah and the JV Team.  JV has an amazing impact in the Eastern European countries and I pray we don't mess it up!  (Insert Clark Griswald type of experience here, oy!)

If you would, please pray or keep us in your thoughts for:

- Prepared hearts of us, the Cramer 5. That we would be ready to love, serve and sacrifice for others and each other while on our trip, to be an example as a family, and to be able to pour out ourselves to the teenagers we come in contact with showing them the love.

- Prepared minds for our kids.  The boys are old enough to really "get" what we are doing.  I have been praying for them specifically how this trip will open their eyes to the world as a whole around them, moving out of the "me" centered mindset.  Miriam has a sweet, little, heart-filled attitude, so she gets what we are doing in her special way, so I am simply hoping she doesn't get hurt.  (We Cramer girls have more accidents than those boys, imagine that!)

- Prepared minds for all the teenagers participating in the camp and for what is in store for each of them.  "So, as the Holy Spirit says, if you hear His voice do not harden your hearts against Him."

- Safety while traveling everywhere, esp. with 3 kiddos in tow. No sickness, no pick-pockets, no theft, no emotional scars, no abuse, no trouble with the law, no hiccups, no anything!  Let your over-active imagination go wild and pray for safety from that.

- Protection for our business.  Being a business owner comes with a LOT of responsibility, which Josh takes very seriously.  Thankfully we have been given an amazing team of employees to trust to keep things moving while Josh is away but he will still be leaving a hole.

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- You have more greens from the garden (or CSA) than you know how to use.

- You are trying to switch up your green smoothie combinations.

- Chewing can be painful some mornings and not an option.

- You'd like to *ahem* flush out your system.

Whatever the reason, enjoy!

AND - we finally got a new blender (upgraded from a $5 blender to a $25 one, whoo-hoo!) so the harder greens don't taste like hair anymore... Hooray!

What's smooth and green and smells like a salad? (January 28, 2009)

Things this year are off to a much better start than the last 2 years in particular (flood one year then having a broken foot the next will do that).  The constant rain with the hot & humid temperatures have been causing everything to multiply in size, plants and weeds. 

Controlling the weeds has always been the biggest battle with a garden this size, located miles from my home.  This year I am trying something new with my weed control (in about half the garden).  Rather than chemicals, landscaping fabric or plastic tarps, I got a butcher-esque paper in rolls.  (It is similar to using newspapers, only on large rolls.)  I weeded my beds and did all my soil prep, laid the paper and staked it, then put straw on top to help hold it down.  So far it has proven a great deterrent from weeds with wind being its only enemy.  I can also tell it will definitely decompose before a year is up, hooray!

Once again, I am amazed (and thankful) at how easy the broccoli grows at these lots.  This year we did absolutely nothing to the plants (no maggot mats, no anything) and they have turned out beautifully!

Our sugar snap peas are a kid favorite to pick and to eat!

(This is from a week ago.)

(Yesterday)

Our sweet corn... wow. Having tried the last 2 years and failed miserably at corn, I am super stoked at how they are coming along.  I accidentally used last year's seeds and was pretty skeptical at first.  However, unlike previous years, I planted 5 longer rows with decent spacing between seeds, used straw as mulch and have been much better about weeding.  I love, love, love the fact that they are knee high and it isn't even the fourth of July!

We are also attempting watermelon.  (Here you can see the paper I used and how it works even over the mounds.)  We have never had watermelon grow successfully at the garden but this year we heard to better our odds: water them a lot, choose a small sized melon with a short number of days to maturity, and water them a lot more.  I did not add straw to the melon patch because watermelons love nitrogen rich soil and straw takes nitrogen out of soil.  Even over the paper, I didn't want to take the risk since these suckers have proven hard for me to grow.  The true measure of success will be in a few weeks to see if the plants get any bigger than this.

One of the neatest additions to the garden park has been the addition of a splash pad.  The southeast side sometimes gets a bad rep in the press so it is exciting to see the city make a wonderful and free-to-use addition to this neighborhood park. 

For the produce, the relationships, the hard work, the time spent outside, the lessons learned from God, I am incredibly thankful once again for our off-site, rented garden plot!

So tell me, how has your garden grown?

This time the deeper heart issue for him was the second most important commandment, "Love your neighbor as yourself," which incidentally (in this situation, as in most) tied directly into the greatest commandment, "Love the Lord your God..."  We started to discuss what the application of those verses were to the situation and how there was a need for repentance and moving forward with a right heart and then something smacked me in the face... it was like I was looking into a mirror.  

God was calling me to the carpet. 

It was no longer about him, but a sin in MY heart had been exposed as I sat there talking with my son.  I stopped talking about his current situation and instead I talked with him about my similar situation, current in my life, happening right now, and how then and there, I needed to deal with the same deeper heart issue - and I needed to repent.  It was as clear as day.  And I did; right there, praying to God and having the child pray for me.  It was truly unexpected and truly necessary in the process that God has been bringing me through as of late, and once again, I was incredibly thankful.

Truth be told, this happens to me a lot, I should be ready for it.  (Maybe I have a lot more junk than most.)  Still, when the tables get immediately flipped around it always catches me by surprise but I am a completely grateful recipient.  God is, as always, the perfect loving Father for the kids and for me.

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" 1John 3:1a

The three were being babysat at a friend's house until before/near 6.  At 6:02* and running late, Josh and I walked into the house to find the mom holding her sweet little guy of 10 months old, asking me if my kids had ever had a seizure before, taking his temperature, the dad on the phone, our three and their other two trying to tell us what is going on.  "This happened like two minutes ago!" Max exclaimed.  The paramedics were on their way, the police had just shown up, and Josh I and took the 5 kids downstairs. 

We gathered our three and their two and we all kneeled and prayed for the little guy, his mom and dad, and the EMT's.  After a while, word came our way that the little guy was ok and didn't need to go to in the ambulance.  We again all kneeled and this time, thanked and praised God for protecting little guy and keeping him safe.  Little guy looked much better now and the doctor said they could wait until morning to go in.  Again, praise God!

So tonight, before bed, as we were talking about what to pray for, one of which being sweet little guy of course, I also added thanking God for protecting all of us tonight.  "How did God protect us?" 

"Don't you think it is interesting it happened only two* minutes before we got there?  And the dad had gotten home from work just before it happened?" 

"Yeah... little guy was fine the whole time we were there." (Since 3:30 mind you.)

"What do you think it would have been like if it had happened earlier?" 

"That would have been CRAZY with us 5 kids running around and all those officers and the EMT's!... ... ... Huh?..."

I could honestly hear the gears turning... he was processing all the events he had bore witness to, how they all happened in a specific way, and how if they had happened differently it would've been "crazy." 

"Huh?..."

*2 minutes is just the number Max gave us.  This is the same guy who thinks 10 minutes feels like 2 minutes.  And in all the excitement there and coming home, I still don't really know how all the events transpired before we showed up, but it was enough to make my guy go, "Huh."  Coincidence?

Now, I know some who don't eat soy because either you don't like soy or are allergic to soy.  For those who don't like soy, thankfully the chicken itself is stir fryed in only 2T of soy sauce & there is only 2T of soy sauce in the special sauce, so it is limited you could remove it.  (Though sadly it'd be missing out since the sauce is delicious with the soy sauce.)  But, if you are allergic to soy, or really don't want to cook with soy, you can talk with our friend Leslie who knows how to make soy sauce without soy; she is amazing!

I hope you enjoy it!

P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps!

The most vivid images I had during those stories were when she read The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and the story of Eustace, him being turned into a dragon and then the process of him shedding his dragon scales.  Of all the stories in all the Chronicles, that story has stuck with me the most over the years.

This image popped back into my head recently as I have been thinking about where I am at right now in a specific area.  I feel like Eustace and "I" have just begun to peel off the layers myself but it isn't working, so I'm about to lie down...

"'So I started scratching myself and my scales began coming off all over the place.  And then I scratched a little deeper and, instead of just scales coming off here and there, my whole skin started peeling off beautifully, like it does after an illness, or as if I was a banana.  In a minute or two I just steeped out of it. I could see it lying there beside me, looking rather nasty.  It was a most lovely feeling.  So I started to go down into the well for my bathe.

'But just as I was going to put my feet into the water I looked down and saw that they were all hard and rough and wrinkled and scaly just as they had been before.  Oh, that's all right, said I, it only means I had another smaller suit on underneath the first one, and I'll have to get out of it too.  So I scratched and tore again and this under skin peeled off beautifully and out I stepped and left it lying beside the other one and went down to the well for my bathe.

'Well, exactly the same things happened again.  And I thought to myself, oh dear, how ever many skins have I got to take off? For I was longing to bathe my leg. So I scratched away for the third time and got off a third skin, just like the two others, and stepped out of it.  But as soon as I looked at myself in the water I knew it had been no good.

'Then the lion said - but I don't know if it spoke - 'You will have to let me undress you.' I was afraid of his claws, I can tell you, but I was pretty nearly desperate now.  So I just lay flat down on my back to let him do it.

'The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart.  And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I've ever felt.  The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off.  You know - if you've ever picked the scab of a sore place.  It hurts like billy - oh but it is such fun to see it coming away.'

'I know exactly what you mean,' said Edmund.

'Well, he peeled the beastly stuff right off - just as I thought I'd done it myself the other three times, only they hadn't hurt - and there it was lying on the grass; only ever so much thicker, and darker, and more knobbly-looking than the others had been.  And there was I as smooth and soft as a peeled switch and smaller than I had been.  Then he caught hold of me - I didn't like that much for I was very tender underneath now that I'd no skin on - and threw me into the water.  It smarted like anything but only for a moment, After that it became perfectly delicious and as soon as I started swimming and splashing I found that the pain had gone from my arm.  And then I saw why. I'd turned into a boy again. You'd think me simply phony if I told you how I felt about my own arms.  I know they've no muscle and are pretty mouldy compared with Caspian's, but I was so glad to see them.'"

pg. 108-110, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C.S. Lewis, Harper Collins Publishers 1952

WELCOME TO CHURCH ON APRIL 15TH!

It will start simply once again - God is good and He works all things for good, even if Josh and I have the unthinkable happen.  God would still work it for best.  And while I would be crushed to have something bad happen, I am trusting that God will work even that painful idea for good.  God works all things for good for those who love God and are called according to His good purpose. Romans 8:28

Then I'll jump to prayer for our two preparers - their skill and wisdom, their honesty and integrity, too.  I will pray for alertness, decision making, whatever I can think of for them (they are a he and a she).  Our preparers will be totally covered in prayer.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests to God. Phil 4:6

I will meditate on our own destiny if the unthinkable happened, did we do everything right?  And no joke, I will go through it all, at least back the 7 or so years one says is typical - yes, we did it right.  But, but... in would come the thoughts as I would look back over the years, the distant past as well as the nearest.  I am certain we have made the honest and right choices... Thankfully, God knows I can't be perfect since the laws are always changing, that is why I need helpers.  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25*

Then I would pray some more and thank God for the safety thus far, and His goodness over our whole lives.  More prayer for Josh and the kids, for family and friends, and then back to our preparers again as we are now nearing April 15th.  Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thes 5:16-18

With a very thankful heart, I am hopeful to survive.  And there will be much rejoicing. Yeah.

Granted, each year is a risk.  There are always freak filings, unplanned disasters and random happening every day and each year requires a certain amount of faith to look forward to the next.  While yes, taxes do still cause my heart to beat faster, it also strengthens my faith and trust in God.  It is amazing that my faith in One that I cannot see strengthens me for the things I can see on paper.  And my faith in One that I know strengthens me for the things that are sometimes dreaded worse than death.

Drat!  Once again, I forgot about the singing and communion!

*Yeah, I totally took that out of context.

Somewhere after being married and after having kids, something happened - maybe it was having kids, maybe it was 9/11, maybe it was simply anxiety, maybe it was the fear of physical pain, whatever it was - I do NOT like flying anymore.  When Josh and I went to New York a year ago, I had the hardest time flying.  I was anxious the entire time, my heart was racing, I was a mess, I was in tears... it. was. ridiculous.

However, I was excited for our trip alone to San Francisco two weekends ago as a test flight for me. 

See, we are planning on taking our whole family overseas this summer - in a plane.  I don't want to be all freaked out on the plane because: 1. If I freak out, the kids'll freak out and 2. If I freak out, Josh will freak out. 3. The kids just may be freaking out, in which case I definitely can't freak out.  My test flights (the 4 take offs and landing to and from San Francisco) were, as Josh coined, like having my own personal church services in the sky.

Mind you, this was all in my thoughts but still they each started out simply and the same - God is good and He works all things for good, even if Josh and I died on the plane.  God would still work it for best for our kids.  He knows what they need, even without us, they would be fully protected and loved by God himself.  He would meet their needs through just the right people, He would have a plan for them.  And while I would be crushed to have our kids grow up without us, I was trusting that God would work even that painful idea for good.  God works all things for good for those who love God and are called according to His good purpose. Romans 8:28

Then I jumped to prayer for the pilots - taking off and landing the most, though definitely did it throughout the flight, too.  I prayed for his alertness, his skill, his decision making, his timing with other planes, whatever I could think of (yes, they were all he's).  Each pilot and his co-pilot were totally covered in prayer.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests to God. Phil 4:6

I would then meditate on my own destiny if I died today, did I know for certain?  And no joke, I went through it all.  Is there a God, yes.  Is the Bible true, yes.  If the Bible is true then, yes I am a sinner separated from God. If I am separated from God then somehow I need to be restored to God.  Was Jesus God's Son, yes.  Was Jesus the perfect sacrifice for my sins, yes.  Jesus died and was buried but on the third day, He rose!  If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead - you will be saved. Romans 10:8-10

But, but... in would come the doubts as I would look back over my life, the distant past as well as the nearest and know that I failed so much and so often along the way.  Even now I don't always make the right choices, I keep screwing up, I'm not always the best example for Christ and I'm not always the best at being in a relationship with Christ... But, but... God knows I can't be perfect, no one can, that is why I need Jesus.  There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  Romans 3:23-24  The wages of sin is death BUT the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.  Romans 6:23

Then I would pray some more and thank God for the safe flight thus far, and His goodness over our whole lives.  More prayer for Josh and the kids, for family and friends, and then back to the pilots again as we were now nearing another landing.  Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thes 5:16-18

With a very thankful heart, we landed safely everytime.  And there was much rejoicing. Yeah.

Granted, each day is a risk.  There are always freak accidents, natural disasters and pain happening every day and each day requires a certain amount of faith to look forward to the next.  While yes, flying does still cause my heart to beat faster, it also strengthens my faith and trust in God.  It is amazing that my faith in One that I cannot see strengthens me for the things I can see.  And my faith in One that I know strengthens me for the things that are unknown.

However next time, as Josh says, I need to not forget about the singing and communion.

Trying to photograph the brilliance of the colors on the trees was impossible (though one with more skill than I could do it) and would prove the theme for the remainder of our time in Muir Woods - there are some things a basic camera with basic skills cannot do justice.  We simply could not capture on film how amazing and dense and imposing and colorful the Muir Woods are. You have to see it for yourself.

The redwoods were everywhere and they were amazing.  They grow in what are called "family circles," a series of 4, 5, 8, etc, trees all in a circle, and all towering high in the sky.  While these redwoods are not as wide as the giant sequoias found in Yellowstone, fitting cars through, they are an impressive 6-8 (maybe 10) feet in diameter.  Averaging 500 to 800 years old (the current oldest is 1200 yrs old), towering 200+ feet (the current tallest is 258'), some having half of their base missing due to wildfires - they are a sight to behold.

Thanks to a website, Trails, and talking with the ranger we found a good and short 4 mile hike that would allow us to see the ocean, too.  However, what both the ranger and Trails failed to mention was that the hike would be straight UP for the first 2.5/3 miles, like walking up 3 miles worth of stairs with 6 to 12 inch rises (I know that is cake for some, but with my foot, it was a workout!)! However, to make up for it, the entire journey up was in a beautifully dense, towering forest.

The other side of the mountain was a clearing, with rolling hills and pines, on down to the coast and then the ocean... breathtaking.  The entire hike, the surroundings, the company, were refreshing to our bodies and souls.

Now originally when we were dreaming of where to go to celebrate our anniversary, we were planning on a hiking vacation to Costa Rica, Utah, or New Mexico/Arizona, somewhere warm.  (Part of our rationale was my entire spring and summer from last year was not "normal.")  However, due to this-that-and-the-other, we changed our plans to go on a whim wherever the cheapest plane fare would take us and San Francisco won.  Before leaving I didn't know how the San Francisco area would meet our hiking/nature expectations, but the Muir Woods (and the whole bay / coast area) made an amazing impression on me, it truly went above and beyond my expectations.

Even though our hotel was right on the cable car line, we decided to walk the however many blocks to the start of the cable car system.  A cable car 1-way ride was $5 or a $13 1-day MUNI pass allowed unlimited rides on the cable cars, the street cars and the underground subway.  Since we had planned to use public transport the entire day, it was the 1-day pass for us and it was an amazing bang for our buck! 

We didn't know what to expect when we started at the beginning of the cable car line, but what we found was this:

This was our first glimpse at the cable cars up close; they are an amazing work of art and require a lot of skill to drive.  The drivers of a cable car are called a gripman.  (Due to the intense upper body strength needed to run the cable cars. And I should note, there has only been 1 female gripman in their history.)  The gripmen work incredibly hard to get the cars up and down the many, many hills, using a series of levers and brakes to make the car run smoothly.  There is a constantly moving cable running underground and the gripmen are using the levers and brakes and hanging on tight.  Each one of the gripmen we had was a character, too.  They had their own quirks of shouting or whistling or hooting along the route.  You could really tell they all took pride in their work, loved their job itself and their enjoyed working with their coworkers.

I was near the front when we began our first journey and, due to the temporary downpour, the roof leaked on my leg every time we went up a hill, which was A LOT (and I never realized that it's not just that one place is hilly in the city, but THE WHOLE city is hilly, all over and every which way, up and down, up and down!).  I did NOT care; I was having an amazing time!  This was by far the best way for anyone (tourist or native) to view the city of San Francisco!

We planned on jumping off at the end of the line at the bay but a couple blocks before the end our gripman shouted, "Lombard!" and we quickly jumped off and took a detour walking down famous Lombard Street. 

(Here you can enjoy our detour, too!)

(At Lombard we met a nice Scottish couple traveling on a cruise ship for 4 weeks en route to Australia.  :)!  Later that night we did end up driving down Lombard, you have no choice but to drive wicked slow.)

Even with the short detour, thanks the cable cars we were right down at the bay and got to see the water, Golden Gate and Alcatraz.  When the sun started shining and things started picking up at the piers we were easily able to find a cable car and jump back on to make our way back to downtown.  Once again, the cable cars were the perfect way to travel and see so many San Francisco sights!

It was during this time, going down a hill and around a corner, that our cable car got stuck.  The gripman may have ridden the brakes too much and it did not have enough momentum to round the corner.  The gripman got off the car and said to the men, "Gotta get off and push."  To which someone must have replied, "Really?"  To which our gripman replied, "You think I'm playin'? Put your ass into it!"  Josh did just that.

Throughout the rest of that day thanks to our day pass, we hopped on and off the cable car, jumped on and off street cars and had grand adventures on the underground.  We got to see a lot of the city from downtown to the piers to Chinatown to Castro to Haight-Ashbury to downtown and back and forth and back and forth.  Since San Francisco is also known for its atrocious parking issues, traveling the city via municipal transit is the only way to go!

Treatment of a talar fracture is incredibly important and should not be taken lightly.  If you have fallen, been in a car accident, had a sports injury, etc that has even the slightest possibility of involving the talus bone - take it incredibly seriously.  I would even go as far to say, if you have any injury with any part of your foot, from any accident - do not mess around.

The first thing I'd do is see an orthopedic surgeon.  If possible, and time allows, do research and find one that focuses on foot injuries or one that specializes in sports injuries (even if yours is not sports related).  Even if neither of those is available, still go to an orthopedic surgeon.

The second thing I'd do is to get a MRI.  They are more expensive than an x-ray, but severe fractures can be missed on an x-ray based on the complicated shapes and close proximity of the foot bones.  Getting a MRI from the start will show the entire foot from all angles and expose any hidden fractures.

The third thing I'd do is to get a plaster cast, not a removable cast.  While a plaster cast is not as nice as a removable one, it is crucial for healing of a talar fracture to not move, even the slightest.  Since this bone is the hinge of your foot, it is a tricky task to hold still.

The fourth thing I'd do is NOT walk on it.  Just don't do it.  Wait a minimum of 6 weeks, if not a full 8.  Whatever you do, don't rush it.  Foot fractures are not simple to heal.  In the event of any fracture, blood is key in the healing process.  In a perfect body the amount of blood flowing to the foot is actually minor.  With one fracture in a foot bone it is going to take time due to normal limited blood.  In the event of multiple fractures, the healing process is even longer due to the limited about of blood available for healing.  Be patient.

Breaking one's foot is not fun but hopefully by taking the right steps (ha!), it will heal and never again will you take walking for granted.

Now, my friends are probably wondering why I wrote all this out.  OY!  Josh asked me to write this a long time ago as something that someone (specifically a patient) could find on the internet if they typed these issues (talar neck fracture, talar fracture, talus bone fractures) into a search engine: Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.  I had been putting it off for so long, it seemed fitting to write it on the 1-year anniversary of when I broke my talus bone.

His/our reason for writing this is so we can give direction (via the internet) to patients just starting their own broken foot adventure.  That way, whomever they are can learn from what I went through:

For those who don't know - I broke my foot falling onto concrete one year ago today. I went to the podiatrist first and got x-rays.  He saw 2 incomplete fractures to my talus bone, one on the right side and one on the left, with a tiny bit of bone holding it together.  After 2.5 weeks in a removable cast, the podiatrist let me walk on it, even though it hurt.  After 8 weeks and me still in intense pain, he said he thought I had a talar dome lesion, but to keep an eye on it.  After 12 weeks and me literally crying while walking, he had me get a MRI.  The MRI showed a 3rd fracture to the neck my talus bone that got missed on the x-rays.  The podiatrist sent me to non-load bearing PT, prescribed inflammatory medicine and put me back in the removable cast. 

Thankfully/Finally, after all we had been through up until this point, this wasn't good enough for my husband.  He had my MRI results sent to an orthopedic surgeon for a second opinion.  The orthopedic surgeon he found, who specialized in foot and sports medicine, said if I had gone to him when this first happened he would have immediately put me in a plaster cast and had me not walk on it for a minimum of 8 weeks.  He then prescribed me to immediately stop PT because due to my fracture being on the neck of the talus, any movement at all was re-breaking the bone, causing continual micro-fractures.  He also had me stop all inflammatory medicines.  Since the foot already has a limited blood supply, I needed all the extra swelling and blood I could get down there to help heal the fracture.  He would have put me in a plaster cast right then but since I had already been in this ordeal for 3.5 months, he took pity on me and let me remain in the removable cast if I made sure to not bend my foot or walk on it for (another) 8 weeks.  After that, it was finally deemed "healed" (with the promise of pain for up to a year.  And yes, it still hurts, 1 year later.  It is my "new normal.") and I was able to go to PT and learn how to walk all over again.  The whole ordeal (only) took 6 months.

Again, the first three months of this injury we had researched every possible which way on the internet, trying to find answers or direction for fractures in the talus bone, then for talar dome lesions, etc.  Hard to believe, but nothing on the internet was giving us any real information or helping my pain.  It wasn't until we met with the orthopedic surgeon and were given more direction that we were able to know what was really going on. 

I know, I know, this is old news to my friends, so sorry. I'll go back to something completely differenter soon.

Then a few days ago, Josh had written the word "ginormous" on something. I giggled and said, "You learned that from Miriam!  She totally made up that word."  To which he says, "No, it's a real word."

"ginormous

One entry found.

Main Entry: gi·nor·mous

Pronunciation: \ji-'n?r-m?s\

Function: adjective

Etymology: gigantic + enormous

Date: circa 1948

: extremely large : humongous"

From Merriam-Webster

Who would have guessed!  Turns out the word actually landed itself in the dictionary back in 2007.  According to this article from THE USA Today, it started showing up in print in 2000, even though it originates back to 1948.  

The first question in my mind is, "How did she know this was a real word and I didn't?"

My second question is, "How many more of what I think are Miriamisms, are truly words?"

Maybe it was because I woke up at 5AM, maybe it was because it was now only 7AM, maybe it was because of the misting rain, maybe I was just undecided about everything, but standing there Josh asked me if I wanted to go in and I said, "Eh, no biggie either way."  Josh said, "We'll come back, you'll see."

After a round on the cable cars to the bay and back, it was now late morning and we jumped off near Chinatown.  This time we went in and I am SO, SO glad we did!  Everything about our visit there was PERFECT!  While I knew Chinese New Year was on the 14th, it turned out they started their celebrating this weekend.  The place was already hopping with stores busting out their front doors from the Saturday morning shoppers and now roads were being blocked off from traffic, and extra vendors were lining the narrow streets.

People, mostly elderly, were waiting in line for free containers of salt and boxes of pasta and coins.  Oranges, large and small, orchids, long leafy vegetables everywhere.  Smells of dried seafood, fresh seafood, even live seafood being sold from dripping suitcases on a street corner.  Delicious cooked food wafting out of every store we passed, not to forget the two huge, delicious smelling pigs walking down the street.  It was awesome! 

While in Chinatown we heard no English except when we happened into a non-Chinese place, this fancy, yet odd, little home decorations store.  We were wooed in by a huge, intricate carving out of an ivory tusk.  Two greasy looking guys sitting on a store couch greeted us, one in a suit and one with his hands in his pants.  They seemed annoyed that we were there but said we could go upstairs, after they said we couldn't.  Upstairs we found more carved ivory and mammoth tusks, ranging in price from $25K to $125K+.  We were heading down when a 3rd greasy guy approached us and aggressively said, "I'll give you a crazy deal on anything you like."  We're certain it was all a trick. ;)!

After that we wandered in and out of "grocery stores," the entrances to which were narrow, but they kept going back farther and farther.  One started off with an assortment of whole fish alive but out of water, chopped up bloody fish, intestines and the like.  A little further back there were frogs and large live fish swimming in tanks.  Further back, larger tanks with larger fish. Then a little stall that sold door locks.  Further still, live brown and white chickens  & quail in cages.  And then random storage, at which point we figured we should turn around.

One of the things I really wanted to do was eat something, anything, in Chinatown.  We passed countless places with whole roasted chickens and ducks hanging in windows, dim sum, and again, grocery stores filled with food, though nothing was written in English.  I finally opted for an incredibly crowded place selling dim sum.  People were crammed into this small space, everyone was shouting at everyone else in Mandarin/Cantonese, food was going this way and that.  Josh wanted to leave but I was determined.  While I wanted to try a Chinese tamale, I couldn't see them and I didn't want to lose my place by dilly-dallying, something I felt just wouldn't bode well there.  I opted for dumplings because they were closest to me behind the glass.  I made it out with 3 dumplings for $1.40 and I was mighty proud of myself.  They were amazing! 

I am so glad I didn't opt out of going to Chinatown!  I only wished I would've braved going back to the dim sum joint for seconds, or tried something else.  *Sigh*  I will have to save that for next time.

Back on November 27th, 2009, Josh and I celebrated 10 years of married life.  While this is peanuts compared to G-Bob & G-Elaine's 60+, it is definitely a lot of years in our short lives.  Every anniversary I reflect on something(s) that for one reason or another has stood out during the last year of our married life.  A couple years ago I said I wouldn't barf on you regarding our marriage.  With this year's "things" I may barf, but I'll try not to.

Every day this last year, I have looked at my husband in awe of how much my life is blessed through him and his life.  Seriously, wow!

I have been truly struck by how everything keeps getting better.  And I mean everything.  This simply blows my mind, but it is entirely true.  I am not saying we or our marriage is perfect, things are definitely screwed up in our world, but our relating to each other and everything else involved keeps getting better.

I am in awe of how much now, more than ever, I pray for my husband.  Prayer for him as a person, as a husband, as a dad, in ministry, in work... I mean, I thought I used to pray for him a lot, but this last year, whoa-dawg!  I am so thankful to have the Creator of the universe to talk to for and on my husband's behalf.

I am amazed how intricately we understand each other in ways we didn't when we were first married.  From the little things of me understanding that Josh never packs his luggage until moments before leaving town to Josh knowing exactly how to respond to me when I am crying.  It is more than those examples, of course, it is a deep oneness, being in sync in so many areas, and it is a beautiful thing.

I have also been so thankful for our honesty and openness over the years.  While hanging at the bar in the O'hare airport, we met two retired (and drunk) Canadian men (they were starting pint #7).  One gent, a retired correctional officer, was in the "I love you, man" phase, not about us, but about his wife of 25 years.  She was his third wife and the one he "got it right" with.  He said he did one thing different with this wife, his soul mate, he didn't do with the others, he was be totally honest about everything, from his hopes and dreams to the nitty gritty.  I am so thankful that: 1 - We did get it right the first time (Thank you, God!) and 2 - We have been honest and open since the start.

Last weekend, we happily told whomever we met, that our cause for celebrating was our 10 year 2 month 9 days of married life.  Every time we were met with a "Wow! Really?" (Though my favorite was, "You look too young to be married 10 years." Aw schucks!)  But I can't stress enough that this is a drop in the bucket.  We are incredibly thankful we have so, SO many awesome examples of our family members and friends who have gone before us, breaking 10, 16, 20, 30, 35, 44, 60+ years.  (Not to forget all the great examples coming behind us, too!)  True, we are not rare compared to those close to us, but that won't stop us from celebrating!

We are looking forward to the exciting adventure that the next 10+ years hold, the joys and the sorrows, the exciting and the mundane.  Marriage is a roller coaster because life is a roller coaster but it is totally worth it hanging on for the bumpy ride firmly committed to the one you love.

It was almost 3 years ago that a dear friend of ours lost her baby girl in the final week of her pregnancy and had to deliver her as a still born.  I remember getting the call and everything about that day.  I immediately grabbed our three and squeezed them tight, refusing to let go. I continued to weep and wail for days as I ached for her and her family. 

Upon seeing this dear mother's photo on her blog my heart broke again... memories of our friend going through the same thing, memories of dear mothers I know who lost their babies due to genetic complications, memories of so many, so many, dear mothers I have known over the years who have miscarried, some of them multiple times.  My first wave of emotion was a broken heart for this dear mother I don't know and all the dear mothers I do know.

My second wave of emotion was remembering the feeling I had when I held our three close in my arms that day as I was in awe of what an absolute miracle birth is - the most absolute, purest sense of thankfulness that I have been given three precious, living children to hold in my arms. 

My third wave of emotion was sadness.  Sadness that I had lost sight recently of that second wave of emotion - the most absolute, purest sense of thankfulness that I have been given three precious, living children to hold in my arms.

Don't misread my words, I love our three and treasure them deeply, more than words can express, but as a stay-at-home mom it seems like our world never stops spinning, it slows down or speeds up, but never stops.  My sadness was God holding the earth still, just for me, to remind what I had recently lost sight of during the hardness in our daily normal grind. 

Just as Jesus always had to explain His parables to His disciples, God had been giving me hints but I totally missed the punchline. For example, watching my husband play basketball at the gym with the boys, I was struck by how much they love each other and what an amazing team they are.  Or as Miriam was bouncing around her gymnastics class, she caught my eyes for a split second, stopped, smiled, waved, and then continued bouncing.  I was struck by how perfect she is for our family and what absolute joy she brings to our lives.  As everything was slowing down, I was struck by how thankful I am for the blessings they are in my life.

But the earth didn't stop then.

The earth stopped after a normal day, a tough day, where the world was spinning fast, things were flying out of orbit, we were wobbling off axis... everything stood still.  The earth stopped as God reminded me that even in the hard, sometimes daunting, daily task of raising our kids to be influential in their generations, I should not get blinded or discouraged by the "hardness" but be reminded that in raising children, the joys and the hardness are both part of the blessings of having children.  When Paul called us to "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say Rejoice," it includes times like these.  With a renewed sense of joy and peace, I have been finding myself rejoicing more than ever, as well as more thankful than ever that God has given us three amazing little people to love completely.  My soul as a mama is truly refreshed.  Praise God!!  :)!

For me, raising kids has always been as much about striving to shape and mold their characters, as it is God using them to shape and mold mine.  God knows we are all exactly what the other ones need. 

Thank you God, for stopping my world, to remind me once again to rejoice in all things and be encouraged for the new days ahead.  Thank you for these three amazing children, they are truly gifts from You, they are perfect for us, as we are perfect for them!

Enter Yelp and Sotto Mare.

We were in Chinatown, enjoying appetizers, when we searched on Yelp for a seafood joint nearby.  It sent us to Little Italy/North Beach, just next door, and a place called Sotto Mare. 

It is a long and narrow restaurant with the kitchen filling one half and the seating the other.  There was a huge party taking up the back half of the seating when we first entered.  We were the only ones there who were not invited.  No worries, they were serving others, they just love hosting parties/gatherings every. single. day.  We happily sat at the bar where we were given a background story to Gigi, the owner.  We also were told the party taking up space today was being hosted by Gigi & friends, as they were planning a trip to Italy together.  (They took one last year to Greece.)

On Yelp, most of the comments were raving about the "cioppino."  Cioppino is a seafood dish native to the Bay Area, not Italy.  Never having had it or heard the story of it before, our waiter/host/great guy proceeded to tell us (one of) the tale(s) of how the original Italian fishermen who settled in the Bay Area had huge families and at the end of the day would go from boat to boat shouting, "Chip in!"  Each boat caught different fish and shellfish and they would contribute their leftovers into a huge vat that they would then use to serve all their families.  Hearing the story and after ordering some West Coast Oysters, we happily ordered the Cioppino.

While waiting for our food, the party people had brought out a map of Italy and laid it on a table.  They each took turns looking at it with a magnifying glass, pointing, laughing, planning.  At one point, Josh and I went over to the map, me showing him where I had lived and traveled while there.  Then we were joined by one of the party hosts and he filled us in on their exciting adventure they were planning.

Then our food came.  Seriously... It. Was. Amazing.  Filled with mussels, clams, crab, squid, maybe octopus and scallops, random fish, etc.  The sauce that it was cooked in was the most amazing sauce I have ever had.  It wasn't heavy or thick and it held each individual flavor perfectly, from the tomatoes to spices to a mild seafood stock.  If we could have just ordered bowls of the sauce on the side, or to go, we would have.  Wow.

Before leaving we were offered more food, sides of meat, cheese & bread, even though Gigi himself scolded us for eating too much and not bussing our own table.  But we didn't mind.  Eating out for us is as much about the experience as it is the food. 

Sotto Mare had it all!

One of our favorite pastimes as a couple is finding gem, hole-in-the-wall places, off the beaten track.  This is especially true when we are on vacation. And this is something I was really hoping for when we were driving along the California coast, (though at the same time figuring how heavily traveled the drive, it would be near impossible).

Enter the town that didn't want to be found.

Late afternoon we realized we had yet to eat lunch.  The towns located directly on the highway were busy and hopping with tourists.  I was using our handy-dandy iPhone map to locate other towns along our drive when I spied this little town buried on the end of a peninsula.  It was a little out of our way but figured we could give it a shot.  We didn't see any signs for it but thanks to the beeping blue dot and a quick, "Turn here!" we were going down a little road next to a nasty lagoon.  We came to a random assortment of handwritten signs, one of which telling us we were entering a "socially acknowledged, nature-loving" town.

Perfect!

The town itself was as wonderful as the handwritten sign.  The people were just living life as usual.  There were only 2 restaurants in town, an organic/locavore restaurant that was closed and the saloon, which was open.  The saloon was hopping with locals getting ready to watch the Superbowl.  They only served frozen then microwaved food, so we opted for some High-Life and french fries and settled in to watch the kick off of the game.  Within moments a guy walked in carrying a vat of stew and set it down on the table we were sitting at, "You should have waited to order those french fries," he says as he leaves to get his second round.  Within moments, everyone was coming up to get the stew and rice, of which we were invited to partake.  (It was delicious!)

Before leaving the town, and of course after watching an open exchange of doubie on the main street, we headed to the beach to touch the Pacific Ocean.  The beach entrance was covered in more handwritten signs, in essence, reminding people to be nice and to tell you that the toilets were by the tennis courts.  The beach was filled with determined wetsuit clad surfers enjoying high tide and the watchers buried in blankets on the shore.

The entire town was simply wonderful.  Outside of the 2 of us, there were only 2 other people in the whole town that were definitely not from those parts.  When we got home we researched the town, which was hard as well, and they definitely are the town that doesn't want to be found.  Within 24 hours of a new highway sign pointing to their town, the residents have it cut down.

However, if someone does happen to find their town, I don't think they mind the outsiders as long as they respect the environment, the atmosphere and aren't a jerk.*

*"Jerk" actually does refer to the one guy who was a jerk in their town and ended up in a reportedly bad situation.

5yr old Daughter, "Blood... No, lipstick... No, blood. It just took a ginormous bite out of this elephant's side (places large red wound on elephant)... 'Ahhh! Help! I'm being eaten by an alligator!' That's what she said."

*Tho I am not technically adding words to the photo, I simply wanted to say that I feel like I am on a good run with my blog this week, so I wanted to keep it going by reposting the image I put up on FB this morning.  Happy Whiskey Wednesday!

Over the last year and a half our family has been slowly purging our diet.  It started with an experiment in getting our kids to eat more kinds of foods and me to be more financially frugal and from there it morphed into getting out major negative, artificial culprits in food and from there it morphed into food/mood/behavior/allergy studies and from there it morphed into its current state of making wise and healthy yet fiscally responsible decisions for the food our family of 5 eats.

Now, I am not a model for healthy eating or for made-from-scratch-mama or for strict-diet-due-to-necessity-mama or for total-localvore-organic-mama BUT we have implemented baby steps over the last year and a half that I believe have been better for us and what we eat (if you want a break down, I can tell you) and we are continuing to do more baby steps along the way. 

BUT the one thing I had not switched was all organic meats.  WHY?  Because of the price.  Seriously, $8/lb for chicken breast... ouch.  THEN we watched Food Inc. and I was finally stirred.  Walking home from the theatre, Josh and I decided to baby step once again and financially swing organic meat (the hopes of baby step to more, etc.). 

I bought my first $8 lb of organic, free range chicken breast from the Coop to use in making a meal for our house church.  However, neither the label or the guy at the counter, could guarantee me that it was gluten free.  Worried for our GF friends at church, I went over to another grocery store and picked up my regular package of $2.50 lb of all natural, gluten free chicken breast, just so I could make two separate batches of my main dish.  I wasn't initially planning on comparing the two chicken breasts but...

Wow!  Even upon sight, what a difference!

The organic was very light, white-ish pink and the all-natural was brighter pink.  The organic was soft and light and the all-natural was dense.  The organic sliced like softened butter and the all-natural was tough.  The organic had no fat to trim off and the all-natural had a 1/4 cup of yuck.  And the taste?  I cooked up both the exact same way and the flavors were unmatched.  The organic was absolutely delicious!

Wow!  What a difference!

Will I buy organic meats for all my meals now?  Um, no, but I'm working up to it.  Seriously, $8/lb for chicken breast... ouch.  But, I definitely see great value in the theory that if the collective we buy it, even once a week, the collective they will change their ways. 

Now, if only IC would pass the chicken coops in backyard bill...

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to order your groceries online?  Well, let me tell you!

Back in February due to my broken foot, I was not able to do the grocery shopping, or walk, or drive, or do much of anything for that matter.  Thankfully, Josh was Super Husband and stepped up to the plate beautifully.  However, he realized that it would be worth his time (the 4+ hours it takes him to go grocery shopping) and money (the store's $13 gathering/delivery fee) for us to try online grocery shopping.

Little things to note: Strange but true, I am not a big fan of shopping on the internet.  I actually enjoy going to the store to buy things and I especially like grocery shopping.  Strange but true, I am not a coupon goddess, or a drive-around-forever-and-find-the-best-deal kind of goddess, but I am a hardcore Fareway girl (an economical food store here in our area) and I love staying in budget with my groceries.  The only grocery store with online shopping in our area is the more expensive grocery store and shopping there I inevitably spend one and a half to two times as much.

"Me" preferences aside, this is how it really went...

Negatives:

- Not every item in the store was on the website.
They tell you this before you get started so you are prepared.  For the most part everything major is there in some brand.  More specific brands / items were missing to varying degrees: various organic aisle items, fresh bakery items, fresh meats / fish, as well as random on sale items and larger varieties of different items like cereals or breads, etc.

- You have to know your ingredients.
Because you can't very easily check the "Nutrition Facts" on the back, you have to be very familiar with the items you purchase.  It is easy when you stick with your regular meals, but if you want to add in an item you don't buy that often or never, you just have to hope for the best at the nutritional content.

- You are at the mercy of the store employee & their thoughtfulness.
Even though the list is fairly detailed, mistakes were made every week, generally 3 each time.  Not that they were bad mistakes simply inconvenient, like 2 - 32oz bags of shredded cheese instead of 2 - 16oz blocks of cheese that were on sale.  (Disclaimer: I was just so happy to have groceries & Josh was so happy not to have gone grocery shopping, that we didn't mind.)  Some weeks items would be out and this is where the thoughtfulness of the store employee would determine your fate: either they would just skip it and you'd have to live without your half gallon of Organic Valley milk OR they would actually call you and suggest a substitute 1/2 gallon of another brand of milk.  (The ones who called were definitely a positive!)

- The website is painful.
It only runs on a painful browser and it chunk-chunk-chunks along.  So slow and so painful, so mixed up and so painful.  (Probably more for me since building websites is our business and oh, how I wanted to send them an email and ask them if they would hire us to rebuild their site!)

Positives:

- Saved grocery list
The website actually saves your info from week to week, so the items you regularly buy are already on your previous week's list and you can simply click on them to add again.  This also made using their website faster as you didn't have to always refind an item on their (painfully slow) in site search engine.

- No missed items on my end
Employee mistakes aside, I would come back to my order throughout the morning and make sure I didn't forget anything before the 11AM deadline.  Coming back to my order on the computer was much easier than shuffling the kids back and forth between aisles.

- Online ads from participating store
One big perk to the more expensive grocery store, was they always had their ad online.  While doing my shopping I could switch between websites and specifically buy things on sale (as long as I could find them on the shopping website).  Even if the price was not correct online, it always rung up correct in the store.

- The thoughtful employees
I used this system for about 4 months total, or 16 weeks.  About a third of the time I had the employee call to ask about a substitute or actually offer an on sale item as a substitute (generally the item that I had initially wanted to buy but it did not show up on their website).  And every week, the delivery person was incredibly kind!

- Paying by check
Instead of paying online, I would always pay by check.  I was not sure about trusting the chunk-chunk-chunk site with my credit card info and while I am sure it would've worked out, it was always nice for me to see that the total was always $15-20 less than expected (yet another reason why I didn't mind the mistakes as much).

- Soooooo great when needed!
All the negatives aside, it was so nice to be able to still do "something."  It was also so nice to simply do it when convenient for me, have it ordered by 11AM and at 4PM have a friendly clerk bring the groceries in my house and straight to the kitchen table.  Seriously worth the $13 gather/delivery fee!

Overall, I would say it was a good experience (for us) shopping online, one that I would recommend to someone if asked (tho' I would warn of the negatives).  However, because of the initial mentioned "me" preferences, I have not gone back to shopping online since I was given permission to walk and drive.  I know it is there if I need it but for now I am happy to enjoy walking the aisles again, even the back and forth... and back and forth... and back...

"He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

"If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?

"And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?

"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."  Matthew 5:43-48

Truthful Thursday inspired by Loved Like The Chuch (I love you too, Sarah!!)

"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."  Matthew 6:19-24

Truthful Thursday inspired by Loved Like The Chuch (I love you too, Sarah!!)

Me?  Well, let's just say this year wasn't what I was expecting...

Tending a large garden located 3 miles from home while in a cast for the majority of the summer, with only one foot usable, mandatory crutches, and having the inability to drive due to said broken foot was a bit more challenging than I imagined. 

Mind you, I do have amazing friends who had put a lot of hard work into my garden, providing, planting and watering!  And, they were amazing and always harvesting my garden's produce AND delivering it straight to my doorstep, about every other day!  And, I had amazing Leslie keeping an eye on my zucchini plants that, thanks to her, produced more zucchini then we could keep up with!  (Wow, did I mention I have amazing friends?)  

I did get dropped off at the garden every two weeks to weed, but it was never enough.  Crawling around on my hands and knees through the weeds was a chore, the crutches were always getting stuck in something causing me stumble, and the weeds were merciless, they never stopped growing.  For my part, in all honesty, I did squat.

BUT I did get a harvest!  We ate amazing green salads, juicy sweet peas, crisp beans, and mounds of cauliflower and broccoli.  We made salsa, salsa, and more salsa, and ratatouie and breads and lasagnas and zucchini, zucchini and more zucchini and now have a huge stash of onions and 5 adorable winter squash to boot.  And that doesn't even count the produce that was eaten by the bunnies or taken by others!  

Was it "worth" it to have a garden this summer?  Keeping the garden with a broken foot may not have been one of my brightest ideas ever.  Looking back to my first year gardening, I was continually seeing the relationships between God and man through all the organic growth around me.  Now looking back on my recent summer of gardening, I can see anew God's grace in action not only in that I did squat and yet reaped a harvest, but also in that I can never repay my friends for their loving sacrifices to me this summer, I simply have the choice to accept it or ignore it.

However, I think my husband is right in saying that if I break my foot again, I can't have an off site garden.  (I am also praying I never break my foot again.)

What do you consider a vacation?  Are there specific components you must have in order for it to be a legit vacation?

I do not sit still well for very long, I never have, ask my mom, and not even on vacation, ask my husband.  One of the things I have finally learned after 33 years, and over these last 6 months, is the value of sitting and knowing when to sit.  And yes, this old dog has learned a new trick.

It was only 5 days before we left when I was officially told by my doctor, "I think it's healed."  Those 4 little words not only meant I could ditch the boot and crutches but I could go on a vacation without them(!).  Thanks to my new trick of sitting, I was realistic and understood that since I had literally just learned to walk without crutches, planning the trip that involved backpacking around an island was way out of the question (for now).  Plan B, and the miracle of the internet, brought me to find this great little cabin we had stayed at years ago that would be perfect for my current skill level.

5 years ago, when we just had two boys and I was 7 mo. prego with Miriam, we drove around the entire shoreline of Lake Superior.  We had barely started our journey when we decided to stick around the area of Grand Marais, MN. Josh, specifically, thought it would be fun to just sit, read and relax there for a while.  It was difficult at first for me but I read an actual book, keeping one eye on the boys, but also letting them get sucked into throwing rocks for hours on end.  The cabin was tiny and technically nothing spectacular other than it is right on Lake Superior, had this amazing sound of waves crashing on the rocks, smelled like my Grandma's house and had an endless rocky covered shoreline.  Since that first time, we have always wanted to go back but we could not remember the sweet old woman's name who ran it that the cabins were named after. Until now.

For the first time when people would ask what we were going to do on vacation, I happily replied with, "A whole lotta nuthin.'"  Since the shoreline of Lake Superior is only rocks of varying sizes, our plan was for The Three to throw rocks in the lake all day and the adults sit on the shore, sit and read.  Did that plan work?  Yes.  That is exactly what we did.  For 3 days straight.  The Three threw rocks, rocks and more rocks.  Did they ever get bored?  No.  Could a kid get bored of throwing rocks?  Yes.  The 6-8 yr old kid in the cabin next to us threw in literally 10 rocks and then turned to his dad and said, "I'm bored." 

Our kids, however, threw in rocks until they couldn't stand up.  At which point they sat down and continued throwing.  And when they couldn't sit any more, they laid back on their elbows and continued throwing.  And when they couldn't recline anymore, they laid completely down on the rocks and continued throwing.  Once they regained their strength, they stood up again.

New trick in hand, I thouroughly enjoyed a relaxing vacation of just sitting.  I read a wonderful book, tended a fire, and was more relaxed than any other vacation.  Totally uncharacteristic for me but totally amazing.

Often in my life, time moves and I follow.  When I stop and realize the minutes or days that have passed I recount in my mind "how" the time was spent.  For better or worse, once those minutes or days are gone, I cannot get them back.

I have found myself counting weeks as of late.  First, it was 6 weeks, then an extra 2 weeks, then an extra 4 weeks, then an extra 4-6 weeks but after only 3 weeks it was a new 4-6 weeks which could technically be 8-12 weeks.  So, now I have 3-5 more weeks, which could technically be 7-11 weeks. 

Counting weeks, I was reminded how a pastor once pointed out how quickly each year passes by percentages.  This year is 42% over.  In my little world, 72% of my year thus far has been spent in ways I wasn't expecting.

Then, I remembered what Dave Patty, President of Josiah Venture (the missions organizations my sister works with), recently wrote in their May update:

"In Greek there are two words for time. 'Chronos' stands for time that is organized in minutes and hours, and 'Kairos' stands for time that is organized around significant events or experiences. Sometimes this second word is translated 'opportunity.' In Ephesians 5:16 Paul tells us to redeem, or buy back the 'kairos,' because the days are evil... usually spending some 'chronos' so we don't miss the 'kairos' ... the value of redeeming eternal things makes is absolutely worth it."

Absolutely worth it?  Indeed.  While the chronos was not what I was expecting these last 4 months, the kairos have been amazing.  Over these last 4 months I have seen things happen in bigger ways than I did the previous 4 months when I could walk with ease on 2 feet.  Comparatively, they may seem minimal.  A great number are centered around my relationship with my husband and our three children, but a good number of moments are centered around others whom I may have missed if I wasn't in a position to sit still.  All of them took great faith from little ole me, and for that, I am greatly encouraged.

We have 58% of "chronos" left in this year.  How will you redeem the "kairos?"

Ready to multiply your return exponentially?

This upcoming RAGBRAI my Uncle John and his two friends, Eric and Don, will be raising pennies for the Nepal Home for Children, a Christian missionary organization to provides vocational training for boys and girls in Nepal.  My Uncle John writes beautifully about his inspiration for this bike ride here. 

My short summary is: They are asking for individuals to pledge a penny a mile for their 500 mile bike ride, for a total donation of $5/person.  With 2,000 people donating $5 a piece, they can quickly reach their goal of $10,000, all of which goes straight to the Nepal Home for Children.  Every penny will go a long, long way!  Amazing!  Now I know I don't have 50 people reading this little blog, but if you could pass this along to people you know and they pass it along to people they know, we could take a little chunk out of this goal because every penny counts.

Uncle John has a website, Pedal for Nepal, charting their training progress in their home state of Pennsylvania.  Please visit their site, read updates, comment to let them know if you are praying for them and support what they are doing.  Every little note is a great encouragement to their team.  Also, you can meet up with them in person and join them in a leg of the RAGBRAI adventure.  (I know Josh is planning on doing so!)

Thanks so much in advance!

I feel like that statement is so true for me today and God loved me good through not only my spouse, but though the sweetest girls.  This morning I was kidnapped, blindfolded, carried into a van and driven around for half an hour. 

When the blindfold was removed I saw this...

And I began to cry.

On my birthday, Josh and I had a heart-to-heart about my garden and it came down to I had to be ready to give it up if this whole foot thing went sour.  Since that chat, I got to the garden only twice to weed the cold weather crops (both times having Josh drop the kids and I off to play and work for hours) but I could tell I was going to be hard pressed to get any warm weather crops.  Planting new crops means not only gathering all the seedlings from the store but preparing the beds, weeding the beds, planting the plants and watering them in AND watering them every day for the first 7 days... and for me that also meant doing all with crutches and a foot I can't walk or drive on.  I never expressed my desires to anyone and in my mind I kept trying to figure a way I could rope people into helping, maybe my parents when they come up, maybe Josh on his day off, maybe if we just... my ideas were endless but none were working.

The sweetest girls joined forces (and conspired with Josh) and pulled off the unthinkable. 

They gathered seedlings and soaked seeds, hoes and rakes, bagels and cream cheese, gatorade and water, balloons and banners, sweat and sunburns.  My birthday surprise was they were going to prepare my beds and plant my warm weather crops for me.  No joke.  They gave me a (decaf) latte and a comfy chair and a foot rest and told me to boss them around (though I did convince them to let me plant my beans!).  They had bought all the plants I needed, of all the right kinds and some being beautiful, homegrown, heirloom tomato plants from a friend's mom!  The 7-6 girls worked in the hot sun for over 4 hours and weeded and laughed and planted.

They turned my weed covered beds into a thing of beauty (And to top it off, they are even going to water it every day for the first week).  Wow.

I don't know if they fully understand it or not, but God truly used them to speak to my soul today.  "We loved her good today, didn't we?"  Yes, you did.

Welp, the results from my human experiments are in... 

While out of town over mother's day weekend, my pain increased so much that I couldn't walk without crying and my husband kindly purchased me a cane to get through our vacation.  We went right into the doctor when we returned and I was immediately downgraded to crutches, given meds, a scheduled MRI, physical therapy, and then downgraded to a cast.

Can I just say that I wanted to avoid an MRI at all costs.  Serious.  Do you know how much one of those crazy things cost?  But with it being over 12 weeks since I broke my foot and still intense pain, it was the next best step.  My prayer was very simple about it though, I simply wanted results.  If we were going to fork over that kind of money, I wanted the test to be "worth it."

Was it worth it?  Yes.  The proverbial good news is we found out that I do not need surgery, hooray!  All the cartilage is healing well on the top and bottom of the talus, praise God!  But listen up, I am praising God for the proverbial bad news, because there is bad news and technically, that answers my prayer.

We found out that I do have bruising on my tibia and talar dome.  In addition, it turns out my talus bone is STILL broken (over 12 weeks later), BUT it is a 3rd break that refuses to heal, (different than the original two breaks and different than the lesion on the talar dome) that was not known due to the angle of original x-rays but read loud and clear in the MRI.  Who knew!

It absolutely amazes me when I think about it though... I busted the snot out of this 1 bone and did everything possible to it, crack it, divot it, bruise it, but displace it.  Unbelieveable.  And so thankful. 

I am now back where I was over 3 months ago, back in a cast and crutches, unable to walk or drive.  It was rough the first time, but a second time... wow.  I know I have so much to be thankful for in this whole situation and I know that there are many things I have in life that I can, and do, rejoice in and I know there are crazier things I could be going through personally or with my loved ones but just between you and me, insignificant in the grand scheme of things as it is, it is wearing.

As of Tuesday, it's been 11 weeks since I broke my foot.  3 weeks ago, I noticed my pain level was going back up and found out I had a lesion on the top of my talus.  (When I landed with all my weight on my foot on concrete, the tibia slammed onto the top of the talus causing a divot.  This divot typically shows up between 6-8 weeks after an accident.  It is rare that it heals on its own without surgery and fairly common to cause lifelong chronic pain.  Sweet!) 

Given 3 options by my doctor, we opted for Option 3 which was 4 more weeks of limited activity.  However, for those 4 weeks we decided to perform various in-house, cause and effect experiments on myself.

I am probably the only one, but I find this all incredibly entertaining. 

The one experiment that shocked me the most was if I walk on my foot like a normal person for about 40', with no limping, it is like someone slashing at my ankle with a knife for a good 24 hours afterwards. But if I stay off my foot, walking on crutches, I have only a "normal" constant pain, with occasional spikes of pain that can be calmed with an ice pack.  Sleeping after staying off it for a whole day eased the pain a bit more for a short time in the morning, but once up and going the pain went up.  Thus far, nothing has made the pain actually cease.

I also find it entertaining that for the first time in my life I am taking daily vitamins.  Seriously, I HATE taking vitamins.  When I was a kid, I would hide the Flintstone vitamin in my mouth and then walk out of the kitchen and spit it out into one of my mom's vases with plastic flowers.  It was a long time before I was found out.

Now some doctors say food before supplements, others say supplements before food... ahhhh, love the internet.  But since I started first with vitamins, I am now going to work on foods.  We actually already eat most of the bone building foods recommended, broccoli, salmon, nuts, spinach, etc... but I haven't recently tried yogurt, soy, Chinese cabbage, kale & collards.  Another thing to note are the bone robbers like anti-inflammatory medicines, alcohol, salt, sugar, and caffeine... drat.  I figure my body runs on caffeine and can grow bones with it, but I think I may be proven wrong.

In any event, I have 1 more week before I get checked out again to see if any of this has helped the bone heal.  If you have any thoughts on another test I can do on myself, let me know!

*Josh asked what 10 was.  10 is not childbirth, nothing compares to that.  10 is like that rugby player who broke his foot the other weekend - OUCH!

"What was the first war radar was used in?"
      World War II

"What 2009 documentary award winner's recipient balanced his award on his nose?"
      Man on Wire

"Name 2 of 3 movies Annette Bening was in where she was a realtor."
      Regarding Henry, American Beauty, What Planet Are You From?

"What other animal can have leprosy besides humans?
      Armadillo

"What did the Japanese Finance Minister do at the recent G7 meeting?"
      He was drunk

"What pro-sport did Wilt Chamberlain play after basketball?"
      Volleyball

"Do you know who retired at Plum Grove?"
      Robert Lucas

"Who was the first woman to drive in NASCAR?"
      Janet Guthrie

"Name the 3 IC public schools named after women."
      Tate, Lemme, Wickham

"Who signed the letter to FDR regarding the atomic bomb?"
      Albert Einstein

"Who wrote Peter Rabbit?"
      Beatrix Potter

If you think that was fun, why not participate in the next one!  Have laughs and support the work at the Community Mental Health Center.  Next Team Trivia date is June 11!

However, as life would have it, due to this bum foot of mine, I cannot mow the lawn this year.  At first, this was no big deal considering we had 2 busted mowers in our possession.  But as the rains have come and gone our lawn was growing at an increasing speed and now in dire need.

Figuring out what lawn mower to buy was as arduous as figuring out what is the best dishwasher.  Both items have bad rap sheets and we wanted to make our investment in them last as long as possible.  Josh's research led us to a great dishwasher where we did pay as little as possible but not buy a piece of crap.  He then proceeded to do the same search for our mower and while we did pay more than we wanted, we are hopeful in the fact that it has the one good rap sheet out there.

But you want to know the best part?

Can you believe my little boy is this big?!  (Dude, am I really getting that old?)

This mower rocks the house in warranty, motor, features and our son can mow!  The design makes it so that there is nothing shooting out anywhere and it has a variable speed that Zeke can literally run behind it and mow like a champ!  True, he needs help on the front hill and getting the lines straight, but what he still has to learn in skill he makes up for in utter enthusiasm!

What a blessing indeed!

While others are the perfect parent with no sloth moments and are super parents, I am human parent.  Thankfully, the Holy Spirit does not allow me to stay in my sloth parent state for too long and second chances abound... especially in my frequent, lesser moments as a sloth.

Enter the day's sloth moment...

A child was d-o-n-e at the the garden and wanted to go home.  We were just finishing planting a few things and they needed to wait.  Their impatience grew, I was distracted and ignored their need for direction, and their nagging me to leave continued.  Without thinking, I quickly wrapped things up, feeling anxious inside, and then left... leaving plants tossled around and watering undone. 

We were driving away when I realized how I had erred in the situation.  Instead of taking a moment to lead my child, I was driven by distraction and the whine in their voice.  Thankfully, it was then that a little voice in my head reminded me, "if I am getting anxious, I am not doing my job."  I saw how I was reponding like a child and let something distract me from my job as a parent. 

It was then I put on the brakes and turned 180, literally.

Explaining the situation to the child, and asking forgiveness for my sloth parenting, I turned the car around and went back to the garden.  Now, with obedient and joyful attitudes (out of all 4 of us, because honestly, I was hot and tired too) we went back to the garden and the kids all watered our garden... and then watered our neighbor's.

One of the verses that goes around and around my head is "He who is faithful with little, is faithful with much" and I keep thinking, "be faithful with the little things."  This verse speaks volumes to me on so many levels, in so many facets of life... and it is ever so true in parenting.

A friend of ours' company was having a fundraiser where teams of 8 compete in a team trivia contest.  52 teams answer 110 questions on topics ranging from "What was the first war radar was used in?" to a name that tune ranging from 60's to present day music or "What 2009 documentary award winner's recipient balanced his award on his nose?"

There were many reasons why this was a good thing... raising money for those who can't afford medical care, meeting new people, supporting our friend, participating in the event with my husband, etc... and I had to keep my eyes on all those things because of the overriding fact that I HATE TRIVIA.

Seriously.

"Name 2 of 3 movies Annette Bening was in where she was a realtor."  No way.

Memorizing and retaining various facts is absolutely the most painful, uncomfortable act I can participate in.  (Yes, gross exaggeration here.)  I hate playing Trivial Pursuit or the like kinds of games, hate taking standardized tests / tests, etc for this exact reason.  I don't mind researching and looking up facts, but remembering / retaining random things like "What other animal can have leprosy besides humans?" or "What did the Japanese Finance Minister do at the recent G7 meeting?" is not my forte.  I think my short-term memory is, what do you call it?  No really... what catchy old saying could go here?  Ummm.... how about, I tend to be the "in one ear and out the other" kind of girl.

Never-the-less, I kept my eyes on the bigger picture...  it was awesome that we could participate in this trivia event and (as I am often reminded in life) it is good because having my eyes on the bigger picture gets my eyes off myself.  I am thankful too that my husband and I enjoy using our date nights not only to enjoy each others company and strengthen our marriage (LOVE ALONE TIME WITH HIM!) but also, when it works, to be out in our community, meeting people, and supporting friends.

Oh, but did I mention that I HATE TRIVIA? 

In an effort to help out the cause, and attempt to squelch out some uncomfortable-ness, I figured the one thing I could do was prep myself for the expected - at least 10 questions about random IC trivia.  I wiki'd the snot out of IC and read up.  I may not know "What pro-sport did Wilt Chamberlain play after basketball?" but I knew that what's-his-name's retirement home was Plum Grove.  (Tho now, I already cannot remember what's-his-name though I drive past the sign every day to the garden. "Do you know who retired at Plum Grove?")  Even still, for IC trivia I quickly forgot the answer to "Who was the first woman to drive in NASCAR?" but knew 1 of 3 for "Name the 3 IC public schools named after women."  However, for not IC trivia, I did know, "Who signed the letter to FDR regarding the atomic bomb?"

Overall it was a great time, got to meet new people, knew "Who wrote Peter Rabbit?" and have fun with my husband and friends.  More importantly, keep my eyes on the big picture and not on myself.  I suppose, if Noah Webster could add a definition to "uncomfortable" it should be just that... we know all about us, what we don't know is all about you... that can make us uncomfortable... but just like by the end of the evening of the trivia event, once we get to know you, it's no longer uncomfortable and we'll want to hang out (and do the team trivia) again.

Author's Note: In this post are 11 questions asked at the trivia contest.  WITHOUT using the internet or other tools, can you answer any of them?  If so, June 11 is the next event!  Sign up!  I'll post the answers on Friday.  Remeber, NO helpers!

That statement is false with Miriam... she is our little kitty.

Mind you, I honestly don't know anything about what behaviors pets have when they live in someone's house longer than the 3 hr windows I have witnessed... I can only imagine Miriam is better, much, much better. 

Miriam is one snuggly, little girl and will sit on your lap for hours.  If you are sitting anywhere... eating breakfast, typing on the computer, teaching school, etc.  She is right there with you, snuggles herself in as close as she can and fits perfectly.  You don't need to move her and you can keep right on working with her - right there.  Miriam also has mastered the art of non-verbal/subtle communication that some pets exhibit... she will stand nearby you, nudge you with her head softly, draw to where she's looking, gently pull your hand around her, get your attention into helping her... all of it in silence and with a delicate smile that makes it hopeless to say no.

Plus, she has all the benefits of not being a pet... she is toilet trained, she changes her own clothes, can do laundry and dishes, she doesn't shed, she can vacuum up messes after herself, doesn't have random items coming out of various orifices (not recently anything note worthy - thank goodness, but still), her shots are up to date, she eats only people food, etc.

Miriam is the puuurfect little kitty for me.

Need further proof?  Well, not nearly as skilled as the real things, I thought these were only fitting...

I can has cheezburger!

We are in a feats of strength with the local trash collection service. 

Where we came from, trash collection was, lets refer to it as, capitalistic: many companies providing service, fighting for your business, offering varying prices and service, some come to your house, the workers are generally cheerful, they actually take random items like couches even when not turn over, etc.

Where we live now, trash collection is run by the one company, the local government.  Everything has limits, sizes and weights exact, quantity under regulation, everything must be wrapped or tagged or sorted as per their exact regulations, anything out of the ordinary is not approved and fines flow like water.

Then, there comes the trash cans... since our trash cans are not the sanctioned ones, they have suffered under much wrath and persecution, primarily in the area of missing lids and more recently in the form of breaking holes into our cans.  Missing lids and holes mean vermin issues, vermin issues means knocked over cans, knocked over cans now means that trash stays inside the garage until trash day, trash inside means stinky basement/garage.

Then, there is the time of pickup.  Stated by their rules, you can't put out the trash sooner that 3PM the day before (or risk fines) and they will not pickup any earlier than 7AM the trash day.  For the last 6 years they generally hit across the street at 6:30AM (or earlier) and to our side between 8:30 and 10AM. 

This last month, our side became the 6:30AM (or earlier) pickup. 

Combine my overprotectiveness of our new lids, the vermin issue not wanting to leave cans on the curb without lids any sooner than needed, the stinky garage from missed trash days before new lids were purchased, them accidentally missing our bags before a snow storm and then said snow melting making our bags count as a day of pickup, a holey-bottom can that once again makes it so that some of the trash has to stay inside, the extremely early pick-up time, a recent bum foot not being able to drive to the dump... it all means on more than one occassion, we have not gotten our trash out on time and we have a back log of trash, again.

Even with all that, like I said, I am blowing this WAY out of proportion because quite honestly, it could be worse...

Aside: Yes of course, we make a point to reduce, reuse, recycle as much as we can (sans paper towels, though I am honestly halfway there thanks to Josh, Sarah and Maren!).  This post was not not meant to be a post regarding quantities of trash... it was meant to be a joke... this is why I don't tell jokes... except I did just read several great lawyer jokes...

Someone asked me last night what I've blogged about lately and I had to answer with, "Nothin'."

With all this time sitting on my bottom, watching the cuties do all the work around me, you'd think I would have written more.  I can rattle off excuses... doing current and back taxes, actually have several unfinalized posts/thoughts, lots and lots of work getting done at my "other" job, working out getting a great new employee, wrestling with insurance companies, figuring out state withholding tax for 3 states, etc... all valid.  However, the truth is, life honestly slows way down when you are "forced" to slow down.  I have finally caught up on emails, almost caught up on work, and am longing to finalize the thoughts in my head...

When that happens, I promise nothing earth-shattering, but will be theraputic to myself never-the-less.

The story: I was climbing the rock wall at J&K's, up near the top, and reached for a hold; however, my right hand missed and flung off backwards and then my right foot left with it and caused me to swing around 180 degrees like a window shutter.  However, my left hand and foot were not as strong as shutter hinges and they too left the wall and due to my momentum, it caused me to fling around out past the crash pad and land with all my weight on my right foot, now rotated 360 degrees, on the concrete.

Laughing: Right after it happened everyone wanted to look at it to see if it was broken or sprained.  I however, did not want anyone to look at it.  Why? Because I hadn't shaved in FOREVER!  I think I let them look once but when I saw the long dark hair and the ashy skin I was horrified!  EW!  Somewhere around this time something else happened and I started laughing outloud... see, life is SOOO funny, I honestly do laugh more than I thought!!!

Blessing: I tried walking on it shortly after it happened, about 10', and it was killing me.  I knew I couldn't get to the car but at the same time didn't want to seem like a wimp, love my pride.  Thankfully my husband loves carrying me and insisted on carrying me to the front door and then giving me a piggy back ride to the car.  The next day I still did not have any bruising or swelling but it hurt like a motha' and Josh was convinced it was broken while I thought it was merely twisted.  We decided to take it slow and keep me off it and had an appointment for the doc the next day.  Josh was very vigilant about keeping me seated, while I would still try and do stuff when he wasn't looking - aren't I terrible!  AND!  A blessing that Alicia had a pair of crutches I could borrow and she delivered them early in the morning!

Laughing: I had all these major projects started around the house and all of them incomplete at the time I hurt my foot, leaving my house in shambles with guests coming over!

Blessing: Josh gave the cuties strict instructions to keep me sitting and to not let me do anything.  They got a big kick out of bossing me to sit down and knowing how stubborn I am, they did it OFTEN!

Laughing: (Out of shear insanity) Then Josh gets sick.  Not only can I not drive, but he is sick.

Blessing: The next morning Rachel, and her 2 cuties, take me, and my 3 cuties, to the foot doctor.

Laughing: The foot doctor is the same one that is the dad of a boy on Zeke's flag football team.  The license plate on his Caddy Escalade says he is the foot doctor.  The waiting room is sooooo small and filled with patients and Rachel is in there watching 5 kiddos! 

Blessing: I went to the doctor.  I honestly did not think I needed to go even though it still hurt like a motha' and I couldn't walk on it but seeing how I still had no bruising or swelling, it didn't make sense to me spending the money.  However, Josh insisted so I went.  I found out I actually did break a bone, sort of.  Imagine cutting down a tree... you cut in 1/2 way on one side then go to the other side and cut a 1/4 of the way, that is what I did to my talus bone, what my friend calls THE foot bone.  The foot doc said it is a classic high fall break and that I should be very thankful for the 1/4 still there as since the break is at an angle, if it would've gone all the way through it would definitely have dislocated and require surgery. 

Laughing: I actually said to the foot doctor, "I thought for sure I was wasting my money coming to you today and you were going to tell me I was smoking something and the pain was all in my head."  Hahahahahaha!

Blessing: Even though I did walk on my foot here and there the previous days, the pain was intense enough that I would avoid it even in my stubbornness.  If I had been a true punk I could've actually broken it the rest of the way just from walking on it for one day.  Plus, having that 1/4 still there not only has kept me out of surgery but has kept me from having to PAY for a surgery.  Again, SO thankful for my husband!

Laughing: I now have this monster removable cast on my leg to remind me to stay off my foot.  I can't walk on it at all for a minimum of 2 weeks, as I still risk breaking it the rest of the way and dislocating the bone.  (Then, they will recheck it and I will know what to do next.)  And now, I am in constant fear of breaking the bone the rest of the way and I am finally convinced of sitting on my bum.

Blessing: My cuties are being big helpers.

Laughing: While our kids do a lot of work around the house, they benefit from their mom having grown up with her parents who were neat freaks and constantly picking up throughout a day.  This habit, means that while they do work, their mom still does a lot of little pick ups, however NOW they are having to do all the pick ups, big and small and cheerfully.  They also benefitted from Mom enjoying working in the kitchen and now she can't cook and clean it as she likes to and has to direct them from a chair to do everything.  Why is this laughing?  Because Josh has been trying to get me forever to sit back and let the kids learn and fail and be ok with things not being 100% perfect, now everything seems to be about 50% and I have no choice but to be ok with it.  Hahahahahaha!

Blessing: While they do not obey me all the time, they are coming to me when they do disobey and we work though it.  A lot of our school work we can do with me sitting on the couch or with my foot up at the table.  I have a laptop, iPhone and wifi, so everything can move with me.  So many little blessings!

Laughing: Josh and I keep saying what a perfect pathetic pair we are with his sickness and my bum foot.  Toooooo funny!

Blessing: We were to go to a couple's conference starting tonight and tonight's line up for our babysitters was very complicated and kept getting more complicated but with Josh sick and my bum foot, we decided to wait until tomorrow AM to leave for the conference.  Sadness for missing out on tonight, but happy for the hopefulness of going tomorrow AM and the clarity of the sitter situation for Saturday.

Phew!  Even in the midst of all this insanity, I am continually thankful for the many, many blessings that we have received along the way, from wisdom of my husband to delicious meals delivered to us (thanks Pyles and Rohlfs!).  I am thankful too for being able to see those blessings and hope they will stick with me throughout the next two weeks, specifically this coming Monday, as I think it is really going to hit me then.

This has been something true of me since I was younger... my family would be sitting around the dining table, cracking jokes, and I would sit there, watching, and definitely not laughing.  Or imagine watching a funny movie with me, say, Meet the Parents?  Yup, nothing.  Or even my beloved TV show Seinfeld, never a full blown laugh.  It also doesn't help that I don't enjoy stand-up comedians, sex jokes, gender demeaning jokes, grosser than gross jokes, etc.

Then there is my husband, who happened to pick up on my lack of laughter over the years, and really enjoys trying to make me genuinely laugh.  It is a tough job, but somehow, he has succeeded at it here and there to the point where I will literally fall out of my chair laughing.  Even with his accomplishments, he continues to marvel when watching a comedy movie/TV show with me and I watch in complete silence.

I got to thinking, maybe it is not that I don't laugh, but it is that I am a laughter snob?  I believe I could almost say, I don't want to give my laugh away to just any joke and so I save my laugh for the true gems.  Oh wo/man, how horrible... I AM a total laughter snob!

But I don't wanna be a laughter snob!

Maybe I need to look at what does make me laugh so that I can try and laugh at more things?

Hmmm... the other day, while climbing at J&K's, I was up "high" and at the end of my limit / our problem when Kari was giving me some directions on where to go next.  In my mind, I was not entirely listening to her (no offense Kari!) as I was physically "done" and just trying to get down in one piece when she shouted at me, "Are you ignoring me or do you not know your right from your left!" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!  I was laughing so hard I fell off the wall!  :)!

Or I recently made myself laugh.  I wrote this joke, that was a little risque but at the same time funny on many different levels and when I "told" it to my husband he starting laughing hysterically and I was laughing so hard I strained my abs.  HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!  I crack myself up!

Or our kids.  For some reason, when "things" happen the first time, I don't crack a laugh.  But later when recounting the day's insanities around the dinner table to Josh or writing them out here on this blog, I find myself laughing at the craziness of it all... like I was interviewed about what makes me laugh, when I rarely laugh and then they had to take a picture for the article with my husband and I when my husband hates getting his photo taken or that when we got there for the photo of the 2 of us they wanted to take a picture of the whole family and the kids were dressed in their scrubby play clothes and all of their hairs were standing straight up... HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!  Life cracks me up the second time around!

Or the only shows that makes me laugh outloud, watching The Colbert Report or Britian's IT Crowd... HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Ok, sometimes they are not funny and crude/rude, but I really appreciate Colbert's political humor and the IT Crowd's computer geek humor... Colbert makes me not hate the politics that I wish I could be more politically active in and IT is so much like our company's work... HAHAHA!

Hmmmmm... I can see a pattern here... Life makes me laugh, generally the second time around, but makes me laugh never-the-less.  When I am caught off guard or it is genuine or is not trying, life is simply hilarious. 

Once again, this actually confirms one of my "life verses" adapted from an old song, "I don't want to start an blasphemous rumors, but I think that God's got a good sense of humor*." Ok ok, so that statement is fairly blasphemous, but when you have seen the poop prints on the sidewalk, I honestly think He is laughing with me.

What makes you laugh, outloud?


*It is actually "sick sense of humor," but dear me, I don't want to be completely blasphemous!

When Josh and I were flying to NYC last year, I was getting really nervous about landing.  I couldn't figure it out at first but then I said, "I was in a plane whose brakes failed in landing once so I must be thinking about that."  The memory was surreal, covered in a haze and a cloudy sky, to the point that I honestly thought it was a dream and had subsequently failed to tell Josh the tale... 

We were on an architecture field trip of 45+ students and 3 profs (and a 100 other passengers) going to New Orleans in 1997.  The flight was uneventful (other than college students and an inflight mini bar) but when our plane landed we kept going, and going, and going and went all the way to the end of the runway and off the runway, ramming into the mud when we finally stopped.  It was then we were told that the brakes had failed before landing and they had to use the emergency brakes to land/stop.  We had to exit via the escape hatch and be taken by a bus to a dark holding room not allowed to leave, fed bags of chips and after hours finally left the airport bombarded by TV cameras.  Again, the whole event in my memory is covered by the hazy day and is entirely surreal.   

Recently, thanks to the viral trend of "25 Things..." on Facebook, a friend from college posted the event.  It was there that he explained something I never knew before, the actual WHY of our plane landing.  He had researched the plane and found the report that stated our plane had "complete hydraulic failure."  From what the web tells me, this means that our plane had nothing, all things had to be manually done and is very tricky to manuever and based solely on the skills of the flight crew, and is dubbed a "pilot's worst nightmare."  The web also points out that any time a pilot/crew lands a plane without hydraulics they are greatly praised, indeed!  Anywhere from a plane in Sioux City, IA which landed without hydraulics and then flipped over to an plane in West Virginia a couple weeks ago that safely landed, just to name two.

Unbelievable.

No, I am not on any green smoothie band wagon and trying to convince the world to drink them, simply not my stchiick (sic).  Basically, I have been eating the things for the last 6 days and the first question I get is, "What's in them?" so I thought I would share, :)!

Here's the facts: they are easy to make, they are relatively inexpensive, they are a great way to eat your dark greens, they can be consumed by the youngin's, and if you wanted to they are a great way to flush out your system.

Here's the concept: 1 bunch greens and 3 fruits and wa-la, green sludge. (However, blueberries or purple greens will make it brownish purple sludge.)

Here's a short skinny: The dark green leaves are packed with cleansing antioxidants and toxin-eradicating cholorophyll!  Heavenly!  The cruciferous veggies stimulate the production of a detox enzyme glutathione-s-transferases that bind to heavy metals, solvents and pesticides and gets them out of your body through your stool!  Awesome!  Wait?!  What that mean?  It means the sludge goes in sludge and attaches itself to all sorts of nasty in your system and then carries it out the other end, in the same sludgey format.  Yummy!*

Here's some more notes: Our five dollar blender is no match for green smoothies so we did have to add a cup of water to them, an act that some frown upon.  And, like all things too much of a good thing can be bad, so you have to watch how much of these you drink & their ingredients.  (Something about too much alkaloids can actually be toxic for you and you shouldn't drink the same "green" in these every day...  Thank God for Google!)

Here's the recipes... Found from eatsprouts.com...

Always blend the fruit first (This is where I add the water too) –

2-3 cups any greens of your choice, 2 cups papaya, 2 oranges, 3 dates

1 handful lettuce leaves, 1 handful mint, 4 bananas, 1/2 cup water

1 cup organic frozen berries (any kind), 2 cups fresh spinach, 1/4 inch fresh ginger, water

1/2 bunch romaine lettuce, 1 cup strawberries, 2 bananas, water

4-5 kale leaves, 4 apples, 1/2 lemon juiced, water

2 big handfuls mixed baby greens, 2 pears, 2 mangoes, 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

2 cups argula, 1 cup spinach, 3 mangos

Choc-mint – 2 cups spinach, 10-12 mint leaves, 3 bananas, 2 Tbs. carob powder, 1 cup water

1 handful of spinach, 2 stalks of celery, 2 bananas, 2 pears, 1 apple, 1 cup water

1 small handful of spinach, 2 cups arugula, 2-3 mangoes, 1 cup water

1.5 cup sunflower greens, 1 dried fig, 3 bananas

2 cups spinach, 2 clementines, 2 mangos, 2 (blood) oranges

1/2 head romaine lettuce, 1 small pineapple, 1 large mango, 1-inch fresh ginger

1 handful wild greens (e.g. dandelion), 1 small handful mint leaves, 3 cups honeydew melon

3-4 stalks celery, 2 ripe persimmons, 1 banana

3-4 stalks celery, 1 c blueberries, 3 bananas

1 handful chard leaves, 5-6 kale leaves, 3 large bananas, 1 cup water

1 handful parsley, 3 cups of peeled papaya

AND you can Google and hunt out more on your own!

(My favorite I found was a half bunch of romaine, kale or spinach with 3 pears.  It is simple and crisp every time.)

*There are tons of websites out there that can tell you all the technical ins and outs of the veggies/fruits and their health benefits.  Best to do your own research if you are going to do something like this on a regular basis or talk to someone in the know.  However, if you try one you'll experience the the weird experience of drinking something green that smells like a salad and tastes like fruit with the texture of anything from air filled styrofoam to hair clipping in liquid.  Really, it's THAT good!    

If I had that time machine I've always wanted, then in my story today, the raging bus would be my student loans & college credit card and my action to myself would be yelling, "DON'T DO IT!" 

*Sigh*... why is technology always so far behind?

Most are probably better off than us and did things differently when they were young and never had issues with these things.  If that is you, seriously, congratulations!  What a blessing!  And, if the case applies, you should go thank the person who told you or directed you into such wisdom!

As for us, we each had a student loan, a major credit card each and a car loan in college.  At the time, we had all those debts not because we were stupid, but because we genuinely thought those were normal things that everyone did to go to college and nothing in our then worlds told us anything different.   (Maybe that does make us stupid?)  For better or worse, we had those beasts of burden and married them together. 

In the beginning of our marriage we were simply trying to put food on the table.  While we did destroy all our credit cards and sold all cars with loans when we married, we did not do anything major to get rid of those debts quickly and, as life would have it, added to it several major medical bills along the way.

But as I mentioned, 2 years ago we took this life-changing, 12-week class called Financial Peace University (cheesiest name ever BUT don't let that stop you from going!).  There was one (of many, brilliant) principle that we had never heard before - "The Debt Snowball."  The simplest bit of advice - pay off the smallest debt first (NOT the highest interest rate) "A", then when you pay that off, roll its payment "A" to the next smallest debt's monthly payment "B" and pay it off with "A + B" (the now larger monthly payment), etc.**

When we started the snowball 2 years ago, I was very skeptical of the whole process... would it really work all the way to *gasp* our student loans?  Would it truly speed things up faster than the 7 years technically left on them?  Thanks to not having any new debts added and also maybe it was "thanks" to all the crazy medical bills over the years, as we paid off those bills, one by one our snowball got larger and larger and bills were disappearing until finally it was only the two... then Josh's disappeared and then... mine... AMAZING!

I could not believe it!  5 years early! It is truly a burden that has been lifted from our shoulders!  Talk about financial peace!  The old addage, "The borrower is slave to the lender" is gone!  Vanished!  Praise God!

Again, we know, not having them in the first place is the ideal situation, but like I said, no time machines... yet.

*This was actually taken from a very powerful video blog by Penn of Penn and Teller, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JHS8adO3hM.  I hope not to disrespect the powerfullness of this video by my referenceing a tiny portion of what he shares out of context.

**There is so much more goodness to this concept, budgeting wisely and tightly, scrimping carefully, throwing everything one has at each smallest debt along the way, changing the whole way you think about money, etc.  It doesn't mean we're done yet either, while we do have some savings and have also saved for the next major medical explosion (that as life has it, will happen), we are now saving for 3-6 months of living expenses, and so on, and so on, as per the class's recommendations. Again, another GREAT reason to take the class, http://www.daveramsey.com/fpu/home/!  I would higly recommend taking the ACTUAL class to EVERYONE, married or single, who has not done it, even if you have no debt or are in retirement, there is SOOO much goodness to be learned!

I know pork doesn't seem that controversial but online there is a whole group of research* that is very much against pork and it is not for religious reasons, there are legitimate health reasons for not eating some cuts of pork (yummmm... bay-con).  If I wasn't such a self-proclaimed, smart-cookie,* I could have easily been swayed, for either camp.  The 1 unbiased site I did find said you can eat pork if: it is a pork tenderloin with fat trimmed and it is cooked to 170 degrees* so that it is safe to eat then the health effects are similar to eating any meat.*

Enter my recipe for controversy!

(Controversial*) Pork Tenderloin
(It's really nothing fancy, but wo/man was it moist!)

1 pork tenderloin
olive oil
salt & pepper
grill pan
olive oil
JB's Fat Boy Apple Cider Honey Mustard Sauce (All natural, no HFCS, best sauces EVER!*)
honey
1 apple

Preheat oven to 375.  Heat grill pan to med/high.  Salt and pepper pork tenderloin on all sides (Controversy 1: I did not cut off the little fat that was on the loin.) and grill on all sides, about 5 minutes a side.  Lightly oil bottom of baking dish, put tenderloin in dish, cover with some JB Fat & a little honey and surround with thin slices of an apple.  Bake loin, flip halfway through and add a little more JB's Fat Boy and honey.  Cook extra 5 minutes at 500, let rest for 5 minutes, slice and serve.*

Well... that's not exactly how I did it...

Complicated Controversy #2: Generally, I hold to the theory of baking pork at 375 for 25 min/lb to get the tenderloin cooked to 160+ (160 is what my Betty Crocker Cookbook tells me).  I did not have enough baking time (I had a 2.79lb loin and only an hour to cook in the oven) so I went online* and wanted to see if I could possibly cook it for less and NOT DIE!  I found this recipe on Recipe Zaar* that said, "According to Sara Moulton on FoodTV, salmonella is killed at 138 degrees, and 145 is a safe temperature for pork, although the USDA recommends 160 degrees (meat will be drier).*"  It instructed to cook at a higher temp, 500 for 5.5min/lb and then let sit in the oven for an hour.*

What to do!  I baked 25 min a side then cranked up the heat to 500 and cooked 5 more minutes, took it out and let it sit for 5 minutes. 

The internal temp was 155 but when I sliced it open, none of it was pink.  And you know what, it was not dry, it was moist...  and... I ain't one to gossip, so you didn't hear this from me... it was delicious... and... shhh... my family loved it, I loved it (I am a "medium" girl) and my husband (who prefers his meat med-rare, more toward the rare) was raving.. he even said, "It tastes like gourmet pork from a 5-star restaurant."*

Be safe and cook it 25min/lb to get above 160+*... I don't want anyone getting ill on my recipe.

I tell you what though, I was very hesitant to post this recipe because of all the negative websites & blogs* about pork and how it is not necessarily the healthiest food out there, because honestly, it isn't.*  However, I kept getting reminded of that old adage, "Damned if you do, damned if you don't," so I decided to post it because it was yummy. 

Don't get me wrong, I think the pros and cons are legitimate and I think eating healthy is a MUST, especially when it comes to heart disease and other illnesses based mostly off the food we eat.  From a researcher standpoint though, isn't it interesting how now-a-days if we want to know something we can go online, search out a question and find the answer from random websites where everyone knows what they are talking about and anybody can be on good authority?**

** - *All my cases in point, :)!

I had been dreaming in my mind and not on paper yet but when a friend asked me a question... out came the seed packets and layouts and notes from last year's garden and in came the layouts and plans for this year!

I am no garden whiz mind you, I have a black thumb.  I haven't gone to school for any of this either, just read a myriad of books and I ask lots of questions to those in the know.

Below are a few little things I have learned in the 2, yes 2, years I have had a garden.  Again, can you say, "novice?"  There are many people who know more than me!  :)! 

I don't pretend to know it all and would love to learn more!

MY EXPERIENCES SO FAR, FROM WHAT I REMEMBER RIGHT NOW...
Our first year we did minimal quantity and spaced things very far apart.  We weeded like crazy and watered every day, thanks to it being a drought year.  We had a great harvest that year and having started small really helped us learn a lot and be faithful with what we grew.

Our second year I honestly bit off more than we could chew and the weather was incredibly terrible.  Continual rain and the strangest bugs ever.  I tried several new techniques, like block planting and succession planting.  Some of the succession did not work as well due to the crazy weather and plants planted 3 weeks prior were only as big as the new plants.  The block planting produced huge results but I didn't leave enough places to walk around in.

This year I will be paying close attention to the weather and not try and fight with it like last year.  I will not plant too much and be smart about rows and when/if I put down straw everywhere or not.  I will be more patient when planting this year.

DIFFERENT "TOOLS"...
Using straw...
Some people use newsprint, some black tarps, some just are faithful at hoeing.  I like to use straw as a way to help prevent funguses on my tomato plants and as a way to keep down our weed population.  I put it down late the first year after having weeded and it worked great.  I put it down early the second year and the weeds grew up like crazy.  I think this year I will do it late and see if it is needed (though I will definitely do it around the tomato plants base) but after having done a good weeding.  Leslie had this awesome tool for weeding that was amazing and not a back breaker like knees weeding but is doesn't work if you have down straw so I may end up with a tool like hers this year and will not do straw (again, except around base of tomatoes).  To lay straw, water ground, lay straw and then water straw.

Raised beds...
I like a mild raised bed, about 2-3".  We used carpet in the bed walkways one year and it was so nice, straw works too.  Raised beds mean that your bed will dry out of water faster, so you will have to water more, but with little kids, I found raised beds remind them where not to walk.  Straw can just be laid in walkways as well and not on raised beds.  No matter what though, make sure you are very delibertate on leaving walkways or providing access to your plants with ease.

If you use raised beds or not, always, always, when you water, water everywhere, not just the plant.  Water the walkways and the other areas around your plants as the plant will want water from not just its 6" diameter.

Rows or Blocks or All Over...
Most seeds/lings will tell you to plant in rows, seeds every 2", thinned to 6" and spaced in rows 12-18" apart. 

Block planting means you mark out squares and then space all the plants as their smaller sizes... example: Kohl Rabi says thin to 6" apart but plant rows 12-18" so in 1.5'x6' (9 sq ft) you'd get 11 plants... with block planting you would plant them all within a 2'x2' (4 sq ft) block at 6" square apart, you'd get 16 plants.  (See how you get more veggie for less sq footage?)  The only thing I found with block planting is making decent access to all the plants within the block system.  I did Kohl Rabi, onions, broccoli/cabbage/cauliflower and garlic in block planting and it worked fine but I made my onion block so big it was really hard to water and move around.

All Over (which isn't it's exact name, I can't quite remember it) means that you plant in a block with a raised bed but the sides of the bed are gradual not sharp making it so you actually plant down the slanting sides as well.  I have not done this style but is noted as being great for producing a lot in small areas and the slanting edges of the bed actually help with better water retention in the bed and it better uses space.  The key they said to do was really prepare your soil in advance, like working in lots of compost / manure / peat moss, etc.  This process of preparing the soil their way takes 6 weeks before you actually plant anything.

Preparing the soil...
You can start working the soil where we live generally in April.  It depends on the moisture of the soil.  If you can pick it up and it is moist and can squish between your fingers it is too moist.  However, I have found if it is too dry it can be a pain as well.  When I first lay out beds and work the soil I add in my peat moss / compost / manure. 

There are lots of trains of thought on this, these are just the ones I have heard and stuck with... Peat moss helps to keep soil to hold in moisture, I like one that Lowe's sells and I add 2-4 inches of it when first working the soil.  I also add organic compost or manure, depending on what's on sale.  I also add extra potting soil in each area where I plant, maybe that is cheating but with my black thumb, I need all the help I can get. 

For planting seeds I want the soil dry, make my holes or troughs and plant, cover, pat and then water.  For seedlings, I want to dig your hole, water plant, put in hole, add dirt, pat and water.

WHEN TO PLANT?
It truly depends on the soil and weather.  Some plants are called cold weather crops and some are warm weather crops.  Cold weather means you can plant them 4-6 wks before the last frost, warm weather means you can plant them after the last frost.  Where we live in IC, and what I have heard from the loacl greenhouses is that the general rule of thumb is April 10-15th for cold and May 10-15th for warm.  This can change depending on how the weather is going.  Two years ago, it was easily 2 weeks earlier on each.  Last year, it was right on if not later.  However, people can have success doing it whenever, it is honestly just up to your seeds or seedlings, location, etc. 

Doing a double planting is good.  Till up the ground for your cold crops first and then do it again when it is time for your warm crops.  This will ease the heartache when your soil is toast for the warm crops.  Also, you can plan to double use your plots, like grow lettuce in one place and then after it bolts, dig it up and plant a warm crop, like squash, or whatnot.

PLANTS -
These are some of the plants I have done the last 2 years.  Label everything well!  (One year I did, one year I didn't and boy was it hard when I didn't!  On 1" wide popsicle sticks, or the like, note the date of planting and the earliest expected date of harvest and possibly thinning distances and heights if you have room.

1.) Beans / Edamame -
Bush crop bean seeds, space 2" and thing to 4-6" when 1" tall.
I liked the Bush Bean Trio mix of seeds.
Plant around May 10th depending on weather and moisture as they don't like wet soil.
Use additional 12" tall, very small holed fence around edge of bean area to help them stand up better AND to protect from Peter Rabbit.
Use 18" between rows.
Plant in succession, half or third, spread out by 3 weeks. 
Be on guard for bugs, they sell both organic/non-organic bean sprays for bugs that are very good and will be very necessary.
I have put straw around these but if I get Leslie's cool weeder I won't.
During harvest, be very diligent to take them all as you don't want them to go bad. Look very closely and take them all.

2.) Peppers -
Plant a myriad, green, red, yellow, jalapeno, chili, habanero, etc.
Plant seedlings outside around May 10 depending on weather and moisture can be earlier but they don't like frost.
They say planting hot peppers by sweet peppers can mix flavors.
Stake seedlings with bamboo stick or other long rod at least 2-3' tall and tie pepper plant to stick when it gets about 9-12" tall.  Depending on plant growth and weight of fruit, you may need 2 sticks per plant.
Place straw around base of plants when 12-18" tall, make sure to fertilize once straw is down every week to two weeks.

3.) Lettuce -
Can be planted early, mid-April and can be planted in succession.
Make a trough with a thick popcicle stick and attempt to space seeds every 1", good luck.
6" rows.
Plant varieties but in well marked rows, make note of days till harvest.
Can thin once to 1" high and eat thinnings.
Can cut off above 2" as much as you want until it bolts.
Bolting for lettuce means the leaves start to taste bitter.
Very tiny seeds so make sure to note rows carefully and when planted, when to thin, etc.
can plant in succession, every 2-3 weeks.
My favorite brand/type is Lettuce Mesclum, Bon Vivant by Botanical Interests... yummy!
Keep well weeded and do not put straw around.

4.) Tomatoes -
I have planted them all, big, medium, small, roma and cherry.  All wonderful!
Plant seedlings around May 10th depending on weather and moisture, can be planted earlier, but they don't like frost.
Spacing bigger, like every 2-3 feet, is good not only for ease of harvest but also to help prevent any disease that one plant gets from passing to another plant.
Be faithful with the some type of fertilizer, once a week.
Look for "sucker" leaves, a fake stem growing out of the armpit of a strong stem.
At first sign of blight, take off infected leaves and destory away from the garden.
Use some type of tomato cage and put around plant once planted.  (Kmart sells these foldable cages that are square that I LOVE because when you don't use them, they compact and store nicely, and they are easier to remove when taking down the garden.)
Plant marigolds all around plants to help keep away tomato worms, yucky!
Plant basil around tomato plants, but leave enough spacing and room to still reach basil plants.
Once plant has grown some and is around 2' tall, use straw all around plant base.  The straw is there because as you water and the dirt splashes up on the plant the dirt that gets on the plant can cause a fungus on the plants.  The straw prevents this splashing to happen but it also means that you will have to make sure you are diligent with the fertilizer after straw is laid because the straw will actually suck up good stuff from the soil.  Ironic, I know.

5.) Peas -
Can be planted mid-April as they are a cold weather crop, but some varities do not like warm weather.
Space 2" apart faithfully.
Plant seeds along fencing.
Plant every 3 weeks as suggested.
Water a lot in the beginning. 
Choose bush peas, or other short pea plant (no bigger than 5' tall). 
I like Wando peas for shelling peas, they only grow 30" tall and can be planted really early in April (as long as above 40 degrees) and can be planted in succession until the end of May as they don't mind the warmth like other varities.
I like Super Snappy for another edible pea pod type, they just like cold weather.
If you plant different variety of pea plants make sure to keep 'em separated (and keep them well labeled).
Keep well weeded and no need for straw.  Watch for bunnies.

6.) Onions and garlic -
Buy in onion sets, very cheap generally. 
Buy plantable garlic, and plant individula bulbs every 6"
Don't plant near each other because distinguishing the two can be hard.
Can be planted mid-April.
Plant every 3" for scallions.
Plant A LOT and every where I can.
Pick scallions when green part is at least 6" long.
Onions grow out of the ground and do not be startled when you see them being uncovered. 
When top green turns brown and falls over, gently loosen roots below onion and let cure on ground for 2 weeks.  Then, harvest and store in a cool, dry place.  (I kept them in the bsmt fridge at a mild temp and they kept for up to 3 months, which was as long as they lasted since we ate them all!).
Garlic does what onions do in their tops go brown and turn over.  They can be then raised up and left to dry on top of the soil.
Onions do not generally get as big as you see in the store, generally 2-3" dia.
No need to use straw.

7.) Broccoli -
Plant A LOT, our family can't get enough of this!
Plant seedlings outside (can plant seeds inside).
Can plant mid-April and plant in succession.
Yes, use maggot mats (6" square pieces of cardboard with a 1" diameter hole in the center).
Plant seeds at the same time as seedlings for succession crops. 
Harvest when plant looks tight and depending on type could be from 4" to 9" in diameter.  (Though Leslie had the world's huggest heads of broccoli 9"+, mine were generally around 5" diameter when I harvested before they bolted.  Bolting means that the tight heads start to loosen and start to grow pretty little yellow flowers.)
Cut off high on stalk that way side shoots will produce more heads.
Give 18-24" min. diameter when planting.
Watch for cabbage moths, deceivingly pretty white moths that eat holes in your pretty plants.
Don't have to do straw but I did just to keep down weeds.  Wait till plants are bigger though.

8.) Cauliflower -
Use maggot mats like with broccoli.
Plant seedlings outside (start seeds inside).
Can plant mid-April and plant in succession.
Most types require you to tie leaves.  To do this, once a tiny cauli head shows up, about 1" diameter, pull up all big leaves and loosely tie on top like a pony tail.  This will protect them from getting burned by the sun.  If you have a white cauli plant it turns yellow when burned.   
Harvest cauli when the head is still tight.  When some types of cabbage bolt they turn purple and the once compact veggie loosens up similar to broccoli.
Give 18-24" min diameter when planting.
Watch for cabbage moths.
Don't have to do straw but I did just to keep down weeds.  Wait till plants are bigger though.

9.) Cabbage -
We liked purple or white cabbage.
Can plant mid-April and plant in succession.
Plant seedlings outside (start seeds inside).
Treat like other coles... use maggot mats, space 2' apart.
Will grow tight, compact head and depending on type get to 6"-9" in diameter.
Watch for cabbage moths.
Don't have to do straw but I do just to keep down weeds.  Wait till plants are bigger though.

10.) Cantelopes or winter squash -
Plants seeds or seedlings on mounds.
Plant around May 10th or later depending on weather.
Give lots of room to grow, like 2'x6' minimum.
Squash bugs are a pain!  Check underside of leaves for little egg sacs and then remove with duct tape and destroy.  If you start to see them they will suck the life literally from all your squash plants, mellons, etc.
Don't have to do straw.  But I do straw around the mound, mostly so I can spy the little squash boogers and kill em easier.  I found not weeding the cantes as much helped keep the bugs off them and protected but that may have been a fluke and just my wishful thinking.

11.) Plant Dwarf Bush Type Nasturtium around zucchinis, squashes and melons, should plant seeds before you plant seedlings, like 2 wks early.  (I found seeds at Lowes.)

12.) Zucchini -
I cannot grow zucchini to save my life!
You would know better than me, write in your own suggestions!

13.) Eggplants -
Plant seedlings (can start seeds indoors though).
Plant around May 10th, depending on weather or moisture.
Use tomato cages around them to help them stand up.
Watch for ugly black bugs and Japanese beetles.
Japanese eggplants are long and skinny, Black Beauty are what you think an eggplant should look like.
Pick when nice and shiny, don't need more than 4 plants.
I use straw around once they are bigger.

14.) Kohl Rabi -
Early plant, mid/end April.
I planted seeds right outside and they worked great.
Thin when 2" tall to every 6-9"
I planted to block planting and it worked great.

15.) Cucumbers -
Plant seedlings around May 10th or later or earlier depending on weather and moisture.
Once they start making fruit, feed fertilizer.
Be faithful with blight warning (ie yellow leaves or wilting).
Watch for bugs.
Pick when ripe to help plant produce more.
Only 2 needed but would plant 4 just in case, due to bugs.
Plant oregano around cucumbers to help bug protect.
Plant either near fence or put tomato cage around them as they will grab hold of anything they can.

16.) Carrots -
Tiniest seeds!  Dig a trough and try your best to give some distance.
Plant chives and/or onions near carrots.  (This helps keep carrot worms away as the carrot plants smell will be diluted by the onion smell.) 
Thin to 3" once they are 2" tall.
Mark on stick when planted and when expect to harvest.

17.) Chives -
Are a perienniel plant.
Can do seeds but since you only need 1-2 plants, buying a seedling is fine.
Can cut as soon as 10" long.
During winter can dig up and plant inside pot.

18.) Other Veggies / Herbs Notes -
Oregano works well by cucumbers and scares away bugs.
Rosemary and Sage are great spices too.
Cliantro turns into corriander when it bolts.  Plant cilantro every week if you really want to harvest it. You have to pick it immediately once it looks ready, then it is done.
Basil works good by tomatoes and scares away worms.
Chives work well by carrots and keeps away bugs.
Spinach needs shade to protect from the sun.
Sunflowers are cute but make sure they grow in a spot that does not shade your veggies.
Strawberries take 3 yrs but there are some types that are 1 year, ants like strawberries.
Potatoes should not be planted close to tomatoes/peppers.
Sweet potatoes would be the better spud if you are going to use the space.
Asparagus takes 3-4 years.
Brussel Sprouts don't need more than 3 plants.
Corn needs at least 4 rows, 6' long at least to get full ears.

I buy my seeds/seedlings everywhere.  I do like Botanical Interests seeds a lot though for my lettuces, edamame and wando peas.  I've gotten great seedlings from Fareway, especially broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, peppers.  Tomato and other pepper plants I've gotten from Menards or the local nurseries.  Wherever they are, they look good and the price is good.

LIBRARY BOOKS, HERE ARE MY FAVORITE 2...
My favorite first book was in the Children's Section called The Victory Garden Kids' Book.  It was a wealth of information and great for a first time gardener.

The next year, I found The Fruit and Vegetable Gardener book by Richard Bird.  It is a beautiful book and taught me a lot about the plants and how to plant well.

Please do tell any books you've learned from and any tips you'd have!

We took Max on a trip to the sea. 

He had the idea, I found a beach, Josh found a condo, he raised the gas cash, we scrimped and saved, God kept our van running, we did the driving, God gave us perfect weather, we spent almost the entire time on the beach, we found a thousand shells & 1 live crab, we learned a lot, God united our family closer together and sealed in many things He taught us at Faithwalkers.

We went to Gulf Shores, Alabama.  I chose this place because: it was closest (we wanted to drive it in 1 day and we're OLD, no 24 hr drives for us!), it had been a while since a hurricane hit (Ivan in 2004, Katrina in 2005, and since we weren't going to help we didn't want to get in the way), it had a Sea Lab (so in theory, no matter what, we would have sea creatures to touch), we could take a ferry to an island nearby, and those commercials late at night on Fox made it look beautiful! 

But let me tell you though, I was honestly expecting the worst... terrible weather driving, terrible weather there, a car accident, bugs in the condo, no picturesque beaches, crowded places, getting sick from FW, expensive gas... however, we were determined that even if we had to buy ponchos for the family and be drugged up on NyQuil, this was our shot to go the sea.  Even still, I honestly had to continually trust that no matter what happened, God continued to be good and He knew it all.

The location was a huge blessing too in that Josh found a super cheap (but surprisingly beautiful) condo on Craig's List (thanks to it being "winter" and temps were to be low 40's, high 60's) and outside of the ocean, touristy attractions were closed (we are not into that kind of thing) and there were no massive crowds.

We got great gas prices the whole way down, leaving MO at $1.36/gal.  On average we paid $1.46 for gas and got 24.8 mpg in the van (the cheapest paid was $1.31 and most expensive $1.56).  Josh had Max pay for gas every time from his piggy bank which brought mounds of smiles out of people who normally don't.  The kids traveled great, sans this one hour of complete loopiness coming home through Mississippi, and didn't complain about the long time in the car.  The rainstorm that was suppossed to hit the Thursday and Friday we were going to be there held off till Saturday and the weather was absolutely beautiful.  We actually made the drive in 14.5 hours down from MO and 17 hours up to IC, oy! 

How did he like it? 

He loved it!

He couldn't get enough of the ocean and the hunt!  He was up and dressed and ready to GO each morning as soon as possible and he stayed out as late as possible each night.  He was continually smiling and looking at me saying, "Mom, we're at the sea!"  "Mom, look at this!"

He learned a ton about the sea when we were at the Sea Lab that we didn't know before and got to touch all the creatures we couldn't touch due to the water being too cold to dive under.  He got to experience the power of the sea and play in the waves.  He found barnacles and oysters.  He got to see a pod of dolphins swimming in the ocean just a stone's throw away (we just happened to be in the right place at the right time).  He got to see two kinds of jelly fish up close and personal.  He got a dead, but in one piece, ghost crab.  He got to eat fresh grouper, mahi mahi, alligator and oysters.  He brought home a TON of shells and 1 live tiny sand crab (though sadly, the crab died last night). 

He was literally and figuratively swept away by the ocean and all its power. 

I know there are more beautiful places in the world, I know there are more beautiful shells in the world, I know there is more beautiful weather in the world... but honestly, we could not have asked for a more perfect time for our little clan of five.  The excitement of the kids far outweighed all the other factors and they (and us) soaked up each and every minute of it to the fullest. 

Without a doubt, he wants us to go back and without a doubt, we would love to take him there.  It may not be for a long while, but if the Lord wills, we will.   And like this time, no matter what our circumstances may bring, we will praise the Lord for He is good!

With final cans, bottles and plastics being returned today, Max made it to 77 gallons!  Woo-hoo!!!  77 gallons will take him from the middle of MO to the Gulf of Mexico (and then back to the middle of MO)!

Look at those dance moves!  He couldn't have done it without so many of you giving of your empties and piggy banks!  Thank you so much from the bottom of Max's Big Heart!

We checked on Gas Buddy and in MO today gas was $1.49.  I think as soon as he sees signs anywhere saying a buck-fitty he will be bouncing out of his seat.  I at first was praying for it in IC of a buck-fitty but now I am praying for MO to do the job! 

AHHHHHHH!!!!  We're going to the sea!  (I'll write another blog soon to tell you the who's-it's and where's-it's.  AND!  We did save up all our funds and have used part already for a deposit on a place located RIGHT ON THE SEA!)

Empties, empties and more empties!

We have been totally floored lately with cans, bottles, and plastics!  Oh my!  (And I am beginning to think that ours friends must not like returning empties as much as me, :)!)

Notes, notes, and more notes!

Max has been receiving notes, dollars, and coins from you dear friends!  Those unexpected gifts are blowing us all away, you all are too kind!

Gas-O-Meter!

As you can see on Josh's Gas-O-Meter - Max has only 16 gallons to go!  (And that is not counting the empties we are picking up today!) 

Smarty Pig!

There are deposits made into the Smarty Pig but they take forever and have not been cleared yet, but if they were and it was, then you could sea that we are getting our end done too!

AHHHHHHH!!!!!!

We're going on a sea star hunt! 
We're gonna catch a big one! 
Oh no, we're not scared! 

(Just praying IC will catch up with the rest of the world and lower their gas prices already!)

We ran some numbers for both mileage and gas... took into consideration the fact that we will be south after Christmas... considered that we already have a plethora of travels planned for December... made note of the fact that this month is Christmas... grimmaced at the thought that our economy is in a recession... did not forget that we are in the midst of a fundraising campaign at church... and took into account Josh's work schedule... and... and... gas has not technically hit a buck fitty in IC... yet.

BUT we are not about to crush Max's dream based on a technicality (just don't tell him that yet!).

We came up with two plans to get us to the beach after we considered the cost of the whole trip... one on our front and one on Max's.  Our's is "simple" - we will squeeze and scrimp as much as we can to get the funds out of our budget.  And in essence, our's is to match every penny of Max's.

Max's is to find ways to raise funds to pay for the gas - 77 gallons specifically.

How does a six year old raise funds?  Good question!  We're still figuring out all the specifics of that one... he has used some of his spending money and got a check for his first gallon from his awesome relatives (you Q's are too cute!) and is doing extra chores around the house and asks politely for any spare change we have here and there and in the laundry room and (his main bread winner) returns cans for cash. 

Now let me tell you something... I HATE returning empties!  YUCK!  I don't care how well I clean them, they are always gross to me.  I would rather give away my empties (which, quite hoestly, is what I generally do) than collect from others.  And, I HATE the empty return places because they are always so sticky and smelly and noisy and who knows what you are going to touch and with kiddos in tow around such conditions... AHHHH!  I am not a notorious germ-a-phobe but empty redemption places are about as nasty to me as they come.  Thankfully, Josh has been the one to return so far!

Thankfully too, I love my son more than I despise empty redemption!

Today, we returned 2 (yes 2!) shopping carts full of empties we were given from a friend.  (Thank you ladies!  Thanks you Gates'!)  The boys love the thought that each can gets them 5 cents closer to the sea and they love the auto machines that eat the cans.  True, they had to jump up to reach the hole and in the process got all sorts of sticky liquids on their hands and down their sleeves and on their coats BUT they did not care!

No amount of stickiness was able to deter their utter satisfaction and beaming smiley faces of watching the $ go up by 5 cents each time.  No amount of germ-a-phobia will now stop me from helping them and their joy of doing empty redemption.

Because seriously, you should've seen Max's face coloring in 9 (yes, 9!) gallons on his gas bar graph!

... though technically, when you do start taking into account the little cuties on our heels, 9 seems like a good number.

Speaking of numbers, this year in celebration of our marriage I wanted to write about numbers, or specifically numbers with dollar signs and decimal places.  They say love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.  They say you cannot serve both God and money.  They say 1 in 2 marriages end in divorce and most marriages end because of money.  They say the odds of lasting 9 years in your marriage is... yeah, I looked for a stat on that one and didn't find it (though we all know 42.7% of all stats are made up).

Josh and I didn't marry for money, we married "negative money" when we married each other - dragging along the bags of school loans and high interest college sanctioned credit cards.  (Oh, if we would have been told 5 years earlier not to do such things!)  Negative money, starting a business from scratch, medical bills, ugh!  BUT even though in lack, we never fought about money.

That is until almost 2 years ago.

Josh wanted to take this financial class and he wanted me to go with him.  Personally, my first response was, "What a dumb name for a class."  My second response was a combination of anger, angst, frustration, etc, etc, etc and sadly I took our those emotions on Josh.  The only obvious reason being my pride.  (Ex. I don't need to go to a financial class, I know it all and I have everything under control.)

It saddens me to admit it, but I need to be honest - I let "money" cause a rift in our marriage.  And once again, it proved that having God at the center of my life was the most important thing to keeping our marriage together.  Though my heart was not in it fully and I couldn't smile, dragging my feet even, I choose to love God more than myself and loving God helped me to love my husband and... I went.

Now, I could go on and on about the class itself and what a blessing it has been to our finances and how subsequently being on the same page with our finances has made our marriage that much stronger, but the class isn't my main point* - us choosing to love God first is.

This year, the most important number to me is 1 - one God who united Josh and I as one for the last 9 years... Hooray!  Happy Anniversary Honey!  I love adding one every year with you!

*Though I would make it my second point and if you haven't been to this class before you should go!

Ummm... remember this guy?  The one in the scuba suit?

Max, I am currently convinced, will be a cross between Jacques Cousteau and Christo, blending his art and his love of God's creation of marine biology into a perfect combination.*  It came as no shock to me during the summer, when he started researching the sea, that he would want to go to the sea to see it for himself someday.  Sadly, I had to explain to him the location and logistics and the cost and that with gas prices so high ($4 then) going anytime soon would be near impossible for our family.   (Though I said it in much gentler words.)

Then gas prices started lowering and they were sitting around $3 when I made some comment about how gas was "cheaper."  To which Max replied, "Cheap enough to get us to the sea?"  To which I replied, "It'd have to get WAY cheaper to get us to the sea."  "How cheap?  If it is $2 can you take me to the sea?"  "I don't think so."  "How cheap?" I considered the possibility for a moment and said, "Max, if gas prices get to a buck fifty, I'll drive you to the sea."  A triumphant, "YES!"

For me, I like saying the words "buck fifty" over and over again... kind of like the person who sits and watches the drinking bird for hours on end and never grows weary... buck-fifty... buck-fitee... buck-fit-ee...

Did I think gas prices would get down to a buck fifty?  Nope.  Did I think I would have to pony up and drive Max to the sea anytime in the near future?  Nope.  Was this around the time when McCain had said, "The fundamentals of our economy are strong?"  Probably.  Has Max told me the price of gas every day since I made this agreement?  Yep.  Am I nearing the point of eating my words?  Yep.

Currently the national gas average is $2.14.  The People's Republic of C I C currently sits at $1.89, which stats say is one of the more expensive places to buy gas in IA.  Josh found that Kansas City has gas for $1.47... Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas all have good cheap gas... all the way to the sea.

Needless-to-say, I now have to start doing some real logistical research.  I have no idea if we can even pull this off in our budget but now that I have a real possibility it may hit a buck fifty, I need to get the facts - stat.

Lessons learned? "'Never get involved in a land war in Asia' - you'll wish you were at the sea" and "Don't make flippant, goofy, outlandishes promises with your kids based on word sounds - they won't get your joke and they will hold you to your promise" and "Make sure you always prepare a way of escape - as in an escape clause" because I don't know yet how we are going to get our way out of this one if the budget doesn't allow (Seeing how our dishwasher broke today, OY!  It's gonna be tough!).  I trust if we can't do it, Max will be understanding - but OH how I curse the day I heard those words...

Buck-fit-ee.

*Of course we desire him to be pressing hard after the Lord as an adult, don't worry, we're on it.

While in NYC I remembered that there was an Indian restaurant that had been featured on FOX's Kitchen Nightmares.  Now I know what you are thinking, "Why go to a once dump that could still be or have turned back into a dump?"  Welp, sometimes the risk is worth the story.

To note: Josh and I love Indian food, we have recently found this Indian food joint in town that we have fallen in love with the food / owner, and when it comes to food, we love to try out new places.

The latest Revisited episode from KN showed that the restaurant (http://purnimarestaurant.com/) was still doing great and had kept their cleaned up act, even inviting diners to tour their kitchen and storage.  I was confident on the food quality but it was definitely the sanitary quality that scared me the most. 

As seen on TV?  The place looked like on TV (though the wide angle lens used during filming definitely made the place look 3 times as large).  TV made the decorative elements shine like an actor's face through cheese cloth (meaning, though beautiful - in person you could tell the decor was built in a day).  Thankfully too, the place looked clean and tidy.

What about the food?

One thing I like to do is ask the waitstaff what is their favorite dish (generally, this bites me in the behind as they will just tell me what they think I want to hear or what most people order) and our waitress played along.  We got the Channa Chat, per her suggestion, to start and Josh got his favorite Korma and I tried her "favorite" Tikka Masala.

Waiting for our food Josh was quizzing me on the episode and I am filling in all the details about Chef Ramsay, the restaurant, the new chef... when who should come out and deliver our starter than THE chef himself.  He was as smily as ever and we were the only ones he personally delivered a dish to the whole evening. (The first photo below was taken as fast as possible but it was so delicious we started eating and messed up the presentation before we got the shot off.)

To note: I actually had the thought that the waitstaff was trained that if someone OBVIOUSLY looks like an out-of-towner they are to tell the chef and he will show his face... hmmmm...

In any event, the food was delicious.  One thing Chef Ramsay always stresses is fresh food, nothing canned or frozen and the food here was definitely fresh and crisp.  Another amazing treat was how you could taste each spice - it wasn't a blend / mush of flavor.  Have you ever heard a food columnist say a dish has very delicate tastes or distinguished flavors?  Honest, when you would take a bite you could taste each sliver of spice in different places throughout your mouth... it was unbelieveable. 

To top if off (a favorite of ours), the waitress brought out extra things we did not order - raita for my tikka masala and the most delicious dessert, an iced mango treat of some sort (no idea on the name).  Our entire visit was an absolute treat and it doesn't bother me they played us like country bumpkins.  For me, it is more about the company than the location and any date with my husband is deliciously entertaining and wonderfully memorable. 

To note: Our waitress asked how we liked it and we said very much and commented how we love Indian food to which she asked, "Oh, so you eat it once a year?"  To which we said, "No, once every week or so."  You could tell by her expression, she did NOT believe us.

What a beautiful little girl!  (With her beautiful cake she and Max decorated!)

Oh so, early this morning, she squeezed in between Josh and I, made herself at home and fell back to sleep.  We were both looking at her and commented that she is now 4... 4... really?  That old? 

Over the last year she truly has started to become her own little person... her own little person who loves to make new friends, loves to compliment people's puppies, who loves to play with ponies, who loves to constantly make up her own songs for any occassion and about anything...

Looking at her this morning, I was reminded again how I take it for granted.  Not the "it" of spending the day with our kids, loving them, teaching them, guiding them... yes, those all are true and wonderful, but it is more than that.  The "it" is the actual gift of having them with me - today, here, now, right now, their gift of life.

Having lost a friend this year and having watched many friends lose their little ones over the years, I am continually grabbing all our cuties and holding them tight in my arms and I, honestly, never want to let go.  It's cliche, people say it all the time, but darn it, it is so true... each day is a gift and oh, how I could take advantage of it more.

Happy Birthday Miss Miriam!  We can't imagine life without you!  I can't imagine my life without you.

Jedi Anakin Skywalker - Zeke must be getting older as he did not want a really involved costume.  He still wore it with pride!  His may also get the most use as he likes to wear it as a morning robe, :)!

Scuba Diver - Max went all out.  He really wants to go to the sea and if gas gets around a buck fifty, we're gonna take him.  I may have sewed this, but he did all the design... tightness, details, lengths, star fish, etc.  He did not last long walking in the flippers though, :)!

Golden Princess - All Miriam wanted was a golden princess dress and this is what $2 of fabric turned into.  She actually did wear it, which was very surprising to me! 

(BTW, this is for all our family who is not on Facebook... We love you all if you are on FB or not!)

We got to swim class just in time and I immediately saw the boy and an older woman standing near him.  I asked if she was his grandmother to which she said "no" and that she was just a family friend.  I asked her if he spoke English, to which she said "no" and asked if she could help and said his grandma was right here and she couldn't speak English either.

In as loving a fashion I could, I asked her if she could translate for me to the boy and his grandma the situation.  She said yes, however, as soon as she heard the things he had done to our Miriam, her voice got strong in her translations and the grandmother was talking in a loud strong voice and the boy just stood there with a face like, "What's wrong with what I did?"  Then his big brothers made some comments and the little boy started laughing and the translator and grandmother went on and on again. 

The grandmother did not say anything directly to me, as I was fearful would happen, because you could visibly see that she was incredibly embarassed by the situation.  For that I felt terrible, and wished I could've spoken Mandarin to let her know my true heart in bringing it up to them.

Thankfully, the boy must have learned a little something because for the most part, he kept his distance.  One time he did try to get in too close but thankfully Miriam shoved him away.

The sad part is he then started picking on this fragile little boy in the class.  This precious little boy is about the shyest, most inhibited little guy, who never interacts with anyone but his mom.  The bully must have realized that he couldn't go near our Miriam that halfway through class he starting doing the same terrible things to this other little boy and to top it off he kissed this boy.  Thankfully the mother came running over but so sad that this innocent boy now had to be caught in this mess.

My heart now aches even more about the whole situation.  There are two final swim classes next week, so I am praying for wisdom on what to do next.  I am also praying for the little boy, his grandma and his parents on how to appropriately help their son.  AND I am praying for the little fragile boy and his mom, that she can help him handle the situation. 

It's things like this that make me question if I was right to bring it up to the boy and family, though I tried as loving as I could but I fear, sadly, that something got lost in translation. 

The Lord was determined to destroy the walls of Jerusalem. He made careful plans for their destruction, then He went ahead and did it. Therefore, the ramparts and walls have fallen down before Him.

Jerusalem's gates have sunk into the ground. All their locks and bars are destroyed, for He has smashed them. Her kings and princes have been exiled to distant lands; the law is no more. Her prophets receive no more visions from the Lord.

The leaders of Jerusalem sit on the ground in silence, clothed in sackcloth. They throw dust on their heads in sorrow and despair. The young women of Jerusalem hang their heads in shame.

I have creid until the tears no longer come. My heart is broken, my spirit poured out, as I see what has happened to my people. Little children and tiny babies are fainting and dying in the streets.

'Mama, we want food,' they cry, and they collapse in their mothers' arms. Their lives ebb away like the life of a warrior wounded in battle.

In all the world has there ever been such sorrow? O daughter of Jerusalem, to what can I compare your anguish? O virgin daughter of Zion, how can I comfort you? For your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can heal you?"

My friend calls this Truthful Thursday and I agree.  In my (self named) idiot bible (aka The One Year Bible) we started Lamentations yesterday and OH how I look forward to this book every year.  When I read it, I can't help but shout it alound... the pain, the anguish, the brokeness, the truthfulness.

"But I called on your name, Lord, deep within the well, and you heard me! You listened to my pleading; you heard my weeping! Yes, you came to my despairing cry and told me, 'Do not fear.'"

For me the whole book cuts deep to the heart... yes, to wounds as deep as the sea.

The second to last one involved Zeke and a boy from his flag football team.  Thankfully, Josh and Zeke talked through the whole situation, prepared a plan for Zeke to calmly and kindly earn the bully's respect and ultimately friendship, and thankfully, by their last game, the bully had stopped and was really a nice kid in disguise.  (Praise God!)

The last one involves our little Miriam and a bully in her swim class.  Say what you will about people trying to make gender a non-issue, but we are treating these two situations completely different.  In regards to the bully in Miriam's class we are NOT using our quiet voices and verbal negotiations, though we are following a calm 3 step process...

We don't like Miriam to scream "no" while playing with friends in a selfish way, but she has permission to scream "NO!" at a bully.  We don't like Miriam to be a tattletale over and over again, but we told her to tell her teacher EVERY TIME it happens.  We don't like Miriam to push or shove her friends, but we taught her to shove forcefully when a bully is involved.

Did I mention Miriam is almost 4 and so is the bully? 

I went to the coordinator to discuss the situation and what I came to learn was both infuriating and sad at the same time... it turns out this boy picked on a little girl in his last swim session, but he was kissing this little girl and the little girl was so distraught she left swim lessons.  They spoke with his caregiver but they were not sure if the family understood. 

Now the boy is back in a new class and he is picking on OUR Miriam (though thankfully NOT kissing her) ...  AHHHH!!!  Over-protective side of me wants to take our little Miriam out of the class and never go back again.  Mama Bear side of me wants to hunt down the bully and his caregiver and do my best to strongly communicate the seriousness of the behavior of this little boy.  The compassionate side of me, wants to cry and pray for this little boy and his family... something has to be going on in his little world that is giving him all these crazy thoughts.

Now, just so you know - we are not purposely subjecting our daughter to this situation.  Thankfully the boy has been absent most classes (weird, huh?).  But, he did show up on Monday and Miriam using her 3 tools of shouting "NO!," telling the teacher, and shoving the bully if he got too close was able to get her point across and she was not scared in any way. 

Thankfully, Miriam is oblivious about the negative way this whole thing could go.  However, I AM going to seek out him and his caregiver on Wednesday (if they come) and do my best to communicate with them and I am praying that God will give me some insight how to love them and "help" in some way.

But even though I watch her like a hawk at her swim class we did give Miriam one more trick for her bag - a strong right hook, taught to her under strict rules, guidelines and direction from her father.  Heaven forbid, any bully ever tries something to touch our daughter, but Josh felt that [all girls] have the right to punch any threat when it comes to their body being violated, and I agreed, and so our 4 year old knows how to lay a punch. 

Don't worry about your children around our little girl though, she knows the rules really well and how the punch and the rules go hand in hand.    

I still don't know what to think about this though... at the age of almost 4, our self defense days are starting.

She followed that up with this...

"There are two kinds of people... those who blow their nose in the shower and admit it and those who blow their nose in the shower and don't admit it."

Do you blow your nose in the shower? 

Some people honestly do go and vote based on party, or based on anger, or based on fear, or based on big issues or small issues.  The important thing is that they vote but honestly, we all do so with some "thing" in mind.

I do blow my nose in the shower and here are my issues. 

My "x" is something that I hold incredibly important yet neither candidate really holds on their platform, bummer!

My "y" is something I have only recently gotten more passionate about about have actually written more letters to my legislators this last year than I have in my entire life.  It is something that is threatened under Candidate Fred and not under Candidate Larry.

My "z" is something that could go either way under Candidate Fred and under Candidate Larry it is a non-issue from what I can tell.

I keep looking at ALL the issues though, going around and around and around and I always end up back at these 3 issues.  The end result leads me to Candidate Larry but that still leaves me with questions about ALL the other issues but then I always go back to my 3... but then I think about all the other issues and some of them do really matter to me, but then I go back to my 3 heavy hitters and around and around and around and around... I'm dizzy!

Once again, I was comforted...

Some may trust in elections, some may trust in candidates... but we will trust, in the Lord our God!

I keep reminding myself that God did not promise us easy times here on earth and that there are no promises on tomorrow and I am hoping for the best but also prepared for the worst - and that goes no matter who is elected president.

What really matters, gentle readers, is that you vote.  Every vote does matter and count.**

*A friend's tweet led me to this post by John Piper, something to talk amongst yourselves.

** Hoping that your county auditor is doing their job, even when people say he isn't though he says he is and you really hope he is and knowing that his job is on the line during this election, and hoping he is honest in counting those votes too as everyone "says" he always files our votes late and then they don't actually count afterall... Oh, for the love!

Oh, and this is the closest I have or will ever get to writing a political piece on my blog.  Yucky!  Never doing this again!

Being our company's group administrator for our health insurance, I get to constantly deal with the little dogs.  I say little dogs NOT out of disrespect but because I honestly have to remind myself that the actual people I am talking with, arguing with, fighting against, grring over, are not the ones who came up with all the rules and fees and hoops.  They are the messengers, it is not their fault, the fault goes to the big dogs who wrote the obnoxious rules.

Though I generally find myself wanting to pull my hair out from the insanity I am hearing over the phone, I have now decided to take solace in imagining the people I am arguing as being real people, not mere puppets.  Taking on the form of The Office, I imagine them with break rooms and office romances and birthday cakes and protocols and maybe (if they are lucky) a boss who likes to write his own songs and poems for them.  They are the person with the policy binder and need to do exactly what the policy binder says for each exact situation and then go home.  (It is not so much as me being in the episode, as me watching an episode over the phone, so to speak.)

That, my friends, is when it dawned on me. 

I am sure you have been baffling it as well, but let me fill you in... it wasn't Jerry or Bill's fault the 2 Microsoft extended commercials were not all they should've been - it was the director and accidentally, The Office's fault.

I have only watched a handful of The Office but I have watched every single episode of Seinfeld, twice SO let me tell you, it wasn't Bill and Jerry's combo that was bad, it was their director who was out of the loop.  My guess is their director hadn't watched a Seinfeld episode or Jerry's stand up routine in a while and had fallen in love with The Office.  While The Office is absolutely beautiful with its dry sarcasm, it is not what Seinfeld episodes are made of and it lacks the quick humor, quick conversations, face paced action that is Seinfeld.  Yes, Seinfeld was a show about nothing, but that nothing came in a beautiful package.  Call me old fashioned, but I think most people were expecting a more developed Seinfeld-esque interaction.

I say, the Microsoft folks turn over the film to a new director, add and chop and slice and dice, and maybe film a couple more scenes and give 'er another shot.  The concepts for each of the videos are hilarious and have so much potential but in their current state they are incomplete!!  Double explanation point!!

Or, maybe like all things, it is time for Jerry to step down and pass the torch on to Steve Carell.  (Bill did an amazing job and it was wonderful to see him in a "natural" setting, so please keep him.)  Maybe it is time, like The Cosby Show, for now Seinfeld, to move over for the next guy / generation.

As for me, my life will continue as it's own episode of Seinfeld... where the nothing-ness of the everyday makes me giggle (and that is a hard thing to do).

OH!  And here are the videos from http://www.youtube.com/user/WindowsVideos so you can be the judge:

And...

I know, I know... we went over pet rules not too long ago, right?  And in there I said, "We do have this 'pet' home and so I figure we can continue to collect random creatures here and there and keep for 1 week and then release."  Welp, I stand before you eating my words.

THE STORY...
It was just after lunch and we were all helping finish up cleaning when my phone rang.  It was Josh, who was outside mowing.  It seemed all rather weird to me that he was calling from a distance of no greater than 15', so I picked up quickly, "Send Max outside with a container, quick!  I have a snake for him.  Quick!"

Without thinking I grab a container and Max and push them out the door, rambling something about a snake.  Zeke soon follows with a, "What?  What's going on?" and runs outside.  Miriam then follows with a, "I don't like snakes," and hugs me tight.

Miriam and I then proceed to watch through the window.  Josh, Max and Zeke are working together as 3 little boys trying to capture this baby garter snake, with all sorts of giggles and jumping backs and sticks to encourage the snake into the container and more giggles and jumps back and in the midst of all the giggles and excitement I then realize... This thing is coming in my house?!

They do catch the little guy and bring him quickly into the house and set him on the kitchen table to proudly show him to me.  The 2 boys are giddy with excitement and can't stop talking while Josh has to go back to the adult task of mowing.  I checked its markings to confirm it was only a garter snake.  I did remember my deal with the boys and I said if the snake is ok eating the protein-filled-dried-up-crickets, then he can stay for 7 days, otherwise, he's out sooner, as I didn't want him to die in our possession.  To which Zeke quickly replies, "That's perfect Mom because snakes eat only once every 5-7 days, so we'll definitely be keeping this guy a while!"  (What kinds of books does this guy read?)

We went online to the curious place that is Wiki, to find out what they eat and learn that they had recently been found to be contain a slight amount of venom, not enough to kill, just itch & swell.  Grand.  They also like their food alive, so I don't know if our dried-up cricket leftovers from the tree frogs will win him over and that means he will be evicted.

In any event, it is for the most part my fault this creature is in our home, living on a table in the living room, making my hair stand on end.  The boys have made him a perfect home and are doing a great job taking care of him.  They also continue to keep an eye on the dried-up cricket to see if it gets eaten so they can keep him longer than 5 days. 

His name is Snickers.  Not like the candy (they don't know what that is) but like to sneak which became sneaky which rolled off the tongue like sneaky-snicky which reminded them of  to snicker and to round it off Snickers. 

Snickers Cramer to be exact... their words, not mine.

(I love our kids!)

I know my old friend meant no harm by the question, but since they asked me that, I quote it often while I am running around juggling life... *sigh*... no truer words have ever been spoken.

Why do I forget to clean the downstairs bathroom?  Why is my laundry always in piles or baskets?  Why can my husband not find the matching black socks?  Why have I yet to respond to your emails or voice messages?  What do I do all day?

I train our kids in the way they should go so that when they are old they will not turn from it.

You want me to be specific?  Here it goes...

We spend time in prayer. 
We pray for our day, Dad's day, others's needs that we know of, then a few more times for our hearts to obey.  We pray often throughout our day as needs arise for others or ourselves.

We spend time in God's Word and in memorizing it. 
We have a Bible lesson plan we read with our kids, as well as have an extra devotional book called, "Leading Little Ones to God."  I know there are a lot of other great tools out there that I am sure many of you have found.  Tis true - it is way easier for a child to memorize a verse than an adult. 

We train ourselves to sit quietly. 
For us this means to sit still in silence, either on a chair (without a desk) or on a small blanket.  This is good not only for them to learn self control but also when we go to church or doctor's appointments or simply waiting in line at Wally-World.  This is nice for me so that I can read my devotions when I oversleep, which often happens!  Also, we do this during our day when one child needs specific direction for school work or whatnot, so needless-to-say, we practice this A LOT.

We work on those glaring character issues that would be so much easier to avoid. 
Not being bossy or being antagonistic or sharing or lacking self control or working with a joyful spirit or whatever, we put ourselves in positions when we can work on those specifics.  After a day like the other day, I would say that we work A LOT on character and wisdom.  This is another grand perk to home school as I can more quickly see an area we need to work on and then we can address said area.  (This also means that God works on my character a lot during each day!)

We home school.
We think our kids are (and want our kids to be) geniuses, but we do not live like that is the most important thing in the world or let that desire / pressure control our days.  In addition, we do not limit what they learn and if they desire more, or are capable of more, we happily cater their learning to that school subject.  We can move ahead in grades more without any interruption or social awkwardness too.

We go way above and beyond the state requirements for our boys who are school age but we do not put those specific requirements on our 3.5 yr old.  Granted, she learns A LOT through being around her boys schooling since she has to sit with us for reading times (her understanding of topics completely amazes me) but we subscribe to a little different thought on this topic of when to start school.

My point is, we are not trying to recreate public school in our home - our family's life mission statement is different than that.

We work on loving others more than ourselves and our schedule. 
This comes in being flexible.  Sometimes Dad has something we need to do for him, or sometimes there is a service opportunity or a moving family or a meal to be brought or a sick friend, and we are able to meet that need by being flexible in our days' schedule.  Again, we still meet the school requirements and we work on our character, but maybe we finish up later in the day than normal or start earlier than normal or whatever.  Again, my point, that we are not trying to recreate public school in our home.

We spend time in our community. 
While we do have to spend more actual time working on character and school this year than last, we still do our best to be out in our community through field trips, sports activities, etc.  Their timing in our days is later in the afternoons, but still possible and a great way to also see if the lessons learned at home work in the "real" world.  Sometimes this means we go through tough stuff too, like the other day at the park.  It was a tough and very scary experience for the kids and I, but at the same time, we learned a lot through the experience.

We work!
Wo/man does our house get messy in a day, half day, or even an hour!  The kids do chores both as a team and as an indivicual and we do them over and over and over, every day.  I must admit, our home is not nit-picky clean and that is due primarily to cleaning being a family activity not a mom-only activity.  I really had to come to grasp with it being ok that clothes weren't folded properly because it is more important that our child of 3 know how to fold clothes than fold without wrinkles.

We play!
We know how to play and play hard!  We get exercise, ride bikes, go to parks, design art projects, cook, garden, build airplanes, design cities, do puppet shows, write stories, sing songs then write lyrics of our own, design books, etc, etc, etc.  Suggestions from books or being creative as much as my brain can allow and then hopefully their creativity starts to piggy-back mine and we're off on some project or a field trip or whatnot.  We wrestle, tackle, create, destroy and create again.  Seriously, with 2 boys whose energy is endless and who learn so much better in doing rather than sitting, can you blame us?  It also helps that we have a little girl who is happy to do anything, from tea parties to dinosaurs and can go-go-go with the best of them.

All in all, we attempt to focus on character first and with that, the knowledge will come, and come more easily.  I am NOT saying we have the character thing down, far from it (we definitely understand our verb tenses and sentence structures better) but we are working toward those goals.

As our particulars, this is what works best for our family mission and our children.  As a principle, going before the Lord with our husbands to learn that mission statement is important.  There are families who live on a stop watch and others by the seat of their pants, those who never leave the house and others who spend time outside, all of whom love the Lord will all their heart, soul, mind and strength.  God calls us all to love Him first and love others second and then when we ask Him, He can show us what that looks like for our strengths and weaknesses, and to work through those strengths and weaknesses.

It would be so much easier if we as parents could coast through life, but we need to have our hearts ready to be shaped and molded along the way - God is not done with us either.

Our little guy is growing up so fast...

Zeke at 3 days and unless you are constantly around newborns, you quickly forget their cute grunts.

Then at six months, there are those cute, "Ahhhh-uuuuu's" just to melt your heart.

Ten months and counting, the rolling of the r's... such talent!

And before you know it, they have grown into an amazing young mini-man at the age of 8... full of passion and intelligence, full of love for their family and friends, full of hope and joy.

We love you Zeke!  We are so proud of you and all the ways you are choosing to follow the narrow path, one step at a time!

An aside: Now, one of the things the kids and I have done in the past when we get anxious in situations like this is sing this song taken from Psalm 20:7, "Some may trust in horses, Some may trust in chariots, but we will trust, in the Lord our God."  Then, we put our own spins on it, for example: during tornado warnings we sing, "Some may trust in shingles, Some may trust in houses, but we will trust, in the Lord our God."  Or when thinking about "scary things," "Some believe in ghosts, Some believe in monsters, but we will trust, in the Lord our God." 

Fast forward to a week or so ago... Laying down in bed one night, I was not worried per se, but thinking on a situation and just wondering if there was something else I could do to solve an immediate problem, go sleep at the location to prevent anything further from happening, add bigger locks, etc.

It was then, that I was reminded of the previously mentioned burglary and one part of the series of events... It was the day after their burglary, the husband had re-programmed the garage door (since the hooligans had stolen the garage door opener and spare car keys) and was in his house on the phone.  He then looked out his window to see his garage door opened and car gone.  The hooligans managed to get the garage door open and speed away in the car.*

Think about it... he was in his house, he had reprogrammed the garage door, AND YET the car was stolen.

This is a God-fearing couple, they had prayed over the situation a lot, they had done everything right to prevent further attacks AND YET the car was stolen. 

This ISN'T saying we shouldn't lock our doors or wear our seatbelts and this ISN'T saying we should not pray because everything is being carelessly weilded around by God, so who cares?  This IS saying, that when I lock my house at night, I do so trusting that God is who He says He is and He is in control and it always brings me back to God is God, omnipotent, loving, merciful, just (and so much more), and that He will work it for good (Rom 8:28 / my life verse).

So, last Sunday I was woken at 12AM to a police officer telling me our car parked on the street had its rear window busted out by hooligans.** Mind you, I was not happy it happened and our pocketbook was not happy it happened, but I realized that my response to the police officer must have shocked him as I was incredibly calm, trusting but not naive, faithfilled but not careless. 

Now that we have the car back with its fixed window (so crystal clear) and parked "safely" in our driveway (with its doors locked), I had the thought, "Is it really safe here?  Should we park it somewhere else, on another block?"***

And once again, I sang, "Some may trust in locks, Some may trust in driveways, but we will trust, in the Lord our God."

*Their car was later found!  (Though I had not read if the police gave it back to them yet.)

**

*** So you also know, though my husband shares my faith, he would like to find who did this and is prepared to have a stakeout and use the Buick as a decoy.  Any others can join him in this I am sure, :)!

Last week hanging out with some friends, the mom turned to our oldest and said something along the lines of, "When you go away to college how many pet lizards will you have [implying when you move out of your mother's house, since she does not like pets, you can have a pet.]?"

Our son gave her an odd look for a moment and some silence, then he started rattling off the pets he'd like to have someday.

Now, I knew he had never heard of the concept of living in a home different than his parents.  And, I know when it even comes to high school he is not looking forward to leaving his family for a school day.  But at the same time, this was the first time a thought of, "Oh, if I did leave my parents THEN I could have all the pets I want" had been introduced to him.  I know how much he wants a pet lizard and I honestly was a little scared for this new seed planted in his mind.  He's only almost 8, I am not ready for him to move out yet.

On Monday morning eating breakfast, he looked really downcast and finally said,
"Mom, I don't want to go to college." 
"Why not?" 
"Because then I'd have to leave my mom and my dad and I don't want to move away from you."
"[mama's heart breaking]"
"And you said I could have all kinds of pets when I am 20, so I will just wait until then!"
"That sounds great to me."

Very true, I did say that.  I say that a lot.  When they are 20 they will have the resources and skills needed to take care of a pet and I have said they can all get pets when they are 20. (Though, I can see on one lizard it might be when they are a little younger than 20, but I am not ready to confirm that yet.)

Most importantly, I was so thankful to know that he loves us more than his love of pets and that he loves us even though we have silly rules like eat your vegetables, no laughing in the bathroom, and no pets until you're 20, and other rules that others allow their kids to do that we don't, etc. 

*Sigh* I love our family too.

Today, started at 12AM with quiet knocking at our door.  Drugged up from allergy medication, I stumble in my skivvies to the door to find a police officer telling me our car window has been busted out.  I will write more on that later... but there started our first day of school! Hooray!

Zeke summed it up best, "This was the best day of school EV-ER!"  Sweeter words to a home schoolin' mama have never been spoken in our house!  I am COMPLETELY attributing it to all my dear friends praying for me and this day.  Keep it up friends, hopefully tomorrow we'll continue this trend!

After school we trekked it out to the garden for some carrots and onions.  I must say, I have been so impressed by our onions.  I learned this year that all I did last year for them was wrong and doing things right this year has produced amazing results.  They still range in size from big to small, but their flavor is unmatched by anything I have gotten at the store.  Yummy!

Here's our boy (who writes his own fashion codes, :)!) ...

Then, the kids saw that the brussel sprouts were ready for harvesting and wa-la, smiles and brussel sprouts... who knew!

Let's see what happens at 12AM tonight!  If tomorrow goes like today, I am not worried at all.

We don't want to be controlled by the food we eat or have it be our major priority in our lives.  We want God, our husband and kid(s) to be our top priorities.  If this (or other distraction thing: tv, olympics, etc.) becomes too big a distraction for any of us, I pray we notice it and take a few steps back and focus on the things that truly matter. 

We do however, want to be wise (and not live in fear) with our bodies (and our families bodies), our time and our budgets (we have been blessed with).

Truth be told, it's new and under construction and an experiment in progress... what fun! 

(And maybe if this works and serves a good purpose, we can get switched to Markup Factory, hooray!)

1. I am roughly paraphrasing here, but part of a husband's role is to cover his wife with the Word of God, teach her and admoish her, love her as Christ loves His church. 
2. Again roughly paraphrasing, listening to a teaching yesterday about the Holy Spirit's work in our lives can show itself in (he had 5 points) one of them being a spirit of gratefulness and thankfullness.
3. I have an amazing husband.

Today, about to leave for the garden, I was kind of bummed and really didn't want to go because it has been taken over by weeds, creepy crawly insects, bunnies, blight, etc.  I was expressing this to Josh before heading out and he gently and lovingly brought me back to a spirit of gratefulness and thankfulness with simple words of Truth. 

Wo/man, did that do my soul good!  It took me out of a pit of destruction and into a spirit of thankfulness and a wonderful commune with God.  It also made me thankful, once again, for the amazing man God has given me that knows what to say to encourage me in a path of righteousness, not grumpiness.

And then, this is what I brought home...

First off, this is amazing and it is downright s-t-u-p-i-d for me to complain here.  (If only you could see how deep each of the bowls are!)  Second, this does not count all the frozen veggies still in my freezer, the countless tubs of salsa in the freezer and in our tummies, and the countless meals I have already made.  Third, this does not include the onions or carrots we harvested and all the hundreds of everything that still remains waiting to be picked.  I may have lost the battle with the beans, zucchini, corn, cucumbers & edamame, but really, I have so much to be thankful for this garden!

Hmmm... just so you know, regarding the whole crashing van into garage thing, worrying, being grumpy, etc... I do have a lot of joyful times as well, I tend to learn a lot from my mistakes so I write them out here.  (I keep most of the joyful goody-goody stuff in a seperate offline journal, :)!)

I tried to explain that fact to our oldest son the other day as he was asking me why we had so many "strange" rules... so I explained to him when I was a child we had all kinds of "strange" rules...

1. No using the front door - ever
2. No shoes in the house - ever
3. No food in the living room - ever
4. No rough-housing in the living room - ever
5. 5 min. showers
6. Toss dishwater outside
7. Don't spend any money...etc, etc, etc.

(I add the ever because, these were the strictest of rules imagineable and ones that you wouldn't dare break... unless you were home alone from school and then after breaking said rules you'd clean like mad to hide all evidence... sorry Mom!)

Now, as an adult, I understand all these rules and they make perfect sense... back door saves wear on the nice carpet by front door, shoes are dirty, food always ends up in cushions, couches last longer when not jumped on, water saved, less liquid in septic tank, and good money management.  All logical.

It is my turn to have the "strange" rules and my favorite... No laughing in the bathroom.

Why?  When laughing in the bathroom occurs, accidents happen, water gets spilled or, as was the case a little while ago... toothbrushes end up in the toilet. 

One kid starts getting goofy, the other follows suit, the giggles commence, things start getting thrown and wa-la, the open toilet lid (another rule that was broken in the course of the goofiness) makes a perfect basketball hoop for your brother's toothbrush.  Laughing can take place other places, but not in the bathroom.

"Stranger" rules have been broken, my son... just imagine what rules you'll create someday.

It all started with a brilliant idea to go to the beach - 94 degrees out, 105 heat index, perfect beach day.  All loaded and ready to go, I start to pull the van out of the garage... SCREEEEECCCCHHHH, CRAAASSSSSHHH, CHHUUUUNNNCCCK!!!!!!!

That was the sound of me crashing my van into the 1/2 open garage door... needless-to-say, I busted the garage door and scratched up the van something nice too.  The garage door was stuck about 4' open and wouldn't budge.

Slightly daunted, I begin working to fix the broken garage door, hammering out the metal frame, having a child crying/fussing around me because they want to go to the beach, another child running to bring me tools, and another child singing me songs that it is going to be all right.  At this same time, the mail lady comes and the kids rush to get the mail from her and hand it to me while I have a crowbar in one hand and a hammer in the other.  Me, in my brilliance, toss the mail ON TOP OF the van.

The mom responsibility of the fussiness takes priority over fixing the door.  Then, during that, Miriam steps on an old 80's earring of mine and the whole thing goes in her foot and gets stuck.  Then, I have to call our doctor and find out if her tetnus is up to date.  Then, double checking everyone's hearts/attitudes to make sure we're all ok.  Then, we go back to fixing the garage door... it works, dented/askew but works.

For some crazy, next move of brilliance, I decide we should still head to the beach.  After an hour there it strikes me like a bolt of lightning - I left the mail ON TOP OF the van when I pulled out of the driveway. AHHHH!  In our current day of ID theft and knowing we had some important stuff in the stack, I was getting worried, very worried.

To calm down before we left the beach I was praying the mail would be safe, but I also pulled out my bible to read because I needed truth.  It was the story of King Josiah and the final kings before exile to Babylon and then God calling them back to Isreal.  I was comforted by these stories in so many ways but mostly because of how much they display the character of God.

Even with the Word fresh in me, the drive home was long and I still struggled to pray and trust God and to not worry and not freak out, I grunted in frustration at myself, kept asking why... "Why what Mom?"  My humbling... so wrapped up in my worries, I had 6 little eyes and 6 little ears watching and listening to my every move.  We have been working with one chlid in specific in not worrying and trying to equip them but it wasn't quite sinking in yet but now, here was Mom - worrying.  What a perfect time to teach them how to respond in the right way to worry through mom's example - true brilliance, God ordained.

I started by having us all pray for the situation and for us to trust God no matter what.  Then I began reciting outloud verses about trusting God, not worrying, God's goodness in all things and had the kids tell me some of their favorites.  Then, we started singing songs of truth about God being in control.  By the time we got to home, my heart was calmed down and at peace and ready to deal with what should come next and the kids got to watch Mom step by step respond to worry.

And the mail? Yes, the mail was scattered and run over, all over our very busy street, but we found most of it.  We didn't find the wedding invite I knew we had received, but I am so thankful for what we did find.  And in the mix, I got to share my story of trusting God with my neighbor as the kids and I walked up and down the street.

Though the van, garage door and mail all have their scars of the days drama, the kids came away unscarred and with a honest to goodness example.  So much of parenting is object lessons and the funny thing is that object is generally you.

UPDATE!  Comments fixed!  Yeah!

One of the things I did not realize ages ago when we decided to homeschool was the full cost financially.  One of those, "Oh yeah," kind of things.  No matter what the cost, we know that homeschooling is what is best for our children and are willing to make it work to meet the needs BUT I just had a brilliant idea for anyone else who wants to do this in the future that have little ones not ready for "school" yet. 

My advice... Start saving now for your school books.  It could be something little, $5-10/mo but put it in a specical "savings" place marked for school.  Or, you could start thinking now how much you will budget in the future for homeschooling and use that amount.  Whatever the size, it is worth it.

We budget for our books every year and for each homeschooling family this budget varies depending on what curriculum you are using, how many kids you have, formalized curriculums are more expensive than do-it-yourself curriculums, workbooks have to be bought new each year, if you can find books used or only brand new, etc.  The variables are endless but the result is the same, it will cost some $.

If you were to start saving just a bit now, while you cutie(s) are 1 or 2 or 3, when it does come time to start your first year of homeschooling, you will be ever so blessed and prepared.

1. I do NOT like bugs
2. I am not a pet person

Our children are another story and I am convinced that they will become zoologist / entomologist / veterinarian geniuses.

I realized lately, that my fear of animals was having a strange reaction on the kids.  All summer Zeke has been reading books on various animals as pets and how to care for them.  Max has been trying to capture any animal he can have within arms reach and immediately bring them home.  Miriam is, well, a little Elmyra, "I'm gonna hug you and kiss you and love you forever!"

Watching Miriam's interactions with a friend's cat made me realize something... even though she is still excited around cats, she is not as over exhuberant as she first was and she is learning to be more gentle.  (Baby steps mind you, she still wants to carry them around like a doll, but she is slowly learning.)  Then, the boys had a rough run in with a friend's frogs.  Then, they had a fair but bit crazy interaction with someone's dog.  Then, I actually let them catch a tadpole and it died within the half hour.  Something had to be done.. and it had to be done by this mama.

What's a non-pet appreciating mama to do?  Go to Grandpa & Grandma's house in the country and bring home some "pets."  Enter Jack, a dark green tree frog, Joe & Joe, twin light green tree frogs, and Toady, a toad.  No bigger than a dime apiece, we made them a home out of a gallon water bottle and duct tape and some holes and wa-la - pets!*

However, after one night, the non-pet appreciating mama was worried the "pets" would escape so they went to the *gasp* pet store to *gasp* get a home and moss and a log and food for these creatures under their care.  Once in their new home, the kids were enjoying watching them jump and play up close, they were learning about animals and animal care and to be gentle and the non-pet appreciating mama was doing ok.

The next morning... 1, 2, 3... where's Jack?

Looking closely at the pets' new home, I spied moss particles on the sides of one thin slit as if a tiny tree frog squeezed his little body to slide right through and wiped off some moss along the way. 

I cleaned the house like mad - no Jack.

Then Max (& Josh) brought home a snail and a slug.  However, non-pet appreciating mama had no isses with these guys since she knew they could not escape.  Before too long, the kids had forgotten about Jack (or was it a Joe?) and were completley enjoying their cornucopia of animals.

Ten days have passed now and the snail and slug met an early demise, as we found out too late how to care for them.  The tree frogs are both dark green now and no longer jump and play and have fun... it's as if they feel like caged animals.  The toad just sits under the log which seems like something a toad would do.  Needless to say, they are going to all be released into the wild soon.

Today, I found Jack.

Stretched out flat, the dried up, shell of a tree frog, was laying on the basement floor by the drain.  My only guess is he was hiding in the drain for a while but with no food source, he finally leaped out of the drain, took his last breath, stretched out and died.

Moral of the story?

We do have this "pet" home and so I figure we can continue to collect random creatures here and there and keep for 1 week and then release.  They are then happy to not be held for too long, the kids are happy they got to watch and learn to care for the animal for a while, and the non-pet appreciating mama is happy when the pets leave.

*As for the whole ethical, catching a wild creature debate?  Um... we'll save that for another day... we'll let good kids be good kids today.

Let's get down to brass tacks shall we...

I do not like the taste of coffee... addict or snob?

I never have liked the taste of coffee and don't think I ever will.  It has always smelled delicious to me, but the taste is something I have never actually "enjoyed."  Even flavored coffees, which smell even yummier, the taste simply masks the inevitable bitterness that is coffee that I don't like.  So when I drink coffee it is not for taste... addict or snob?

For me, feeding my addiction is more important than what I feed it with.  It does not matter to me where the coffee came from, cheap or expensive, caff or decaff, dark, cream, black, sugar, flavored, or whatever, I will happily drink any coffee served me... addict or snob? 

There is one place that we have been served by far, the world's worst coffee, which was basically water not coffee, and someone I know won't drink their coffee, while I still do without problems... addict or snob?

I don't always drink coffee with cream.  Sometimes I will get a nasty cup of gas station coffee and drink it black or a really expensive cup and drink it filled with cream.  It simply depends on my mood that day, how I want my addiction to comfort me, etc, etc, etc... addict or snob?

Finally, look at the facts... I own a $5 coffee maker and I only buy cheap coffee beans or what's on sale and I honestly don't know how to make a good pot of coffee and I "wing it" every time... addict or snob?

HOWEVER...

I am a total espresso snob.

I will call any bean junk that makes a cruddy espresso because seriously, if you are going to drink/make espresso, it helps to be a snob. 

I can say that because I honestly used to not be a snob in this area.  With our old espresso maker, I would use whatever and not care.  With our new one I have used whatever and then, we found an amazing source for fresh roasted beans that create delicious espressos and I have been ruined for all other beans, nothing compares.

Mike, owner of Capanna Coffee Company, roasts amazing beans and after using those in our wonderful Gaggia Espresso Machine (that the Cramer Dev employees got us for a gift, so nice!), I am a firm believer on the value of a good roast and good grind in order to get perfect crema.  I am a total espresso snob.

It is not that I won't use other beans now and then when in a pinch but unlike bad coffees, I will care and can totally tell the difference.  I will still drink it (thanks to my addiction) but will really be grossed out the whole time.  Bad coffee I will drink and still not care... addict or snob?

Am I a coffee snob?  There is 1 vote for yes and 1 vote for no.  Every vote counts and no offense taken! 

Honest.

Update:  Josh will be writing up a side on this debate.  Unfortunately for me, he makes some good points, :)!

In reality, our garden (and lots of those arounds ours) has been ravaged by bunnies.  They, the bunnies, have had no qualms about eating our edamame (soybeans), beans, peas, broccoli, and the occassional cherry tomatoes.  However, even with this sna-fu, I am still hopeful and still enjoying the fruits of our labors.

Let me show you where we've been...

The above left is our garden upon returning from vacation.  The whole thing looked like a big grass field.  It took 3 days of continual weeding to unearth...

Can you see the difference on the right?  You are looking at cauliflower in the foreground, peppers, broccoli, behind broccoli are beans that I have yet to weed as a possible way to keep the bunnies from finding all the beans.  The broccoli and cauliflower are the final ones left.  Our freezer is full of these two veggies and they look sparce due to the bunnies' tummies.

(Left) L to R, carrots (with chives in between), kohlrabi in front with brussel sprouts behind.  (Right) Ignore the weed, but this is how brussel sprouts grow... who knew!

Pretty Kohlrabi, tastes like a hard cabbage.

(Left) It's not zucchini, but winter squash.  They aren't dead yet and there is one tiny veg. growing.   (Right) Close to far, squash leaves, pepper plants, garlic (the yellowing ones), onions (the tall green ones).

About 4" across, a yellow onion, very happy.  Yup, onions grow out of the ground.  Crazy but true!  Garlic looks similar but grows under the ground.  The garlic's green stems go to yellowish brown when they are done and the onions go to brown when done.  Again, crazy!

(Left) Hiding in the tall grass is my cantaloupe on the left.  For some reason, I have convinced myself that the tall grass will help defend from squash bugs.  Stranger things have happened. 

(Right) All these tomato plants and eggplants and pepper plants are ones I planted wayyyy to early but they are all doing fair.  Smaller than normal, but fair.

(Left) Foreground are my 3 purple cabbages that have finally started to make heads.  The weeds on the top left are hiding what is left of my pepper plants.  Eaten almost entirely by bunnies.  On the upper right are completely demolished edamame/soybean plants.  They have been systematically chopped off at the exact height all the way down the planted line.  The dirt behind them are where there were more plants that got eaten and we dug up to attempt to replant.  *Sigh*

(Right) To the left are more bean plants half eaten by bunnies that I am attempting to hide in grassy weeds.  On the right are happy eggplants.

(Left) Here is the tomato patch I planted later.  It is big and beautiful and doing great!  They are very dense and have much foliage.  I kept picking out the sucker stems and the plants really liked that.  Now, if they would only turn red, :)!

(Right) This is it... the whole lot.  I do indeed believe that this year has been much more difficult than last year.  I am learning a lot, which I will post later.  But in case you were wondering how things were going... there you go.  ;)!

*In the story, The Tale of Peter Rabbit.

Here is my fish story...

After having the one and only restful morning of our vacation (ie all the boys out doing restful fishing on the boat while Miriam and I drank coffee, read the Word, watched birds, and swung on the air chair), when the boys came back my father-in-law (aka Grandpa, aka Mark) was itching to go do it again, this time with just Miriam and I. 

We were walleye fishing, which I hear, means a lot of waiting.  We had been out for a while and Grandpa kept saying, 10 more minutes.  Miriam had caught some sunnies and was d-o-n-e, done.  She sat on my lap facing me and was hugging me while I continued to sit and hold my 6lb test line with a big ole night crawler on the end.

Since we were fishing for walleyes, Grandpa had coached me how to notice their bite vs. another fish's bite.  Finally, I thought I had something and responded accordingly and Grandpa was quickly telling Miriam to stand up because Mom had a bite.  It took a lot of coaxing since Miriam was d-o-n-e, done.

Standing up, I had to jam the pole into my hip to keep from losing it into the water as I was pulled all around the boat.  Mark coached me through the whole event, which I could not have done without him.  It was a northern (pike) and they have sharp teeth.  They like to bite through lines but since I had him on the side of his mouth, there was no biting my line off, I merely had to hope my 6 lb line would hold with the drag it was previously set on for walleye fishing.  The fish made 5 runs on me, to the left and right, left and right, and finally under the boat, the battle seemed to last forever.  Miriam was bouncing around me, still d-o-n-e, done, and trying to hold my leg.  The fish was not going to give up but neither was I.

Finally, Mark got the fish in the net and set it in the boat and I screamed like a little girl.  I couldn't tell if my screams were from excitement, the size of the fish or (most likely) the fact that I was so afraid it was going to bite Miriam or I with its big teeth.

It took a while for me to calm down and begin fishing again.  Within 10 minutes I snagged my second fish, a 19" walleye.  Not as exciting (though rather unconventional) but still a good catch.  Grandpa could've fished all day after that excitement but like I said before Miriam was d-o-n-e, done.

So here it is, the fish and I with my father-in-law for extra encouragement.  These are slimy fish and again, the teeth.  3 noteable fish caught in my life, 2 attempts at fishing over 5 years, I figure it is ok to be proud this time.  I can't wait to see what I catch in another 5 years...

And though it is a little fuzzy, my truthful face while holding the fish...

So our van, in it's day of 1993, was the bomb and tripped out with all kinds of novelties, one of which is the gem that is it's gas mileage gauges*. 

It has...

1. A trip meter
2. An average miles per gallon (mpg) meter
3. A second by second mpg meter
4. An average miles left in tank meter

What does this mean? 

It means brilliance!  Josh and I have decided that if all cars made had these gems of features, people would save a ton of money and there would be a lot less speeding.  It means a challenge!  You can moment by moment tell how much gas you are using and work your speed to get more out of each gallon.  It means we love our van!  Didn't see that one coming did ya?  It means that east coast senator isn't smoking crack!  The one who said we need to research making the speed limit 55mph again... yea, that guy, he may be onto something.

Our favorite meter is the one that does the second by second mpg.  When you go up hills it goes way down, 18- mpg, when you go down hills it goes way up 44+ mpg.  Now for the averages...

If I travel 55-60 mph I get 35-40 mpg.  If I travel 65-70 mph I get 25-30 mpg.  If I travel 70-72 I get 22-23 mpg.  If I travel 75+ I get 18- mpg and a possible ticket.  AND If I travel behind a big truck at 70-72 mph (and as proven I hear on Myth Busters) I get 44-49 mpg.

I worked the system our whole 1815 mile trip.  Well... except this one point, after we drove from MN to IA and I was then driving back up to MN.  I started getting grumpy, and well, started driving a bit faster and ruined my average down to 22.8 mpg.  BUT I made up for it on our drive home and by the end of our trip we had a 23.0 mpg average on our cherry of a 1993, 6 cylinder minivan... amazing! 

We also decided that we needed to install an optional paddle boat type of pedal system that is installed into each seat's flooring so that when we are doing things like going up hills we can flip out the pedals for one and all to help out get some additional power going to stop the general decline in mpg that inevitably happens on hills.

We came up with a few other brilliant ideas but they are true brilliance and well, we're gonna save those for another day's business adventure.

All in all, this only truly proves one thing... we love our van!

Again, didn't see that one coming did you?

*Since we just replaced the battery before our trip we know they were all recently reset.  HOWEVER, this all assumes that gauges are accurate which really, who knows... but we're pretty sure they are.  AND, this is still low gas mileage compared to our Camry which got, no joke, 40 mpg on road trips!

Once we entered the great state of Minnesota, I was noticing this trend among interstate/highway drivers.  First, people were driving under the speed limit, in both right and left lanes.  Then, I noticed this continual habit to have a clump of cars and trucks all huddled in both lanes, for no road construction reason.  The amazing frequency of these two eventsmade me ever so curious.

I caught up to the front of one of these clumps and realized that they were caused by a single person, driving the exact speed limit in the left lane, and staying there.  And nothing, I mean, nothing, was going to get them out of that left lane.  Even without anyone in the right lane, they were staying put.  I then started noticing that it was generally the folks from other states that would finally pass the left lane driver. 

Now, in our household, one of our members, continually comments on midwestern behaviours... like, not taking the last piece of food, dessert, main dish, whatever... at least not without a lot of "no you take it's."  The tendency then to allow someone to drive in the left lane on the interstate when they are not passing must be another midwest trait.  However, I have only seen the intense appeal to do this happening in MN and since I have listened to way too many Prairie Home Companions, it could be truth.

Whenever I have listened to GK and his news from Lake Whoa-be-gone(sp), ignoring the obvious negative implications he adds, he paints MN (and a lot of times specifically MN Lutherans) in very considerate, sacrificing images.  I can only imagine how the act of allowing someone to drive in the left lane would be a not-wanting-to-hurt-feelings activity and those who do this random act of driving in the left lane being the why-keep-switching-lanes-and-confusing-people activity.  Both acts for the betterment/love of others.

Upon speaking of this phenomenom with my MN native husband, he confirmed it going way back to his youth and memories of his mother, driving slower on purpose to avoid the clumps, while his father would drive in the clumps and manuver his way in and out.  I surveyed MN relatives and they said it was because the right lane is more bumpy than the left, which I would agree with however, does that truly justify the act?

For all the kindness AND because I am not a MN native AND since I have recently been reformed on not (always) swinging wide, I can't help but think this is another inappropriate driving act that should be avoided and needs it's own driving law diagrahms to support.

I'll get right on that after I recover from this vacation.

(*Oh, and this is Dana, logged in as Josh, :)!)

In the beautiful words of her father, she is home with Jesus.  In the sweet words of my son, she has her new body.  In the words of a good friend, she has received her reward.  In the words of our Lord, she has literally crossed over from death to life.

I know that she is in heaven kickin' it with the Lord.  I know that she is no longer in any pain, the cancer is gone and now she has her new body that can dance forever and never tire.  I know that God works all things for good for those who love God.  I know that heaven is like no place on earth.  I know that she would rather have us rejoicing and not experiencing the pain of mourning.  I know it is a time for celebration of her life but right now - it hurts.

I know that God weeps with us...

John 11:30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him. 31 Then the Jews who were with her [Mary] in the house, and consoling her [over the death of her brother Lazarus], when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."

33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, 34 and said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see." 35 Jesus wept.  36 So the Jews were saying, "See how He loved him!" 37 But some of them said, "Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?" 38 So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb.

Say all the jokes about the shortest verse in the Bible, but knowing that Jesus wept has comforted me as I continue to do so.  Jesus, who knew what He was going to do next, had compassion on Mary's loss of her brother.  He knows our sorrows and grieves with us.  It is good for us to weep and mourn.

I was also struck by something that JW said at church on Sunday that reminded me of the first part of the story when Jesus meets Martha, Mary & Lazarus's sister on the road...

John 11:17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four  days. 18 Now Bethany  was near Jerusalem, about two  miles off; 19 and many of the  Jews had come to Martha  and Mary, to console them concerning their brother. 20 Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house. 21 Martha then said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 "Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." 23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24 Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?" 27 She said to Him, "Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world." 28 When she had said this, she went away and called Mary her sister...

Led by the Holy Spirit, Jesus always knew how to appropriately respond to everyone.  He responded perfectly to meet Martha's needs.  He responded perfectly to meet Mary's needs.  He responds perfectly to meet our needs.  And oh, how we need the Holy Spirit to show us how to respond to the needs of those around us during this time of loss on this earth.

May you continually be being filled with the Holy Spirit as you mourn the loss of our friend.  May her legacy speak of the hope that we share.

Saturday, the Bovey's let us shower and fed us yummy coffee, we took care of a few loose ends and made our way back to the office, and heard word that our building was set to be sandbagged Monday. I continued to work in the back room and front office, lifting up more things above 3', clearing out drawers, anything, to get it up and safe. Friends came to help in the heaviest lifting part and the office was as ready as it was going to be (and the employees still able to work in case nothing happened). Then, I worked late into the night migrating info from one server to another, a mundane task but important, never the less.

Sunday, we did more migrating and prep work and then we worked to figure out if it was ok to leave (a huge storm was moving in) to go get our cuties, it was so we left (the storms center thankfully went south of IC).  We got our cuties and enjoyed a wonderful Father's Day brunch and oh, how we missed them... *sigh*

True, I didn't get much done on my list; however, the things I DID do on my list, flood activities and helping others, were by far the most rewarding things. All the other stuff, eh, it'll get done, the kids will be a part and it'll be good, goofy, fun and, I'm sure, character building for all of us.

(While driving I had heard Culver say that the damage to farmlands were in the billions and driving 80, I could totally see that... on the news they said the flood has destroyed 20% of Iowa's corn and soybean production... wow.)

In case you were wondering what I have been up to since our cuties left for Minnesota on Wednesday afternoon...

Wednesday afternoon, I sandbagged a client's office and our internet node for 4 hours (we were told to double our height from the day before), met up with Josh and we then sandbagged out at Normandy Drive until dark (unfortunately the levee did not hold and folks were eventually evacuated at 2AM that night).

Thursday, I sandbagged for 6 hours at the one, main water well that supplies IC's drinking water (they had to build their wall from it's 3' level to 7'6" which means that not only do you build taller but for every 1' up you have to make it 3' wide), went to visit a dear friend who was in town for a very short visit (I love you friend!), ran a myriad of errands for CIT (oddly enough, Qwest going down has been good for our business), helped evacuate friends and friends of friends from Hawkeye Court. I also went grocery shopping and stocked our house with tons of food so that if someone(s) need anything and things go from bad to worse, our house is ready for use on the East side (call me if you need help and are stranded on the east side).

Friday, I got cracking early, packed up 3 days worth of gear (for our next adventure), did taxes and deposits and paychecks early (our bank was under 3' of water but thankfully our branch was up and running), continued to evacuate people from Hawkeye Court and move them into their new temp housing (the parking lot went from no water to half full of water since the night before, folks had to be out by 4PM today)...

ran errands for CIT, and began to clean and lift up equipment and other gear off the floor and up no less than 3' in the CIT office (we could get flooded by the below creek that is causing all sorts of havoc when it reaches the Iowa River or may loose power due to other flooding nearby, please pray neither of these things happen).

Josh (and Dan) are working on a new blog to chronicle all this fun at www.iowaunderwater.com.

Some things are obvious when you are a full time, stay-at-home mom, like getting a haricut. Other things may not seem so obvious, like learning to swim. It is not that these things can't be accomplished with children present either, but for me, if things require too much planning I just forego it and well, it doesn't get done.

Here's my initial list, you are welcome to add more. Sadly, weather will play a big part in my final decisions and these are not necessarily ordered on importance.

1. Get a haircut
2. Finish the basement exterior door
3. De-weed the retaining walls
4. Paint the exterior of the house
5. Re-do the landscaping around the house
6. Fix the "eave situation"
7. Insulate the attic
8. Spend the whole day weeding at the garden
9. Learn how to swim
10. Paint the living room
11. Add an exhaust vent to upstairs bathroom
12. If office floods, do whatever it takes to help
13. See if I can go on a long bike ride
14. Clean and take a load to the garbage dump
15. Power wash the exterior of the house
16. Clean out the stubborn downspout
17. Plant prairie grasses in front yard hill
18. Babysit or help out my friends around me
19. Convince my rock climbing friends to take me rock climbing
20. Attempt to find a pair of jeans that fit (or dare I say, a swim suit)

Out of all of these, I think my haircut and finishing the basement door are the two things I will definitely do. I don't know which of anything else would be the most important so I need to get some input on what next and obviously, weather plays a big role in this.

One thing I think I will definitely be doing the whole time is missing our cuties something fierce. They mean the world to us/me and wo/man, I would rather have a day of complete insanity with them, then to be without any one of them.

It's starting to grow!

My hopes are not too high yet, but seeing the spring onions coming up strong and the lettuces making headways, I am getting a little excited. I need to spend a good 4 hours weeding, but other than that, all is doing well... well, as long as the ants don't destory everything. I need to research what possible injustices they can do and if I can do anything to prevent it. I am trying to spend as little as possible on the lot this year and use additives at a minimum, so we shall see.

(What are you looking at? From front to back, left to right: carrots, chives, lettuce (3 kinds) brussel sprouts, kohl rabi, onions (3 kinds), garlic, leeks, cabbage, broccoli, peas, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, basil, marigolds (5 planted all early I know, so we'll see, they are all in the first bed of straw you see.), more peas and onions, spinach, cauliflower, peppers, broccoli (3 all in the second bed of straw), purple cabbage, peas. We have yet to plant squash, zucchini, cucumbers & oregano, beans and edamame (in succession), corn, more tomatoes & basil, peppers, eggplants. We will plant one more succession of peas, broccoli, spinach, cauliflower and cabbage as all this cold weather they should still fair I hope!)

Out in the world, ie Iowa, both parties have noticed that the majority, say 85% of people swing wide, from regular Iowan folks, other state visitors to police, while few people actually turn into the closer lane first (Especially noticed on one ways).

The closer lane first party did their research and happily found out that indeed, the driving code says to yes, pull into the closer lane first, then move over as per General Lane Use.

They did not have an image to support this correct way to drive, so the loser of this discussion has kindly made two images to support the winner's point. Original image credit to the folks at the folks who made the booklet, the loser hopes not to get into trouble by using their images, she hopes they will appreciate that she will drive properly from now on...

I am the farthest person from a sports/exercise enthusiast, but it has been a lot of fun continuing with weight lifting (since our trip rock climbing ) as a regular part of my week. And this whole weight lifting thing is ACTUALLY helping reduce some signs of aging. It has been helping my posture and subsequently my back and spine issues and subsequently my chronic jaw problems. (Wo/man, I never thought anything would help there.) Everyday things, mowing the lawn, lifting groceries or kids or cars, well, maybe not cars, but all are so much easier as well.

I decided I needed another goal so I wouldn't stop lifting weights or exercising in general, and that turned to running. (Again, we walk like crazy around here, I enjoy my nordic trac and our videos, but none of that is actually consistent and driven.)  I figured, these bones could benefit from it, so I went for it and MY has it helped more than I imagined. I am no prize runner, but I also, never thought I could do it.

An aside: If I was to make a list of things I really do not like it would go in this order: bugs, running, filing taxes, socks with sandals, etc. I have tons of friends and family who run and have run for years and whenever they mentioned running I would physically shutter and maybe, or maybe not, say something bad about running, depending if I can hold my tongue that day or not. Why? Because in my mind, running is by far the most painful experience/exercise known to my body and henceforth, s-u-c-k-s.

I realized that running, and subsuquently most exercise in general, for normal people whose bodies aren't built like atheletes or who don't enjoy sports (like me), it is all about stubborness.

There are a lot of times when stubborness is a bad thing... a child not wanting to leave a store, an adult refusing to stop doing something bad for themselves, a donkey that won't move, etc. But in exercise and healthy eating, stubborness and sticking to your guns even when you don't want to because, darn it, you're gonna do it, is good because those things are good for you.

It is also a lot about sacrifice. Having watched friends do these things over the years I imagined it would be near impossible for me, a stay at home mom type who will not fork over money for a gym membership, to make it work. But thankfully due to a very supportive husband and very active kiddos always ready for long bike rides & runs and the o-dark-thirty visits to the free gym and having a great friend who is a personal trainer in training, it is doable. I definitely don't give exercise the best of me or my day, but it does eek out it's part and it's part is definitely making this whole aging thing much nicer.

Today I am 64 / 2. I used to think this was older, but now, I am following in the footsteps of all those ahead of me and saying, "It's not old... you are only as old as you feel."

Hmmm... maybe saying that statement and believing it is the true test of ones age?

*Taken from the Beatles song "When I'm 64," for you youngins out there, ;)!

I share these things, primarily to point out that we in our house are not perfect. We strive to live like Christ and to raise our kids to love and fear Him, but again, life is not perfect and insanity happens and sometimes I think, it is good to share with others views into that insanity, the good, the bad and the ugly because then they are comforted in some strange way? (Or maybe it is me appreciating that others have hard days like me too and sometimes their lives aren't as peachy as we think they are?)

The Good...
I took all 3 cuties to the post office on the final day of taxes and sent off a handful of filings certified mail. I knew the line would be long and it would take a long time. I prepped the kids as much as I could and we went in. They all 3 sat on a bench while I waited in line. Half hour into it, I was finally at the front and the kids weren't getting goofy yet, but I could sense they were close.

I said, "Cramers, come please." And all 3 immediately got up and filed in under the counter I was standing at, put their backs against the counter and stood there quietly while I finished my business. The looks on the faces of the other adults in line made me do a double take. I actually saw mouths drop in all the adults in the room when the kids obeyed so quickly, quietly, completely and cheerfully.

The Bad...
While writing out the story of how great the boys do on bike rides, I was reminded of how it took a long, long time to get that way. In those days of early training wheels, the child has to stay right at my side while on their bike so they could learn the rules. (And I walk quickly, so on training wheels, it really isn't that bad.)

One day, coming home from the library, a child on training wheels came out from under my side and, disobeying, on purpose took off on their little bike. (A little kid on a little bike does not look up when riding, but looks down to see just how fast their little feet are moving.) That child plowed head strong into a pedestrain. After making sure the pedestrain was ok, we moved to a place to sit to get things situated and the child went into a full blown temper-tantrum. Still being over a mile from home, I ended up having to call Josh from work to pick us up because there was no other option to get us home. That was a rough one day and there were many others like it but we continued to work hard at it until now, it is a non issue for the boys. (Now, we'll see how Miriam fairs.)

The Ugly...
While celebrating Miriam's 3rd Birthday, I got sidelined. Remember how we took the bus to the mall that day? And remember how it was a day of celebration! Celebrating a little girl's 3 years of life. Oh joy! What fun! Let's do what you want to do! Let's go play and eat! Let's celebrate... the child!

What I failed to realize until it was too late, was that deep in our kids' minds they started losing focus and slowly, their focus was off of everything else and soley aimed at "them." Their universes experienced a Big Bang theory and in the middle of that day of fun I was standing in a store and had 3, yes all 3, kids screaming and crying and having major meltdowns and no car to leave in.

I assume the standard initial response could have been, "What? You have done all kinds of exciting things today, things you wanted to do, and here you are all having temper tantrums? That doesn't seem fair to me."

But that was not my initial thought. I knew better and outside of the obvious praying for patience and longing for a car, I thought, "I was blindsided. I should]]> Wed, 07 May 2008 21:59:45 CDT noreply@cramer5.markupfactory.com (Dana Cramer) And I thought I was just afraid of bugs.

Case in Point #1: Last year we put up a bird feeder outside out kitchen table window, thinking we could watch sweet little birds eat seeds while we eat. Cute right? Well, then the birds decided that the place for food was SO nice that they would live on top of the food they so enjoyed and they turned our bird feeder into a bird house. We tried emptying the feeder multiple times of it's grassy contents and fill it full of food, but to no avail. The birds deemed it better a home then a grocery store. Once winter started, we got rid of the bird feeder/house.

Case in Point #2: Last year Josh's RAV, which sits in the driveway, had bird poop all down the side door. We assumed a bird was sitting on top of his car and happened to just poop there, or perhaps it was sitting on the electric wires above his car? We had to wash his car more than normal, but no biggie, it didn't last the whole year.

Case in Point #3: Thanks to our roof leaking this past winter, the excess water made itself a nice hole in our soffit. It was no big deal, it wasn't too big but then as spring neared the birds started coming back... and well, they wanted their house back. Instead, they decided to start picking at our hole to make it bigger and get their bodies into. Josh, patched up the hole and they were thwarted... for the moment.

Case in Point #4: The birds decided to make our grill their home. I have heard of this happening to friends before so I wasn't too bothered. But they would sit there, on the grill, squawk to high heavens as if saying, "Where is our food! Where is our home!" They sit on top of our gutters and holler with all their might, it is a very disturbing sound.

Case in Point #5: There was one other very small hole that the leaking roof caused and it was small enough, and still cold outside, we just covered it with duct tape.  Since then, we have had to actually cover it as the birds starting pecking and gnawing at the duct tape, biting it off and pulling it off to work on making the tiny hole larger.

Case in Point #6: Josh's RAV starting getting bird poop on it again. This time, I was looking out the window and saw how it actually happens. The bird, a very large bellied robin, was sitting on the ledge by the side mirror and was banging his head against the window (smearing bird spit all over the window) and the side mirror. He was pecking furiously, trying to get at something inside the mirror. Last year, this happened only on the passenger side and I assume this bird was the only culprit. A few days later, I saw a thinner robin on the driver side, trying to nudge his way in as well, sitting on the ledge, banging his head over and over on the glass and mirror. (Am told, via the web, that this is a bird trying to defend his territory but maybe he was just after Josh's granola bars in the front seat?)

Case in Point #7: I washed Josh's RAV and parked it in the street a little way from our home, thinking I could outsmart the bird. Did the poop stop? No. The Buick was parked on the street by it and it too started getting the same poop stains down the side. Gross.

Closing Arguments: We have 3 perfectly fine bird houses out in our back yard and none of them are being used. Our neighbor behind us has a good dozen bird feeders for all kinds of birds. And yet... and yet... they are watching us.

This year, we are attempting to make this a real working/producing garden... planting in succession, freezing, canning and storing properly, etc. I am planning all our summer menus around the garden. I am spending as little money as possible this year and at the same time, planning and planting as much as possible.

I must remind everyone, I have a black thumb.

Gardening does not come easy for me. Sans last year's garden, at my house, I have plastic flowers OUTSIDE instead of real ones, oy! I've read 4 gardening books at least 5 times this spring, talked to a dozen fellow gardeners, planned it all out on paper and am so convinced it will not work this year.

Have you ever had those times when, you have done something, it was wonderful, everything clicked just right and you were like, "Yeah, I would totally do that again." Anything really... a parade, a food or drink, a location, an event, etc. Then, you do this thing again, and right from the get-go, everything is off. It didn't start how you hoped or remembered or something funky happened along the way, or an off night for the cook.

That is how I have felt every day at the lot. We got into our lots late, it was raining a ton, the water wasn't turned on, etc. Nothing seems to be working out like I had planned and even though some things are in the ground, nothing is sitting right within me.

Even in the midst of it all though, I know the kids are enjoying the time. I decided to make short quick trips to the garden in the late afternoons where we play a bit, make a big go of it, then play a bit more and go home. We plant only a few things each visit and if attitudes go sour we can quickly get up and go. But when the boys work, they really work, and they are getting good. And when they play, they play hard.

My surprise joy this year has been Miriam. She has been so cheerful and helpful this year. She loves walking to and from the water with me, she holds my hand and talks my ear off the whole trip. She makes up little stories for me or tells me about her day. With the constant talking of her brothers, she has used this time, just her and I, to catch up on the events of the day. It is odd to hear her speak in such complete thoughts, again, because she rarely gets a word in with her brothers. Today, she even made up a song, "I love! my mom and dad! and i love! to obey them! zeke and max! are my best brothers! in the world!"

In any event, I make no promises this year... call me the candidate who sees their loss coming and starts dissing themself early. I don't know what will come of it on a produce side, but on a charater side, for the kids and I, I can already see beautiful fruit coming.

Now we have 3 kids, 2 on bikes who ride fast and one who is just starting on training wheels. Over time the rules have not changed: stop at all intersections, wait for the "clear," always look in driveways and of course, stop immediately if you hear mom call your name. Covering all those instructions, something that I love and am ever so thankful the boys have always done, is that they obey me - first.

Though I long for, and am working hard at having, our children growing in their obedience and respect for other adults over the other adults, they need to heed our instructions first no matter what.  Most definitely, when it comes to our bike riding on busy streets at these ages, it is all about "obey me first."

Flashback... I remember driving to work one day on Lincoln Way (4 lane busy road through Ames). In the left lane was a whole back log of traffic (me included), the right lane clear (why I don't know). A car going the opposite direction from us wanted to take a left across our backlog of cars. The car ahead of me waved him through.

What the car ahead of me did not know was that there was an impatient driver a few cars back who swerved out of the left lane ( I just happened to look in my rear view mirror at the exact moment he did this) and came barreling full speed (ie more than 35mph) ahead. Nothing I could do to stop it, I watched in horror as the person taking the left was absolutely demolished and spun around by the guy in the right lane. Yes, the driver ahead of me was nice enough to wave the person over, but they were not checking in all the blind spots.

Tonight riding to church, it made this mama so proud. They stop, before the red concrete, and wait. Sometimes Miriam and I take a while but we are still coming and the boys never have to look back because they know we are coming. Car after car will wave them on. They stand there and shake their heads with an emphatic "NO." Car after car will wave them on again. They don't move... they attempt to direct traffic like a traffic cop, waving their hands to the sides... but they do not move. They don't get close to the road and they don't move and they are not even tempted to move. When the cars finally see me coming they think the boys will move, but they don't. When I say "clear," the boys move.

In theory, I know the drivers are just trying to be nice, waving on the boys to go ahead... they think it is safe. Do they see the speeding car behind them? Do they really have the boys on all angles? Do they truly know what is best for them? Do they understand all their strengths and weaknesses? Do they love the boys as much as we do? Do they see the bigger picture for their little lives? No.

"I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." (John 10:1-5)

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." (John 10:27-3]]> Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:12:49 CDT noreply@cramer5.markupfactory.com (Dana Cramer) Give this guy rotting apples and he'll make apple pie from scratch...

We love you!  Happy Birthday and Tax Day!

Jerry somehow meets this woman who is a cooking instructor and is attracted to her. He signs up for her cooking class, gets Kramer to come with, attends the class and sits in the front row. The whole time you are listening to her give instructions with intermittent overlays of thoughts going on in Jerry's head. Jerry is not paying any attention to Kramer who is soaking up every second of it more than Jerry. Jerry is contemplating if the woman is truly worth it,, yada, yada, yada.

Halfway through the class, the instructor takes off a band aid from her finger and leaves it on the work surface, out of the way, but on the work surface. Jerry's seat and the big overhead mirror to better show the demonstration are directly in line to watch this band aid, just sit there on the surface. He frantically looks around, trying to see if anyone will notice, but everyone has eyes glued on the instructor.

Of course this would be played in and out of the other saga for the night... George pretending he is a visiting Super while he was found downstairs in the "staff only" basement of his apartment trying to turn up the heat on his water heater...

Jerry's internal voice is freaking out and watching as person after person clean up the work area for the instructor but each person just happens to miss removing the band aid. It gets pushed around a little bit and Jerry, knowing the dish is going to be processed soon, is afraid of the worst for this band aid.

Finally, Jerry decides to just make it through the processing part and then he knows he is safe. Then Kramer distracts him and the power goes out for a few moments (thanks to George playing the Super) and even though the instructor starts back up, Jerry is trying to straighten out Kramer for a moment in the post outage confusion. When Jerry finally gets his eyes back on the band aid, it is gone. He looks everywhere but can't find the band aid.

At first he keeps it in his head a little while longer, the food is coming out and looking delicious, he is trying to be nice and try everything but Jerry can't stand it anymore, stands up and shouts, "Where is the band aid?! Is it in here?! Here?!" He frantically scours the food, the food on other people's plates, the trash, but no sign of the band aid. Kramer, who has become infatuated with the instructor as well, goes to her aid and is kicking Jerry out of the class while he is yelling, "Where is it?! Where is it??!!!!" Knocking over tables, etc.

Kramer finds the band aid on the floor asks if this was what Jerry was freaking out about. But it was too late, Jerry was kicked out of the class.

Jerry is sitting outside the class to apologize to the beautiful woman. She walks out with Kramer and Kramer leaves to hail a cab. Jerry apologizes, saying how he just couldn't stop looking at it the whole time, yada, yada, yada... she says no problem, and shakes his hand. She gets in the cab, Kramer steps out to say something to Jerry to the effect of, "You know this was her first time back instructing since her surgery... You know she was wearing that band aid to cover up the final remains from her (insert rare skin disease here)."

Meanwhile, George is back in his apartment and feeling rather proud that he played a good Super and got his heat turned up. He brags about it to Elaine who is over watching his cable for this show she had to se]]> Wed, 09 Apr 2008 07:21:39 CDT noreply@cramer5.markupfactory.com (Dana Cramer) Just so you know...

1. We survived casserole night at house church!  Yeah!!  Zeke even had seconds!

2. Last night I made scalloped potatoes and ham and I would normally put onions on half but now, thanks to the blessing of BDM, I just put onions everywhere and wa-la!, the kids ate it all up!  Yeah, yeah, yeah!  Why did I not do this sooner?  Silly Mama!

3. I actually baked some bread in the bread maker last night and it worked!  (The last time I baked in the bread maker it went psycho and threw itself off the counter and broke itself.  Ever since, I have been scared to use the things!)

1. I would love to live on a sustainable homestead. This is really strange since I love the city a lot, I love buildings and architecture immensely and will never give up my enjoyment those things found in mass. But I would love to live away from everything and have to work hard for everything as a family. I would love to learn to raise chickens and other livestock for food, from milking cows to actually killing the chickens, de-feathering and all. Some people think it is glamorizing things and it is not fun, but I think having our garden last summer taught us a lot and the garden this summer being more of a food source for our family this summer will cause us to experience that lifestyle more.
2. I HATE Oreos but I LOVE Cookies and Cream Ice Cream.
3. I started drinking coffee by adding a half package of hot cocoa mix to a cup of coffee. This is crazy because I really don't like chocolate... well, I like brownies sometimes if they are just regular brownies without extra chocolate chunks and such, and will eat an occasional chocolate bar but only if it has nuts, but that too is rare.
4. I used to smoke (sorry Mom!) and quit the day before getting married, cold turkey. I have only smoked 2 cigarettes after that day, one the day before RN got married and once before MP got married and am now done for good, though the craving is still there.
5. I used to cover up the birthmark on my face with makeup. Now, I hardly ever even know it exists. (I actually asked my husband before writing this out if it was still on my face, duh Dana!)
6. I talk out loud to myself while exercising... if it is doing something I like (sweatin' to the oldies, nordic track, lifting weights) it is encouraging things like, "Come on girl!"... if it is something I do not like (running) I curse the whole time, non stop, under my breath if kids are running near or out loud if they are far away.
7. I almost didn't graduate college for 2 different reasons... first, for my BArch I needed 169 credits and I had 168.5. I snuck my way into a tennis class that met the second half of my last semester of college in order to graduate. The second was that my second to last semester of college was half at ISU and half at the College of Torino, something ISU frowns upon but thankfully was able to sneak by on that one too.
8. I am a horrible actress but in my sophomore year of HS I got the lead in the school play one week before opening night. The play was Dracula and the lead actress quit. Now, my sister was the supporting actress and I was a techie but because of my sister and me wishing I was as cool as her, I hung out all the time there. When the lead actress quit, she flippantly pointed as me and said, "She could do it." The director knew I stunk but was desperate and in one weekend I memorized all the lines and blocking. I got to rehearse 3 times and then perform for the crowd, insane!
9. I always read the first chapter of a book and then immediately read the last chapter. I only recently started doing this since I have been married. Josh reads all these exciting novels before bed and the suspense in them drives me crazy. I read the first chapter to know the players and then the last chapter to know the ending. If the ending seems good I will read the whole book. It drives Josh absolutely crazy.
10. I initially HATED the internet and computers when I entered college. Mind you, when I entered college hardly anyone owned a computer or had email addresses. I flat out refused to use them except when forced to do so for class. Ironic now that it is our bread and butter.

I would love to tag you all but then who would you tag? I will tag Maren, in hopes she'll blog and post a cutie Jem picture... Nancy, so we<]]> Sun, 06 Apr 2008 12:13:47 CDT noreply@cramer5.markupfactory.com (Dana Cramer) Nope... just a wrap up pf Battle Dish Month! We survived!

Results:

- Children will now eat marinara sauce no matter what crazy veggies concoctions (various types of onions, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, etc) I put in it and eat the sauce on top without having to pick out anything.
- Children eat whole grain pasta.
- Mom will now eat whole grain pasta and not complain.
- Children have started eating "Daddy Bread" (aka crazy whole wheat/grainy/oaty/flaxy/chunky bread Josh bakes in the bread machine) like it is going out of style.
- Children eat oatmeal, cottage cheese, applesauce without complaining and now love them!
- Mom will even eat "Daddy Bread."
- Children will eat Wild Rice Soup, Broccoli and Cheese Soup, Jambalaya, etc, without having to pick anything out.
- Mom and children now eat cauliflower.
- Children now eat asparagus.
- Children now eat whatever fruit is served (even pears!) and if the skin is edible, they will eat said skin.
- Mom will eat pears.
- Family has found some edible casseroles that they enjoy.
- Children eat omelets with everything in them.
- Children eat lettuce and other salad greens.
- Children eat caramelized onions and olives on pizza.
- Children eat spinach in their lasagna.
- Children eat a white sauce on their pasta.
- Children have grown to expect weird things in their food and will eat said weird things.
- Food budget has come way down! Hip, hip hooray!

All in all, I think it has definitely been a success! After one meal toward the end of the month (I think the one with the spinach in the seafood lasagna) the kids all ate up their food quickly and without complaining and I was simply beaming from ear to ear... I was one proud Mama! 

I am very excited too that I found ways to plan meals better with new recipes and use fresh ingredients and use them all wisely. I am also very glad to get the budget way down and still be healthy and not sacrifice on quality.

However, I think the ultimate test will be the next house church dinner... the proof of the pudding is (definitely) in the eating!

Yep, she got her bangs cut... not by me, or by her... but by her brother.

Thankfully, her hair was post-nap-time-tosselly at the time of the shearing AND some of her front hair was back SO the chunk that was cut off WITH her natural wispies AND general tossel of a girl who hates wearing her hair up (sans the other day) MAKES it not TOO noticeable. (Obviously, if her mother didn't figure it out right away!)

And sure enough, there by the couch was a pile of Miriam's golden locks. And sure enough, she said that she liked it... a lot.

Note to self: Think of all the other typical silly things done by children, like things in noses, ears, sockets, (a little late for) hair cutting and the like, and warn children of them now. These things happen even if you think you watch them like a hawk, oy!

Note to self: This is why I pray my kids will always be found out.

I woke up and said,
"Why didn't I wake
for the gym Tuesday?
Now I am going
on a weird "off" day!"

Oh, MAN!
And that's how
Wacky Wednesday
began.

I looked out
the window.
And I said,
"GEE!"
More things were wacky
And I saw three.
(the neighbor's garage door open
with light on,
the other neighbor's interior lights on
at 5:45AM, and
a thick chunk of ice on the windshield.)

I went
to the gym
and I said,
"HEY!"
Three more things
were wacky today!
(2 deer crossing our in-town street,
a car parked in the middle of another street,
a car driving down the wrong way on
the one way for a long time.)

At the gym,
MORE!
At the gym,
FOUR!
(a filled parking lot at 6AM,
tons of middle aged men playing b-ball at 6AM,
a group of swimmers at the pool at 6AM,
a strange older gentleman staring at me the whole time.)

And the family back at home?
They looked wacky, too!
They said,
"Nothing is wacky
around here but you!"
(Josh making 6 shots of espresso
using actual shot glasses and he just kept brewing,
Miriam climbing inside the back of my shirt
and sticking her head through the neck hole
and arms through the arms holes
while I am still in it,
Zeke asking for juice instead of a cappuccino,
Max sleeping in till 9!)

Then...
5 MORE things!
I got scared.
And I ran
over to visit
CIT's van.
(a moving truck ripped open
like a sardine can going
under the Iowa bridge,
the river's water nearing
touching said bridge,
children eating celery without complaining,
making it in and out of the
library within 20 minutes,
Max checking out a book to learn to read and write Chinese)

"I'm sorry, Cramer IT."
That's all I could say.
"Don't be sorry," they smiled.
"It's that kind of day.
The internet was down
but it wasn't our fault!
Be glad!
And HEY!
Wacky Wednesday
will soon go away!"

"Only 6 more things
will be wacky," they said.
"Just find them
and then
you can go
back to bed."

(The blinker and fan are working
in the van again miraculously,
I don't have to go back to the chiro
for 3 weeks instead of 2!,
2 lovely ladies I know being baby due
at almost the same time
(Yeah Nancy and Maren!),
not being able to yawn again - bum!,
the kids ate in no particular order:
wheat noodles,
feta cheese, sun dried tomatoes,
white sauce with cauliflower on the side,
Mom ate said cauliflower too!)

Wacky Wednesday was gone
when I counted those things.
And for tomorrow, I will be rid
of that alarm's annoying ring.

Epilogue:
I yelled aloud
before falling asleep.
"That will teach me
to sleep in Tuesday
next week!"

My alarm chuckled
as it whispered to me,
"It's not over yet since
You're still off a day.
Now, you'll have to go to the gym on
Freaky Friday."

*Thank you Theo. LeSieg's Wacky Wednesday

This morning, doing reports and the budget, I realized this month had one week left and it wasn't looking as well as I had hoped, things were adding up more than I expected and welp, I was at a loss. Technically, I know, we have resources available but for some reason really I didn't want to go there, we want our budget to make it work, and I hung my head and prayed a rather hodge-podge prayer...

"God, it would be great if you could provide us another HyVee gift card... I haven't asked you for something crazy like this in a long time and I know you have provided for us in so many ways for us already, and I feel silly asking, but that would be really great right now."

I honestly felt silly praying it. I mean really, we have savings but, ugh, you just hate to spend your savings don't you? And it is technically for other things and heaven forbid you get in that habit of using it. And, HyVee? HyVee is great but wo/man are they expensive. And, I can think of a handful of other ways it could've worked out, but, wo/man, I am simply writing you my honest prayer, no matter how far fetched or selfish or ridiculous or whatever, you could say it was, that is what I prayed.

Sure enough, our day continued to pass, as they normally do (sans Joshua 10), teaching school and the normal grind, and by late afternoon I had forgotten my prayer and was onto reworking my menus and whatnot to try and make it work for one more week.

Then our doorbell rang.

It was our neighbor and she hands me a card and says, "This is a thank you for all the help you gave us a while ago..."

I give her the typical mid-western response of, "You didn't have to do that..." and we continue to chat about this, that and the other, she mentions she's making a dump run and would love to take my old doors, I say, "Great," etc.

I go inside, back to the kids and open the card. Enclosed is a HyVee gift card. And not just any sized one, but a huge, whopper of a gift card.

Wow.

I finally remembered my prayer of the morning and began to cry as the kids and I all snuggled together and prayed, thanking God for answering my prayer, over and abundantly, pressed down, more than I could imagine.

Things I note to myself...

1.) The date on the receipt was 3/8.

2.) I normally am not in the habit of praying really specific prayers.

3.) Pre-planned? Maybe. I remember in this book reading about how prayers are sometimes like blue bicycles. A father got his son a blue bicycle for his birthday and the son didn't know about it but over time the father showed the son reasons or directions that led the son so that near his birthday he really wanted a blue bicycle, and wa-la, there it was, his father already had it for him. Not saying prayers are always like that but you could, could, say that here.

4.) An undeserved blessing? I hope one wouldn't say that, but the thought did cross my mind. I have done that before when given cash as gifts I have happily passed the cash into other hands more in need. But I really believe God wanted this for me this time all things considered.

5.) I can't wait to tell my neighbor. I am glad she is coming back to get my old doors because I am so excited to tell her how this, as crazy as it seems, was a specific answer to my<]]> Mon, 24 Mar 2008 22:49:25 CDT noreply@cramer5.markupfactory.com (Dana Cramer) Even though this kind of thing seems to happen across our nation every day, when it happens in your own town...

Fox News

Press Citizen1 Press Citizen 2

CNN

Please pray for the family and friends of this family.

- An understanding of sin... The boys and I have been talking a lot about sin and I realized that understanding sin, accepting the fact that one was born into this world with sin, is a much more complicated concept to grasp than I once thought.

- An amazing counterpart... While I am thankful for my husband in millions of ways, one thing I have really been struck by lately is how wonderfully his personality completes mine as well as counteracts mine, in a good way. I am very thankful God picked him out for me.

- 3 kids who love each other... Though lately it seems like I have mostly been working with them on not fighting with each other, the rewards have been they do truly love each other and work so well together. Like when at a puppet show today Zeke was sitting next to Max as close as could be with his arm around his brother because if they sat that close they could both see the show. It was so sweet.

- Friends physically nearby... When we found ourselves locked out of the house today, my first thought was, "If we could just get to Wendy's house." (What about our technical neighbors? Not home yet.) But it was comforting to me, who was starting to freak out, to know that we did have good friends nearby and if they were home, they would, as they did, loving welcome us, let us play there while we waited for a locksmith. (Also, if the RAV and its flat tire wouldn't have worked, we could easily walk to their house.) They even invited us just to stay for 3 days until Josh's return! How nice! At church they have been talking a lot about living near each other to show community among the saints in our neighborhoods and this was a wonderful example in my heart of just that.

- Girl Scout Cookies sold at the gas station... We had to go in the gas station to get change to fill the flat on the RAV and while in there saw that they were selling Girl Scout Cookies. I love Girl Scout cookies. I haven't had them in years upon years. They are and were sooooo delicious!

- LAN lines... I never thought I would be thankful for LAN lines but with my husband out on an island kissing Canada the only reason I have been able to enjoy a short conversation with him each day is because of the LAN line. Yeah!

- Facebook... I don't know about your family, but lately our whole extended family has been getting on FB. Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, etc, are all getting on there and it has been great to connect with them on a more frequent level. What fun!

- Pre-determined Dinner Menus... I generally make out a week's in advance menu for our dinners and when having finally gotten in the house today the last thing I wanted to do was think about what to make for dinner so looking at my menu and saying, "Ok, that is what I have on hand and what I am going to make" was about the nicest thing in the world. The only thing better would have been if I had pre-made frozen dishes like B&A.

- Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University... It has been over a year since we took this class and I tell you what, at the time, I DID NOT want to do it. Call it, um... pride? But, one year later, I would recommend this class to my older neighbor to Bill Gates to the random stranger at the library. SOOOO good. You can go to his website and find the next class being taught in your area, and I SOO recommend you doing it!

- Coming Home... I am so excited for where Josh is right now in northern MN and we miss him dearly here (I can't even recount how often that has been said amongst the 4 of us the l]]> Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:44:17 CDT noreply@cramer5.markupfactory.com (Dana Cramer) We have survived one week of Battle Dish Month! Yeah!!

Has it been hard? Yes. Has it been delicious? Yes. Has it been economical? Yes.

First....The financial side?  In reality, it isn't as hard as I thought to make low cost yummy meals while adding more veggies and new recipes... I must have been playing dumb.  I do admit that when I take out my huge money-sucking recipes and last minute 5-star-whim recipes, it is much, much easier to keep things on the low down.  In the end, it all comes down to my favorite activity of actually taking time to plan out my list and menu... that has definitely proven to be the most resourceful $ saver in making new recipes and adding new foods.

Honestly, I have not done anything very note/blogworthy so far... I can share with you what we have eaten or will eat?  Let's see... I did make 2 homemade soups with  homemade breads which were new to me since I am not a soup eating/making person by nature or a baker by nature.  And this week I have added a few more new recipes to our mix... jambalaya, tuna pot pie (homemade shell), onion soup, halibut with grilled asparagus and a tuna and rice casserole... again, nothing fancy pants.

The main $ adder is the meat source and now with the whole scare on hormones in meat, ugh... I would like to buy a quarter cow from a safe, local farm & save on the worry... are you in?  As well, a future cost saver will be a stash of homemade canned goods.  Translation: Assuming our garden works again this year & produces a bumper crop & if I do figure out canning then canning will be a great $ saver.

One trick I did learn... if you are really faithful with the list and menu then if you want to plan a fun 5-star-whim recipe that includes, say halibut?  You can!  Because you did so well and saved so well, you have $ to work with... yeah!

Second ... How are the kids?  We are definitely not out of the woods yet on any of these dishes or veggies (Alicia M said 15 times to make it stick and I believe it!) but I know we will slowly and surely make progress over this month.  Again, it is not like we never served hard to eat dishes, the point is that the dishes I normally make had their battles ages ago and it is only right that they are no longer battles.   My hopes for all these new dishes rests on that fact.

Third... How are the parents?  I do not naturally like soups or grainy foods, while Josh does.  I am learning to get them more for all of us, not just him, and to eat them without complaining.  (The children are doing way better with the grainy foods than I am.)  Now Josh has been reeling about the thought of casseroles in our house. To the point that he told me he would take a 4th job so I wouldn't have to make them. (I love that guy!) However, I realized that I need to make a few more of them not only to help our kids familiarize themselves with the ranges of casseroles, their looks and their ingredients but because though we don't make them, others do and we need to be happily ready to eat what is served elsewhere.  (A point that was very clearly brought home to me this weekend, oy! for being outnumbered.)

In any event, last week went fair, this week is just starting. The hardest dish of last week was the wild rice soup. It was absolutely delicious in our mouths but not in the kids'. This week I think it will be the onion soup.  Even though they saw the picture of the Onion Soup and asked me specifically to make it, I think it too will prove a hard one.

On the plus side, I scored a free bread maker from Amber for my honey!  Yeah!

This month we are combining our creative forces and going for a month of Battle Dishes! (Said in the Sunday, Sunday, Sunday voice with feedback and everything.)

We have 2 situations we are trying to rectify in one month's time:

Situation #1: Revamping the grocery budget... again.
Situation #2: A recent trend of disgruntled eaters.

#1... I heard of a woman who spends only 50 cents a person a meal for her family. I had honestly never paid attention to meal by meal price breakdowns before, I only think total month. (I am sure some of you have been doing this for-ev-er and are thinking duh, but mind you, cooking for me is a hobby and one I really love, so bear with me.) Then, I started looking at my favorite dishes to make and their cost and realized that some dishes were way out of whack and I could seriously lower our food budget by getting rid of them. Yes, I was blind, but now I see.

#2... When our boys stayed with friends while we were in AK, we heard continual stories from the family and our boys about the foods they ate and their response to trying new dishes. It showed us there was need to work in this area.

Combining, we now have Battle Dish Month!

Here's the deal, I love to enjoy food and see value in cutting costs in this area so I went through my cookbooks and online looking for new recipes that are yummy but also affordable on the cost factor (not sacrificing healthiness or quality). Then, I realized how this will create new dishes and have new ingredients in the house and that the boys may not be as excited about them as I am... in here enters the fact that they need to open their palettes to new things (as well as not buck the normal stuff) and wa-la, Battle Dish Month is born.

Now I am not trying ALL new recipes. I kept ones that were cost effective and am bringing back old ones I had forgotten about or had scrimped on by making them more "kid friendly." But there are new ones planned and the boys have been fore-warned.

Is this fair? Well, sure. It is not like we are having them eat fast food every day. They will be doing what they are supposed to be doing as kids their age and eating healthy foods and healthy portions. We aren't forcing it on them or being cruel about it. (Though with a name like Battle Dish it would carry that stereotype.) Seriously, they like apples but not baked apples with cinnamon? See how it is really good in the long run?

Is it going to be hard for us then? Well, sure. Josh wants me to make brussel sprouts (Amy! Quick! I need your recipe stat!) and I am not so excited about that one but he isn't either and he wants to do it anyway. And, I may have to make casseroles here and there, which are not big fav's of Josh and mine but the kids enjoy them and the darn things are very cost effective. Needless-to-say, it will be a month of giving and taking on all sides.

And Miriam? Miriam is like Mikey and will eat anything. The only thing she refuses to eat/drink is anything fuzzy or carbonated. That is one particular we can live with.

SIDE NOTE:
If I haven't written it before (the years are getting fuzzy so I may have)... it reminds me of how I was in high school and I would take my little sister to McDonald's (like every day) and buy us food and my siblings said I was a push over and then said of me, "When you have kids you'll say, 'Eat your potatoes.' And they'll say, 'NO!' You'll say, 'Eat your broccoli.' And they'll say, 'NO!' And you'll say, 'Let's go to<]]> Tue, 04 Mar 2008 22:00:45 CDT noreply@cramer5.markupfactory.com (Dana Cramer) We have been incredibly blessed with our new-to-us minivan these last 2 weeks and I tell you what, the honest truth... the thing is huge!

We have more room then we know what to do with! I used to hate bucket front seats but you know, it is nice because in this van there is nothing between the bucket seats but empty space... no big trash holders or consoles separating me from my honey. You can sit sideways with your legs in the middle and hold your sweetie's hand easily.

Then there are the kids and their seats. The second row of bucket seats is far away from the first row and has a huge amount of leg room even for a 6' 2" husband. Then the back row is miles away. Then the trunk is 3' deep itself!

Then there is the fact that the kids and I can all pile in one door... any door, driver's, passenger, side. (We could probably even use the rear if I could manage to close it.) Then once inside, we all walk around inside it like it is a house. (This is also a perk since the side door is a beast of burden!)

Yes, there are a couple downsides...

Downside #1... there is so much space! I mean seriously, I need a built in intercom system, one for each seat in the vehicle. I initially wanted just permanent walkie-talkies, but I really think an intercom would be best because it couldn't get lost. The boys are constantly saying to me, "Mom, why are you talking in a loud voice?" To which I reply in a normal speaking voice, "Because if I talk in my normal voice you can't hear me." To which they reply yelling, "What'd you say?"

Downside #2... there is so much space! It is a virtual playroom on wheels (not that I let it get filled with toys, just that it is still a grand novelty in having SO much space) and their goofiness factor has greatly increased especially now they are literal feet away from mom, she and them are all strapped in, and in their world they are unstoppable. Needless to say, I think we are going to have to start making trips in the van a new teaching lesson. (I mean, we've done this with the grocery store, but in a vehicle? Crazy!)

Driving around today, basking in the amazing features, blessing and space of the vehicle, I still couldn't help thinking that minivans are the devil. (I know so many of my friends are driving them these days, so please don't take offense, keep reading, it gets better, honest!) Then I started thinking about how they could be like sin... when you're in it, it's fun and exciting, you've got on rose colored glasses (or a nice set of tinted windows) and it is hard to notice anything wrong, but once out of it and looking back you see it for what it is? Honestly, can you sense what a desperate woman I am?

This is where you need to say, in your loud voice, "Dana, eat crow, get over it!"

Dear Readers...hear me now and believe me later... this minivan is so painfully practical and spacious you can't help but... *gasp*like*cough*i mean*cough*twinge*and*wheeze*enjoy*it*cringe*churn*wheeze*. There, I said it.

Oh ok, I'll do it once more nicely... Minivans are *gulp* great.

Oh all right, fine! Minivans are great! :)! (See, I'm smiling!)

The devil doesn't drive a minivan, I do... not that there's anything wrong with that.

... now watch the poor thing die on us tomorrow. At least we can honestly say it was good while it lasted!

I will be the first to admit I quickly became a knitting grouch when I realized that I got car sick while knitting and feared that there would be no way for me to get it done. Thanks to some rain and cold, a warm fire, and a whole lotta positive encouragement from Kari, I got it done within the final moments of the journey. Even though, it is a fun revolution, I declared I may never knit but for 2 more scarfs, one for each of the boys. However, those scarfs would have to wait for another vacation and were in my mind, near impossible tasks.

Happily, Miriam loved her scarf. The boys loved it too and they requested their own mama-made scarves with large child eyes of wonderment and pride that their mom can make something they could wear.

I was hooked... yarn and knitting needles.

Zeke also wanted me to teach him how to knit and last night I started Zeke on his scarf. I taught him all I know, which wasn't much, and he began knitting. Once he had the system down he says, "Mom, you should knit something too so we can knit together."

Wooed by his loving smile, I sat next to him and started knitting Max's scarf. Within moments I realized I was jealous of all the times Josh has gone fishing with the boys. I do believe this is the first "relaxing" hobby we have done, just the two of us, and for the next hour, Zeke and I sat on the couch, knitting away, watching AI and the other 3 cuties have a dance party around us, and having priceless conversations...

"Do you like knitting Mom?"
"I like knitting with you Son."
"Are you a good knitter?"
"No. You are doing a great job though."
"Thanks. I can only do it with God's help."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I can't do anything without God's help."
"Me neither Son, me neither."
...

And it continued, more precious with each passing moment, and all I could do was sit there and smile on the verge of tears.

I would never have guessed a hobby that brought out a brassy, get-r-done spirit in me on my own, would with my son, make me want to have all the time in the world to sit and knit and find ways to carve more hours out for this hobby with him.

He already has our Saturday planned: in the morning we will watch cartoons and knit (since he can knit without looking, a skill I don't have) and in the afternoon we will go sledding... unless he isn't done yet, then we will knit some more.

Just off the main highway on Main Street is a nothing fancy red exterior, 2-story bar, complete with a parking lot for snowmobiles. It has only a couple small windows in the joint making it so that upon entry ones eyes go dark and see nothing but smells of years and years of tobacco. This is really our kind of place.

It continued to be your typical small town bar, one waitress (bartender), locals in their snowmobile pants, and no real rules of engagement for how to order, etc. But above the smoky haze you could smell good ole fashioned bar style crinkled potato french fries cooking... heaven to my nose.

We moved to a back table and our party rose to 8 adults and two babies (save for the second hand smoke). I must say, I really appreciated their table tops. I would off hand guess they we pine 2x4 by 6' planks that were covered with a thick layer of clear gloss/lacquer, that really stuck out and you knew that the surface you were eating on was clean.

The menu was full of hearty fare: burgers, Philly cheese steaks, fried fish, mini tacos, cheese balls and onion rings. It did include a few rules of engagement though: " We apologize in advance for any screw ups... If you have any comments you can write them on the back of a twenty dollar bill and hand it to the bartender and they will take care of it personally." They also had great weekday deals for lunch but the weekend prices were still inexpensive.

Funny side note... Either a.) they weren't expecting a big lunch crowd or b.) they figured all who entered were family... but in the middle of the walkway was a beautiful, big, old wooden door with carvings of Native Americans on it being glued back together with huge 4' long metal clamps. 9" of said clamps were sticking out right on the path to our table just begging to decapitate one of us.

Soon enough, the waitress/bartender started shouting out orders, "Who had the Philly cheese and mini tacos?!" And the delicious food began arriving one by one every couple a minutes. I love this kind of fare because you honestly know that the food you are getting is not going to throw you any fast balls and you get what you get.

The O's shared their cheese balls and onion rings with everyone and they were exactly how you'd imagine them. The Philly cheese steaks came out looking delicious. The burgers were good and my fish and chips (i.e. crinkle cut french fries) were just right. If only we had all shared a round of Coors Light Silver Bullet in bottles*, it would have been a prefect meal.

I would highly recommend Slim's to any of you passing through Tiffin and find yourself hankering for some good bar food. Just watch out for clamps... oh, and the restrooms have questionable images on the doors.

*A random stranger from a small town in Kansas helped us out in a jam when out alternator went dead and the only thing he asked for in return was for us to get him "a six pack of Coors Light Silver Bullet in bottles." Thanks so much Shawn and Crystal for your kindness all those years ago!

Josh and I love finding dive's that surprise. Sometimes it is a place with amazing seafood, or a good greasy burger, or great ambiance. Our approach to dining is like Josh's approach to ordering coffee. The barista puts it better than I when she says to Josh, "You always get something different every time you are here. I can never figure out your 'regular' drink."

Saturday night we ended up in a small Iowa town at a restaurant solely because of it's name*. Then to seal the deal, the reviews we had read on Google prior to going made the place seem like a lily among thorns AND they had a decent looking website... we were sold.

First, to the high points: We loved our experience, location, the wait staff, in-house bread and wine.

Experience: No matter what else you read from here on out, hear me now and believe me later, we completely enjoyed every minute of our evening. Ups and downs did not spoil a moment and only made the entire event more enjoyable for us. Others may have responded differently, but thankfully for everyone involved Josh and I take these events all smiles. This typifies a great dining experience for us.

Location: Located off the town square, it was typical Iowa town storefront, unappealing and uninviting but in small towns that is not necessarily a bad thing and speaks nothing of the quality on the inside. Inside it was two long and tall halls connected by small openings with no visual barriers inside each hall. The layout did not lend itself to private conversations or small gatherings secluded in a corner. You came there wanting to be found by everyone else in town. The walls were painted light mint green and had old windows for artwork. I have always loved old windows as wall hangings however, over the windows were plastic wreaths or baskets that distracted from the windows. Not saying there is anything wrong with that, because still, we are still in small town Iowa and you cannot judge restaurants by their decors.

Wait Staff: The wait staff were hopping. Our waitress was having the busiest night "in forever" but she remained smiling though she had no time for small talk. And, as you will learn later, when problems arose she dealt with them very graciously and responsibly.

Bread: They did bake their own bread at the restaurant and it was a very nice touch. Their sweet bread was great as served. Not to jump in with a negative too soon, but their regular breads would have been better piping hot, a little lighter and oven-fresh. (i.e. it wasn't made moments before you arrived, maybe early in the morning?)

Wine: They had 6 wine choices, one of which was from a local winery I have never tried. I stayed safe and had a blush and it was wonderful and fruity. I enjoy wine but am not a snob about them so you can take or leave my comment here. I have had other local Iowa wines before and this was a new, pleasant surprise that I would happily try again and would be very interested to try their other varieties.

On the Meal...

On a review we read that the chef had studied culinary arts in other locations and then started this restaurant in his hometown. The menu had an over abundance of items from old fashioned prime rib to pomegranate and molasses pork (displaying his culinary schooling I assume). The menu was long and intensely flavored with words that you wouldn't expect to see in small town IA, like beurre blanc or shitake mushrooms.

We ordered steaks, Josh a sirloin and a ribeye for me. I really wanted to try the pomegranate and molasses pork but I had once seen a show that had this mint chocolate lamb dish and remember how horrid it was said to taste, that I decided to pla]]> Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:43:05 CDT noreply@cramer5.markupfactory.com (Dana Cramer) (If you are on Facebook, you may have seen this.  I post it here mainly to see how one does post videos on my blog.)

As mentioned, in order to start this climb one had to hold on and reach up a leg about 4+' high. Due to my size and newness to the sport (actual climbers would do this problem differently either being more flexible or using smaller holds or using their palm for support, etc), I had to jump (aka dyno) up to a hold that I was confident I could grab and though a little unorthodox worked. The sole reason it worked was thanks to my friend Leslie training me the last month. Thanks Leslie!!

I also want to point out that I am wearing all those clothes because it was really cold out there and windy and lightly sprinkling and your fingers froze on the rocks very quickly. (And I am talking to myself as to what moves I am going to do next after I get myself up to that point.  The whole trig side of climbing, :)!)  But it was so much fun!  I can't wait to do it again!

(Let me know if it plays or not!)

I then watched a rock climbing video and started paying attention to our rock climbing friends and I soon learned it was not exactly what I envisioned.

I learned that rock climbing is not only (though it really is with some problems) about muscle or flexibility but also a lot about experience that makes one have the ability to think through the different problems and solve them quickly in order to use less energy and strength so that when problems arrive that require the former, one is ready. I was also learning about 2 kinds of rock climbing: bouldering (gymnastics on rocks) and sport climbing (ropes and such).

Because I knew nothing about the logistics or skill behind these sports and we were going on this trip I wanted to do what I could to be in the best prepared position (taking into consideration that I am a wife/homeschool mama/bookkeeper/etc and have only moments of free time). My real (and only) bright idea was to get my muscles in shape so it would be easier to learn the thought needed.

I don't know how your muscles are, but mine have never been actually been tested or toned in all my 30+ years of life. The closet thing to actual weight lifting I did was in high school during early bird PE and just lifting weights whenever the teacher entered the room. And, the only actual sport/athletic thing this old body has ever done was 6th grade basketball. Needless-to-say, even though I love Richard and my Nordic, I did not think their cardio workouts were not going to meet my need.

I then enlisted the help of my good friend and personal trainer in training to help me in this task. My expectations were fairly low for myself but I wanted to give it a hardy shot. We would meet once a week where she'd show me and we'd do the week's work-out and then I would get up at o-dark-thirty twice more that week doing the same thing. And honestly, don't tell anyone, I have grown to enjoy it... a lot.

Last weekend, I got to see if it helped or not. As said, we went to HCR and did a little bouldering and 2 rope climbs. I have not yet learned the "sit-start" in bouldering and am still learning to hold onto odd/small holds and found myself where I could start with a particular hold but I had to jump for it. (Which is called to "dyno," and most do this while on a climb and sometimes people do it from ground when required on a route. I was, however, doing it on a route that had a sit start.)

Then while starting my first ever rope climb, it began on a rock that was cantilevered at least 4'+ up from the nearest stepping stone/ground. (Again, for a normal climber they could push up with their palm or grab a smaller piece of rock, and they would have found a way to use more leg strength than arm strength, and done it much more fluid than I. But I am not that normal yet, I am awkward and very novice.) I knew with what strength I had gained I still needed a more secure hold. I reasoned I could jump up to a bigger hold and pull up my foot afterwards, another dyno, Dana style.

The trick worked and I made it up the hardest part but I tell you what... it was much thanks to my friend who was patient enough with me to teach me how to lift weights, wow! How much that helped!

In the end, we all had our nicknames... I was Dyno, we had a Sit Start, a Hot Pants and a Burley Man. All names just as wonderful as the names of the rock climbing routes, like Trouser Chili, memorable and priceless.

Oh... and would I do any]]> Wed, 20 Feb 2008 22:13:13 CDT noreply@cramer5.markupfactory.com (Dana Cramer) Josh and I spent an extended weekend with our friends Joe and Kari down in Arkansas at a place called Horseshoe Canyon Ranch (http://www.climbhcr.com/). Even though the primary function of it is a dude ranch (http://www.gohcr.com/), the new owners soon discovered it was ideal for rock climbers of bouldering, trad. and sport climbing and it is now a wonderful mid-US destination for climbing.

BUT, because it's primary function is a dude ranch, they have goats and horses galore that roam free in the entire place and do you know what that means? Poop, poop, and more poop... with a little more poop, and some bigger poop and a whole lotta more poop. Crazy poop of all shapes and kinds literally EVERYWHERE.

And I am not exaggerating in the slightest.

Pellet poop from the goats, circular grassy balls of horse poop, dog poop, etc.

Every few feet, more poop, and then some more.

The views around the canyon were breathtaking but you had to make sure you stood still to take in those views otherwise you found your foot in... well... poop. Walking up the canyon to the walls and boulders you were constantly avoiding horse and goat poop, walking on the roads there was poop, at the foot of the stairs to the lodge there was poop.

One place we climbed was in the goats favorite pooping ground and we dubbed it poop chute alley...

See what looks like all the dark brown mud? Those are 1/2" diameter pellets of poop. Your only escape in this area was to walk on top of whatever rocks you would find.

But I tell you what, poop or no poop, it was a beautiful place! Thanks Joe and Kari for taking us! I honestly cannot wait to go again!

That's right, it is all because of my son and me.*

Not global warming, not el nino, not hurricane patterns... simply the little prayer of a 7 year old and the bold statement of his mother that God must have thought funny enough to respond to.

See, before Thanksgiving Zeke was chatting with me and asked when we were going to get snow. I said, "In your day, February... but in MY DAY, we always had snow by Christmas and tons of it. You'll be lucky if we get snow by Valentine's Day."

Zeke then proceeded to pray to God. He asked that God would make the snow really high in the backyard, by the hill, that it would be as tall as the hill (about 4' tall). He wanted a lot of snow this winter.

So what happened? Well, two days before Christmas we got hammered with snow. And over the course of January, we have had snow, on average, every couple days. Last week we got between between 1 to 2 feet depending on who you talk to. And it keeps coming.

I keep laughing. And I think God is laughing with me.

Not in a spiteful way, or an "I'll get you" sort of way, but in a "Dana, you are going to get a kick out of this winter" sort of way. And wo/man, have I ever! I keep laughing... it keeps coming... Sunday said for snow only on Monday this week... today, we had snow. The radar showed no clouds, no nothing and all of a sudden, out of nowhere literally, a cloud is right above our area and we are seeing snow.

Zeke, is simply tickled but in a completely different way.

The snow piles in our front yard make great tunnels and the back yard is a great sledding zone... heaven! I don't know for sure if it is as tall as he was praying for but the winds make it pretty tall in the corner, which is sufficient for his little heart.

*Oh, of course, God makes the snow, not us. And He created weather not us. It's me being silly not sacrilegious.  Oh, blasted me for being terrible at sarcasm!

We have issues with dry cleaners.

One dry cleaner we went to, shrunk 5 of Josh's nice dress shirts and then refused to admit they were shrunk and pay for replacements. I argued with the manager forever, but he wouldn't go for it. The shirts were still technically within range of the shape they should be as he measured them and even though they have always fit my husband and now they don't, he must have grown in the arms (at the age of 28) and the shirts did not shrink. We left them and went to another dry cleaner.

The other day, Josh noticed one of his shirts had a rip in the sleeve. At first he thought he did it until we noticed the same rip on another dress shirt. (And it may have also been on a third but I had thrown that one out already since I thought it was our fault.) Once again, I was back to the dry cleaner.

Mind you, the dry cleaning manager lady and I are tight. We are always friendly and chatty over the last several years and she even knew that we were going to her shop since the other shop ruined our last shirts. But when I took the shirts into her with their obvious rips in them, I found myself in the episode of Seinfeld...

Jerry walks into the dry cleaner with a dress shirt that is obviously meant for an 8 year old and brings it to his dry cleaner's attention. He says to the dry cleaner that he does not want his money back he simply wants his dry cleaner to admit to the fact that he made a mistake and shrunk the shirt because it is painfully obvious that the shirt would not fit Jerry as is. The dry cleaner refuses for a while but under Jerry's insistence and promise of not wanting anyting other than a confession, finally whispers that, in fact, he had shrunk the shirt.

This was the episode I lived out on Monday. Taking back Josh's 2 dress shirts that had obvious holes in them, one of which still having the dry cleaner's tags on it and having to argue with my good dry cleaning lady friend. I had called her in advance so she knew I was coming and she was definitely ready for me.

She immediately cast off the holes as Josh's fault for having a desk job and the sleeves in that spot wearing on the side of his desk. I insisted that could not be the case since the holes were in the same spot yet on different sleeves and it did not look like there was wear on the opposite sleeves in that spot. She insisted, it was because he works a desk job. I insisted that the fabric in that area is not worn and there is no previous sign of wear and that the holes are obviously made from something other than wear. She insisted it was his desk job. Wasn't it odd that they both happened to give way of wear at the same time, the same dry cleaning tags, and even though the ages of the shirts are different. She finally conceded to hold them to talk to her boss. Yada, yada, yada.

Well, today, a miracle happened!

She called and conceded! And they are going to pay for the shirts! Something never impossible on Seinfeld!

In Seinfeld, if she conceded, he would have had to jump through all these hoops and then maybe the check would bounce because Seinfeld would then be responsible for the dry cleaning place going bankrupt because then people would hear of the refunds and everyone would go back and demand their money and then for some reason the owners would then sue Jerry for damages and he would go to the court but not have any nice dress shirts that are clean but his puffy shirt and the judge will think Jerry is mocking the court and hold him in contempt... or something like that.

(I need to have Bev teach me how to startch dress shirts and make them last myself!)

Ever since I saw Ratatouille I have longed to find their recipe for the ratatouille dish they serve. I have many cookbooks with "a" recipe, but they do not look anything like the movie. One recipe, I realized I had even made before but it looks like the dish that Ego ate as a child, not like Remy served. In theory, it looked simple enough I could've made it up, but I really wanted to be sure and I really wanted it to taste as delicious as the movie made it look.

And there was much rejoicing!

The kids then checked out a Ratatouille Movie Cookbook from the library and they have been making recipes from it all week. It too had a ratatouille recipe but it was no different than the other versions I have, only less ingredients since it is a kid's cookbook. The boys said that if I made the recipe just like the movie they would eat it... they had to eat their words and almost some ratatouille too.

I found a guy online who claims he had THE recipe they use in the movie. I don't know HOW he knows this is THE recipe but I couldn't find it anywhere else in my short search so I went for it...

It is definitely not as fancy as the perfect one they can create with computer animation... my eggplant, squash, zucchini, and tomatoes were not all magically the same diameter and I did not make the actual vinaigrette suggested because of time... but OH MY! It was delicious!

How did the kids like it? Well, they were not all excited to it eat and I was prepared to have them try it... that is, before I tried it. Once I tried it, I did not want them to eat any of it, I wanted to enjoy it all myself.

Oh, how this recipe had all of my favorite ingredients.
Oh, how the simplicity made taking seconds and thirds a delight.
Oh, how the colors heightened the taste.
Oh, how my head was swooning for spring and the garden.
Oh, how I cannot wait to make this recipe again!

Did I really follow the recipe? Well, ok, you know me... I did change the recipe and cheat on some things, BUT in essence it was the same and it was absolutely delicious! (How'd I cheat? Take for example the Piperade. I used a cup of a really nice brand of pre-made roasted pepper and herb sauce since when I added up all the time it would take me to make this dish I was looking at a 4+ hour project for dinner! Yikes! But, I do have extras of everything and think on Sunday I will make the piperade from scratch as suggested to see what that adds.)

So... here's the address of the guy who claims his recipe is THE recipe. If you find another one that sounds and, more importantly, tastes better... please let me know!

http://www.crotonblog.com/archives/2007/07/17/
cooking_with_the_lunch_lady/remys_ratatouille_recipe/

We caucused! What fun!

Unfortunately for the kids, and Josh, ours was not as eventful as the Dodo's Caucus-Race. Though, having heard and then watched on CNN, it seems the D-Caucus-Race may have been just this eventful. Bummer!

We treated our kids to a wonderful night of caucusing R. Now, the D's had told us we could bring our kids but the R's had told us nothing, so we were hoping for the best. This year, over 80 people showed up in our precinct where-as last time they had less than a dozen I think?  And this is also amazing since we live in a highly D populated city.

I actually did not decide who to caucus for until right before we got there. I was reading stats up until the last minute. I finally took to heart something that Josh had said to me. I don't remember the exact quote, but the essence brought me to the point that I wanted to vote for a person, not because I thought they were going to win or because I knew casting a vote for them would keep someone else from winning, but because I believed that my vote counted, was for something I truly believed in, and hopefully would send a message to the other candidates that they could grow in.

And so, I caucused R. It wasn't until we got in there that I knew what an R caucus was or that I knew how different it was from the D's. The D's in IA have to have a certain percentage to get on the ballot and if you don't have that % then you have to go vote for not your first pick. The R's in IA vote by secret ballot and all votes count. This, made me even more glad to have caucused R - I really wanted my vote to count.

And the boys? Well, they really, really wanted to vote for their Dad but they had to be 17. They definitely learned a lot about the democratic process. They got two compliments for sitting so well from other parents who chose not to bring their kids. And Miriam? She was fairly wiggly in our little section but wasn't loud to the whole room so she survived. She loved looking at the guy sitting next to Josh tattoos the best she said, he had an octopus on his hand that she really liked. (And no, it wasn't Jason's tattoo who sat right behind us too, ;)!)

`What IS a Caucus-race?' said Alice; not that she wanted much to know, but the Dodo had paused as if it thought that SOMEBODY ought to speak, and no one else seemed inclined to say anything.

`Why,' said the Dodo, `the best way to explain it is to do it.' (And, as you might like to try the thing yourself, some winter day, I will tell you how the Dodo managed it.)

First it marked out a race-course, in a sort of circle, (`the exact shape doesn't matter,' it said,) and then all the party were placed along the course, here and there. There was no `One, two, three, and away,' but they began running when they liked, and left off when they liked, so that it was not easy to know when the race was over. However, when they had been running half an hour or so, and were quite dry again, the Dodo suddenly called out `The race is over!' and they all crowded round it, panting, and asking, `But who has won?'

This question the Dodo could not answer without a great deal of thought, and it sat for a long time with one finger pressed upon its forehead (the position in which you usually see Shakespeare, in the pictures of him), while the rest waited in silence. At last the Dodo said, `EVERYBODY has won, and all must have prizes.'

`But who is to give the prizes?' quite a chorus of voices asked.

`Why, SHE, of course,' said the Dodo, pointing to Alice with one finger; and the whole party at once crowded round her, calling out in a confused way, `Prizes! Prizes!'

Alice had no idea what to do, and in despair she put her hand in her pocket, and pulled out a box of comfits, (luckily the salt water had not got into it), and handed them round as prizes. There was exactly one a-piece all round.

`But she must have a prize herself, you know,' said the Mouse.

`Of course,' the Dodo replied very gravely. `What else have you got in your pocket?' he went on, turning to Alice.

`Only a thimble,' said Alice sadly.

`Hand it over here,' said the Dodo.

Then they all crowded round her once more, while the Dodo solemnly presented the thimble, saying `We beg your acceptance of this elegant thimble'; and, when it had finished this short speech, they all cheered.

Alice thought the whole thing very absurd, but they all looked so grave that she did not dare to laugh; and, as she could not think of anything to say, she simply bowed, and took the thimble, looking as solemn as she could."

~Quote from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures In Wonderland,
ch. 3.

"I am going to assume your children are not perfect and you work really hard to train them to obey."

To which she replied, "That's all I do all day."

To which I replied, "You are doing an amazing job. It really shows!"

This struck me on a variety of levels and the truth behind it.

The first thing to note was that I wasn't actually thinking when I said the comment. Not that I wasn't thinking as in I was being stupid, but that it came from deep within my heart and before I could stop myself, the words came forth. In this way, the statement really spoke to me, even though I said the words.

I was really struck by the comment about "assume your kids aren't perfect." My husband always reminds me of this but I need to keep reminding myself - kids are not perfect. They are sinful little mini-me&yous running around. Well, maybe your child is perfect, but I know ours aren't. They are not content little passive creatures that rarely speak and just read books all day long. They are going to mess up, break things, push things, etc.

Then the part "you work really hard to train them." Which I know was true of this mom, and is oh-so-true of so many hardworking moms I know, and to which God spoke to my heart, "That includes you, Dana." Now, our kids were not perfect angles at Faithwalkers the whole time, there was still insanity, but I was really proud at how well they did. Someone commented to me that it must be easier when their older, but the truth is, that God really showed me, was we worked really hard for the last 4 months of the school year to get the kids to sit quietly during 6 hours of seminars a day. Again, our kids are not calm by nature, they are crazy like their mama and sitting does not come naturally to them. For me, it was as if God was saying, "See, all that hard work that you do all day long, it is not in vain." And while it was not all "perfect" it was showing progress and that was a huge encouragement to my heart.

That ties in with her response of "That's what I do all day." Amen, sister.

Then my additional response of, "You are doing an amazing job." How much moms need to hear that! One of the speakers said to me that she just wanted to hug all the moms and tell them good job AND OH how much that is needed. You moms out there ARE doing a great job! Your daily decision to get up, love God, love your husband, love your children is amazing! Staying at home, training them, teaching them, it is not soap operas and bon-bons. (Not to forget, going to work and raising children and maintaining a home is intense too!) Motherhood is hard work, watching your children, knowing their strengths and weaknesses, teaching them right from wrong, lots of tears you have wiped away of theirs and yours. Good job Moms, next time I see you, let's give each other hugs and shed a few tears, ok?

The last thing that struck me was what this mother of 12 said to me next, "We once had an high impact dinner, so that really helps. We were all out to dinner once and the kids were behaving so badly we left the restaurant without eating and went straight home without dinner." Brilliant.

In some ways, I would like to think that this is more old school (HA!) and that people don't really have these stereotypes anymore about homeschooling, but then I realized how many times I have heard these things this last semester and I think, just like a soccer mom stereotype, a homeschooling stereotype is still around.

However, day 5, I would change. No one has ever called me/us strange to our face. Generally we get an "Oh" or "Huh" followed by a silence. But all the other questions I have been asked and I realized that the older our kids get the more questions we get asked. I would also add in there, "Do you have to be a registered teacher to homeschool" and "Is it less/more expensive to homeschool." (The answer to the first question is no, depends on the state but you can have a supervising teacher or take ITBS, and the second question is varying, I think it is expensive but that is me remembering that you only had to pay a $25 in-service fee when going to PS and buying books for HS costs more than $25.)

I am sure I ask similar questions about things that I am unfamiliar with. And honestly, I don't mind being asked these questions either because then more awareness about homeschooling the better! :)!

The 12 Days of Home-Schooling ~ author unknown
(To the tune of “The 12 Days of Christmas”)

On the first day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “Can you home school legally?”

On the second day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “Are they socialized? Can you home school legally?”

On the third day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you home school legally?”

On the fourth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “What about P.E.? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you homeschool legally?”

On the fifth day of home school my neighbor said to me, “YOU ARE SO STRANGE! What about P.E.? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you home school legally?”

On the sixth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “How long will you home school? YOU ARE SO STRANGE! What about P.E.? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you home school legally?”

On the seventh day of home school my neighbor said to me, “Look at what they’re missing? How long will you home school? YOU ARE SO STRANGE! What about P.E.? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you home school legally?”

On the eighth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “Why do you do this? Look at what they’re missing? How long will you home school? YOU ARE SO STRANGE! What about P.E.? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you home school legally?”

On the ninth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “What about graduation? Why do you do this? Look at what they’re missing? How long will you home school? YOU ARE SO STRANGE! What about P.E.? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you home school legally?”

On the tenth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “I could never do that! What about graduation? Why do you do this? Look at what they’re missing? How long will you home school? YOU ARE SO STRANGE! What about P.E.? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you home school legally?”

On the eleventh day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “Can they go to college? I could never do that! What about graduation? Why do you do this? Look at what they’re missing? How long will you home school? YOU<]]> Fri, 21 Dec 2007 07:59:46 CDT noreply@cramer5.markupfactory.com (Dana Cramer) Maybe this is not a strange as I think it is... in the last 10 years we have received 3 free cars... AND now we are about to receive, for free, our 4th vehicle... is this normal?

True, we are not being given brand new cars that last forever but they have all been great working cars that we have subsequently taken to their grave and then for some reason, others want our near death vehicles and we have given away 3 cars to other people and they attempt to resuscitate them. (True, we "sell" them for 2 lattes, so they aren't technically "free" but hey.)

The camry, we gave to a couple, and it worked for a while then went really bad and they gave it to a nephew who is tearing it apart for fun. The Ranger Truck had a busted head gasket and was in Ames last time we heard, maybe at the junkyard now? The Lincoln is alive and kickin' it here in IC being used by tons of people in need of wheels. (She wasn't so bad I guess.)

So what of this new vehicle?

My sister Leah was given it to use while she is in the states next month and then told to keep it and she is giving it to us. We are trying to secure transport for it from MN and title and insurance, so if that all works it will be here soon.

So what is this new vehicle?

A minivan.

I know, I know... commence with the soccer mom* jokes. Yes, I am the person who has cursed them since we started having kids. Yes, I am the person who proudly toted my very large cars around as a very viable alternative to the minivan. Yes, I can see the logic behind them. Yes, I know many people who have them and love them. Yes, I know you will get used to it and then appreciate it. Yes, I know, I know... but I also know a couple other things...

1. It is free
2. It is a blessing

A free car is a blessing no matter what type or shape or color or style.

I was talking to a friend who had bought a minivan a while ago. I realized talking to her that, yes, all those great things mentioned above about minivans are true but that I was completely content driving the Buick. I was, and am, so thankful for the Buick because she is a great car and is big enough to fit all 3 kids comfortably and since she was free not only does that mean we don't have car payments, we don't have high insurance or taxes or anything. She is truly a blessing to our finances for sure. And I, at the time said something to the effect of, "If someone gave us a minivan, I would drive it happily." Not because it was a minivan but because it was a blessing and since, at the time, no one was offering us a free minivan, it was for the better that I despised them so, why covet?

Here we are on the verge of getting a free minivan... Truth be told, even my cold-hearted, anit-minivan heart is softened and humbled by this wonderful free gift to us. Another friend said that I would not be able to avoid being placed in the soccer mom category. That is still a hard one to swallow. BUT, the thing that overcomes any bad thoughts is thankfulness for God's provision.

God's provision sometimes comes in the form of high paying jobs, but sometimes it is in other forms... free cars, food on the table, food ever, clothes on your back, clean clothes on your back, kids, healthy kids, safe childbirths, hands that work, one good hand that works, family who love you, anyone who loves you, your health - no matter what its ailments, heat in a house, heat in a car, a house, a roof over your head, a car, a car that works with little to no maintenance, gas for the car... job to pay for the gas, any job - good or bad... Who knows, maybe it will die before we even get it, but it still was a blessing to even think that God can provide us with something, anything, a new car, from anywhere.

BUT even if you don't have ANY of those things mentioned above, the one und]]> Wed, 19 Dec 2007 10:19:48 CDT noreply@cramer5.markupfactory.com (Dana Cramer) Hooray! The 2nd Annual Fondue Party happened last night!

Once again, we couldn't have done it without SOOO many people's help! AND, it wouldn't have been fun without the guests! Here is my best attempt at a photo walk through... and trying to give credit where it is SO gratefully deserved!

This was just before the party started... the Raspberry Fondue table. Much thanks to Alicia H for making this delicious fondue! You could dip cigar wafers, dried apricots, pound cake, anything in this one! Shirley for the yummy dip and veggies! Becki for the fruit! Rachel for her delicious spinach dip! Thanks to Shirley for providing the pot!

This was also before the party started... the Caramel Fondue Table! This was Leslie's Fondue that was delicious! Here we also had Pomegranate Salsa, and yummy fruit from Angie! Thanks to Shirley for providing the pot!

The Chocolate Fondue Table! Always a hit and a table all to itself since everything is fun to dip in it! Thanks to Kari for this wonderful chocolate fondue! Thanks to Angie for the fruit! Thanks to Laurie for providing the pot!

This is the Pizza Fondue Table! (My apologies Tony for your eyes being closed in this one, it was the only photo I had!) I made the Pizza Fondue and Robert made the delicious breadsticks! Thanks to Abbey for the yummy chocolate rice krispies treats! Thanks to Amos and Molly who weren't even asked but SO kindly brought three wonderful cheeses and wafers! (I could never decide on a favorite, btw! They were all wonderful in my book!)

This was the Tortellini Fondue table! Jessica O made this yummy fondue! You take tortellini and heat up in the broth for 20 seconds then dip in either pesto, marinara or alfredo sauce. This table also had bruschetta and another delicious veggie dip from Shirley! Peter also made a now famous Texas Caviar recipe!

This was the best shot of the Cheese Fondue Table! Look over Peter in the greenish/yellowish chair and see the guy in the orangeish/redish shirt, who is standing in front of a door? Or do you see the thin vertical strips of a table cloth edge? That is the bar which was where we had Jonathan and Melodie's yummy Cheese Fondue with all sorts of good dippin' things! Thanks so much Leslie for the yummy veggies for this table! We also had Cranberry Salsa here and yummy fruit from Becki!

Not to forget the drinks provided by Box! And the Cider brought by Amber! And the clean up by Jessica, Melodie, Becki, Alicia, Angie and Leslie! Am I missing anyone?!! Oh! The table provided by Heather! The space heater by Shirley! And to Joe and Shirley for feeding our cuties dinner and to Dan and Wendy for watching<]]> Sat, 08 Dec 2007 18:23:21 CDT noreply@cramer5.markupfactory.com (Dana Cramer) (Maybe I need to hang out with more homeschooling mamas, so this is probably a no brain-er...)

I got a brilliant idea this last week!

See, it is getting colder and colder around here with each passing day and while the kids and I used to take bike rides and walks every day or so, we are now in need of new physical activities because, well, it's cold and I am a wuss. (And I don't jog/run.)

My brilliant idea... EXERCISE VIDEOS from the library!

My first brilliant choice... Sweatin' to the Oldies! 80's Songs! with Richard Simmons!

All this week we have been sweatin' to 80's music for a half hour each morning. Wo/man, do I sweat! Naw, the video isn't that hard, I am just not an actual exercise type of person and am not in shape for a daily exercise video. I *heart* my nordic track and I have done abs/crunch videos, but this is actual jazzercise type of stuff, continuous jumping and bouncing (though much lower key I guess?) and wo/man does it keep you moving.

I don't think Richard is off his rocker either.

There is something to be said for exercising, watching Richard Simmons, watching all these regular people of all shapes and sizes, all the bright colors of the costumes and stage, the regular people smiling their hearts out while doing 30 minutes of moves. As crazy as Dave Letterman makes Richard out to be, I think this video series is inspiring. The outrageous-ness of the whole premise can reel you in but then listening to Richard encourage the viewer on, you can tell that he is actually sincere. He actually cares.

Granted he didn't go to school for this but still, the guy wears sparkly shirts and can make a grown person cry, he has lost considerable amounts of weight himself and has helped thousands of people do the same. Did I mention the sparkly shirts?

And the kids? They like it and are singing the songs and doing little versions of the dance moves here and there just like I am. Miriam the most, then Max, and Zeke fluctuates between trying to break his continuous jump rope record during the half hour, which is still a half hour of exercise in my book, so I am cool with that. It is a great PE class time for them and even though they don't do everything exactly like Richard, they are moving and jumping and getting their little hearts working and loving every minute.

The video is due on Sunday (major bummer to the whole library portion of my bright idea) and even though my initial plan was to swap out with different exercise vids each week, I am now leaning toward a Richard video theme for a while... we still have the 70's and 60's to try out.

Just as you always say, I too look forward to the day when we have been married longer than we have been apart before marriage... only 15 years to go! When that day comes, can we go on an Alaskan cruise to celebrate? (Who says you can only celebrate big every 5 years?)

Instead of barfing all over you lovey-dovey mush... I thought I'd go the other direction...

Throughout these 8 years I have learned a lot about what marriage is and isn't. One of the things I have been most thankful for over those years has been the trials and the struggles.

My verse when we were first married was, "Consider it pure joy my brothers when you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish it's work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything." James 1:2-3?

This was a time when our backs were against each other's, everything life could throw at us, it did - job losses, death, new company, mortgage, birth, no money, etc. Being an eternal optimist, I trusted in God's good during that time, and clung to the fact that He would work all these things for good and it was ok if I never got to see what the "good" was. Looking back, it was those intense years of hardships and struggles in the beginning that truly united Josh and I closer than if life had been all peaches and cream. And since then as life continues to throws things a new at us, we are locked and loaded.

(An aside - Writing that reminded me of that scene in Mr & Mrs Smith, in the end, when they are fighting all the people trying to kill them while back to back, spinning around, somehow finding more ammo and weapons but still firing at their enemies... yeah, just like that. And just think, if we were all of a sudden on separate teams and we did fire on each other during that time, think how terrible the damage would be?)

(A second aside - This also reminds me of my friend who had an arranged marriage. Within months of marriage, life got very intense for the 2 of them and instead of fighting against each other, they clung together and fought together and now they, who hardly knew each other, are completely melded together for life. How beautiful!)

In all honesty, we are human and when it is the two of us throwing things figuratively at each other (which thankfully are generally minor things but still)... I always remember a pastor telling us a marriage conference, "Go home, and die some more." And a book I read called "Marriage takes more than Love." And a good verse I read, "WHEN the storms of life come." And another good verse I read, "Better to live on the corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife." And then the ultimate thought that Josh is dying again and again for me as much as (if not more) than I am for him.

Marriage is tough and I don't even want to pretend to have it all together. I am putting my hope in the grace of God and with every year, I thank Him for being the King of our hearts and lives. I am thankful that we do each have the Spirit of the Living God inside of us, Who is molding us and shaping us and transforming us. I am also really blessed that the man I get to go though all this with, the incredibly good, the pretty bad and the really ugly is my best friend, my soul mate, my lover... wow, what more could a girl ask for?

(And one more thing... A Happy Birthday to a Mr. Gourley! Uncle Chad, the boys miss you! Hope you have a great day today!)

Now, even though this is Em's special recipe, I did find it out on the Internet as well with several people claiming it their own. (I have always wondered how people can call a recipe their own, :)!) But here is a photo from What's Cooking America.net and the recipe is the one I got from Em. This is an absolutely addicting salsa that will keep you snacking until it is gone!

Em's Delicious Cranberry Salsa!

1 12 oz bag of fresh cranberries (rinsed)
4 green onions minced (about 1/2 cup)
2 small jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced (about 2 Tbsp)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
2 Tbsp ginger, finely grated
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Put cranberries in food processor until finely chopped, but not mushy. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in all other ingredients, cover and refrigerate for 4 hours to allow flavors to develop. The flavor mellows and sweetens over time. Will keep in refrigerator for a week.

(Em always serves this over cream cheese with a "Ritz" type cracker, the brand that has sesame or wheat varieties, not "Ritz" versions, and I highly recommend going that way too! If only I could remember the brand name!)

Also, I was talking to my husband and thinking about these two recipes and decided that maybe you will not fawn over them like I do. I just love vinegar, hence why I love the POM Salsa and I just love ginger, hence why I love this Cranberry Salsa. Which ever tendency you have or don't have, I hope you will at least try it for fun, you will not be disappointed in the presentation for sure!

For those in MN, this will be coming your way tonight! It is absolutely heavenly!

UPDATE!!!
As for the car... the epoxy is drying exactly right in the right place and everything! Yeah!! The extra wire I used is really doing its job too! Yeah!! I'll keep you posted! The plan is to re-install it at 2 today! How exciting!

We finally fixed the ever-so-expensive AC issues the Buick was having (which as an aside, if there is ever a part to your car you want to pray does not go out, have it be anything involving the AC - sooo expensive!)! It was an exciting day for us for sure. We even debated buying a new-to-us car instead of fixing it but decided fixing it would be best for now.

The next day, pulling out of the garage, hoping not to hit the lawn mower precariously placed on the right side of the car, I compensated too much to the left and *CRASH!*

I ripped off the driver side mirror on the garage door. Beauty.

Oh, the irony of it all!

And the handy man's secret weapon would not hold it in place. The only options are to take it into a shop to have it replaced or do it yourself. The idea of finding a side view mirror at a junk yard, the pain and time of taking apart a car door (which if you have ever done you know is a near impossible task!) and whatever other costs associated to fix such a thing, were not sitting well.

Thankfully though, when I was dropping the kids off at my parents house for the weekend, my dad gave me specific instructions on how to fix it myself using the tools I had. Instead of spending hours primping for my hot date that night, I began taking apart the driver side door, piece by piece. It is definitely a hard task! I managed to get so far as to having one bolt left that was hiding under something I just couldn't get at.

Today, Josh helped me find the last bolt and I got to go about finishing my, yes, my dirty job, removing the final parts and unscrewing the bolts from the mirror. I broke it, I will fix it. After I got the bolts off of the mirror itself I then had to drill holes in the mirror, twist wire from the broken pieces to the mirror, epoxy and twist wires and then epoxy again. (I was ever so glad for all my previous epoxy experience in college!).

I did use the handy man's secret weapon to jerry-rig everything into a good place to dry in for the 24 hours it takes to solidify perfectly. I will keep you posted whether it does the job or not.

Again, oh, the irony of it all!

Lessons learned: Having been reading Hebrews 12 for House Church, I had the verse, "Endure hardship as discipline" running through my brain. My reaction to breaking the car was not anger but it was "This is a hardship, this is discipline, what should I have done?" My initial thought was I should not have been lazy about the placement of the lawnmower and just found a safe winter resting spot for it in the garage. There may be more lessons God is teaching me, and I am praying that He will continue to reveal them to me.

Oh, how thankful I am to be considered a daughter of God! (Heb 12:6)

Holidays are here also means the items in stores change and as expected, everything is red and green.  But there are always some strange items that show up, specifically in the grocery stores during this red and green time that I usually pass by without thought... things like those jellies for making fruit cakes, santa cookies cutters, fudge supplies.  (Can you tell I am not a baker?) 

Then there are also those items I walk past and think, "If only I had a decent recipe, I would buy that."  For me "that" is pomegranates and cranberries.  But this year was different and I took the plunge!  I bought 2 pomegranates and 2 bags of cranberries and had no idea initially what to do with them.

With the cranberries, I finally decided to make Em's famous cranberry dip, (which I still need the recipe for *wink, wink*).  It is to die for!  All family members located in MN will get the joy of trying this yummy treat this year!  Yeah! 

With the pomegranates I was stuck.  Josh normally just likes eating them fresh/raw, but I wanted to DO something with them.  On the little booklet by them they had this photo of the fruit with something yellow diced up.  I decided to go to their website and check out what that delicious looking dish was. 

Turns out it is POM Salsa and it is amazing! 

Now here is my plug... If any of you are looking into bringing something to somewhere for your holiday travels, I would highly recommend this!  It is a piece of art to look at and it tastes delicious!  Definitely a winner in my book and one recipe I will do again and again.

POM Salsa from www.POMWonderful.com
(With my mods in (), :)!)

Ingredients:

Juice from 1 large POM Wonderful Pomegranate,* or ¼ cup POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice (I didn't do, just used more rice vinegar.)
2 cups arils from 2-3 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates (I used however many arils came out of the 2 Poms I bought.)
3-4 teaspoons chopped jalapeño pepper (I didn't do because I didn't have on hand, I used 1/2 a green pepper for color)
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow bell pepper (I didn't measure, but I think I used more.  I diced up 1 and 1/3 yellow]]> Sun, 18 Nov 2007 22:26:05 CDT noreply@cramer5.markupfactory.com (Dana Cramer) You ever hear things on the news... new discoveries, new inventions, and really think about their implications?

Go to this web site... http://www.decode.com/News/2007_11_16.php

Watch the web cast...

Think...

Talk Amongst Yourselves.

I was hoping to link to all my loving posts about her, but they all disappeared when we switched websites... *sigh*

In any event, we did sell her to some friends of ours for a couple cappuccinos a while ago.  Since then they fixed what was ailing her and she has been driven by many a folk and is still kickin' it and livin' large.  

In a wonderful answer to prayer before I even finished my request, we will have the pleasure of driving her for a few days this week!  Since we are down a car, and since our appointments many and are lots of miles away, I was in need of wheels for tomorrow that a bus or Josh's work schedule could not work out.  The O's were kind enough to offer her to us to borrow.

Oh, my head is swooning I am so exited!  Ezekiel too shares my excitement and began jumping up and down when he saw her pull into the drive.

I was reminded of just how much strength her V8 has when she bounded up our drive. 

I was putting the kids' car seats in her and I was once again marveled by just how much leg room is in the back seat and what a wonderful date car she is (for the married, ;)!).

I walked around her outside and realized that even though our Buick is large, nothing compares to her size.

I slipped into the driver's seat, felt the leather upholstery cold with the night, looked out over her 9' and counting hood and realized what a powerful beast she truly is.

She was the one we bought and everybody laughed at, but oh how we loved her. 

She was the one who we could drive on the interstate and feel like you were floating.

She was the one who people would offer to buy from you while driving her.

She was the one who could fit 10 girls in one trip.

She was the one who could pack everything into and still have room for five extra kitchen sinks.

She was the one who could only be rivaled by our other love, a Suburban. 

*sigh*

I can't wait for tomorrow... More importantly, I can't wait until our appointments are over and I can take her down to the car wash, clean her up real nice, condition her interior leather, and show her some good ole lovin' she so deserves. 

That same meal,
"Mom, you always tell us that the food you make is good and here you are telling us that you know this meal is bad?"
Mom, "Yep, I will not try to fool you... this is a terrible dinner, but we need to be thankful for it anyway."

That same meal...
"Honey, you know I love your cooking but if you would like for me to start losing weight, then you should make more meals like that one."

"Be responsible for your own encouragement."

Be a "Self Feeder."

"Spiritual growth comes when you pick up this book (the Bible) and read it."

"You've heard it said, 'If everyone did what you were doing at recycling, would it make a difference?' but what about, 'If everybody did what you were doing to share the gospel to the ends of the world?'"

Brother, "You're so cute!"
Sister, "I'm not cute! I'm a big girl who's going to take you down!"

"Dana, we are standing outside a pet store, waiting for it to open with 20 other people. Do you know what I would have said if we would have driven past this sight?"
"What are all those crazy people doing?"
"And now, we are one of them? Let's leave..."

"My leg hair is so long it doubles as a layer of long johns."
"My leg hair was so long, it took 4 razors to remove it." 

Son, "Mom, can you get golden flax next time?"

Mom, "I have never been so worried about a little fish before? I am definitely never letting another pet in this house. This is too tragic."

"You know... love, joy, peace, sanity... is sanity a fruit of the Spirit?"

"Christians don't go to bars."
The group of us who had gone line dancing at the bar the night before, "Does that mean we're not Christians?"
"No, since we just questioned our salvation, it means we are!"

Long, low rumbling... really long...
Little Friend, "Was that the passing of gas?"
"Yes... is that the longest passing of gas you've ever heard?"
Little Friend, "Out of Miriam, yes, but in our house it is nothing."

Zeke's fish, Bravery I, has died.

He died Saturday morning between 9:00 and 9:30 AM. Zeke was very distraught by this.  Loving parents to our child, we called the fish store once they opened to find out policy on fish returns. They said to bring in the dead fish and a water sample within 48 hours of original purchase and you "may" get a new fish.

At 10:30 AM, Zeke and I went to return the dead fish and check the water. We ended up just bringing the whole tank in, dead fish and water and all. The "fish expert" did not check the water but instead just said, to pick out a new fish. Zeke picked out a new fish, really active and good looking fins. We brought him home and got him situated.

Once again, the new fish, Bravery II, did the same thing his predecessor did. Get home and go numb. He wouldn't move, didn't eat, stayed in the fake plant all day. First thing waking up this morning, Zeke went straight to his fish, and kept watch on it. Zeke was really, really worried and Bravery II was not looking active at all. Both Zeke and Bravery II were absolutely distraught.

At 12:00PM, the whole family treked the fish and his tank back to the pet store, once again. Bravery II was looking too mellow for words. This time, we asked the "fish expert" to test the water and see if we needed to buy a different fish food.

Turns out, it was the water.

The nitrate levels from our IC tap water were WAY high and the fish was slowly dying in the (family's drinking) water. Scary huh?

Zeke went ahead and bought some more fish food and then had to go and buy some spring water for his fish tank. All of his hard earned money has slowly been dwindling over these last few days.

And his parents?

Let's see... 3 trips to the pet store in 4 days... watching their child be in anguish over losing a pet and then be in anguish over trying to keep another pet alive... a trip to the store to buy water... a lot of mini-messes with multiple changes of water... stinky fish food... scoop of uneaten, soggy fish food... watching our son spend all his hard earned money for a fish... ????

Bravery II will be the end of pets in this house until Zeke can drive. And even then, it will still be only fish.

Went 7 days, cleaning up pee from all over the house... the carpets, rugs, wood floors, beds... that's right beds, had to change the sheets and re-make the bed and wash the sheets and everything...

Tonight, he is the proud owner of a fish and tank, all bought with his own cold-hard-earned cash. He is the first person to own a pet in our house and have the sole, one and only responsibility in that job. He now has to care for something else. He is now very aware of vacations and overnight trips. He is learning to be gentle and patient. He is a pet owner.

The fish's name is Bravery.

Folks, I tell you what... if this fish survives a week under this roof, I think we will throw a birthday party for the fish... oh wait, that will be Miriam's birthday? Perfect. I won't have to buy extra cake. :)!

The site was designed by Artypapers and it has the Content Management System of Markup Factory, a CMS product of Cramer Development. This is all very cool and very exciting!

Once the site was officially launched it was on CSS Beauty. If you are a computer geek, or friends with one, you know what that means. While, I had been told to not pay much attention to their comments, I just can't help but.

Now, I know any issues in Firefox, IE, or Safari are still getting worked on and I am fine with those comments, it is it's first launch. I looked at Mint and I don't think they are similar but maybe I am missing something. I also don't know what the logo comment is all about since we have had the same logo for years? But I'd have to ask someone who they are referring to.

One comment I found interesting was the comment that it doesn't look like a church website? Which at first I didn't understand but then I figured it out...

What is odd, is that our church website is not all lovey/dovey touchy/feely... our church website is there to get things done.

You want to know who is using the church Tuesday night, bam!
You want to hear the latest podcast, bam!
You want to get the church cleaning schedule to make sure you don't forget, bam!
You want to confirm the next service project, bam!
You want to get the prayer list for your prayer group, bam!

(If I could, imagine all those "bams" as if they were from an episode of Batman, :)!)

Now, I know my criticism of the site is slighty biased, which I can accept. At the same time, I do think it is a wonderfully designed site and very useful, and that I would say without nepotism.  I really love how bright and fresh it looks, I love incorporating Tony's booklet into the front page, and I really love the usefullness, which I think our church is on the move so we need a site not only to inform but in reality, to help us stay organized and on mission in our city.

There are lots of wonderfully designed, useful church websites out there, some are dark, some are taupe, some gray, some rough edged, so I am not saying ours is the end all be all by any means... I am very excited about it and proud of all of those who worked on it, tirelessly, in rare spare time, to make it happen over the last 6 months. Way to go guys and girl!

I also understand taking criticism well and I am glad for any comments you or anyone else have. Though, at this point, we won't be making any big design changes for a while, if you notice a typo or crazy error, etc, let me know and I will get it in the hands of those who can fix it! :)!

SO

Josh took the boys to the pet store a while back and they told him to keep a goldfish they needed, this that and the other and we got totally turned off on the idea.  What ever happened to just a bowl and a fish?

THEN

Zeke had an exciting conversation with our friend Leslie, who said that Betta were really easy and liked little bowls.

SO

Zeke really wants a Betta fish.

BUT

Just like all pets, I am not going to take care of this fish, so Zeke has to prove his responsiblily and I told Zeke he had to bring it up at a house meeting.

THEN

Zeke proposed it at a house meeting, saying he would pay for the fish and whatever it needed, but as Leslie said, "It's just a small bowl."  Josh, being the ever so wise half of our union started asking important questions to Zeke about the care of a Betta fish.  Zeke, taking on the ever so smarts of his father said, "I will go to the library and check out a book on how to care for a Betta fish and then I will make a list of all I need to do."  

BUT

Again, my ever so wise husband then throws out the scenario, "But what if when you (Zeke) are cleaning the tank the old water spills everywhere?  Do you think you are capable of cleaning up a big water mess?  Can he do that?"  I think for a moment, "I don't know but I do know that I am not going to do it."  My ever so wise husband says, "Then how about we find something that Zeke can practice cleaning up so he can show he could clean up a poop filled fish water mess?"  "He can clean up after his sister pees on the floor?" I reply. "Ok, Zeke, you have to clean up your sister's pee messes for 7 days to get your fish, and even after those 7 days, if she ever does have an accident, you still have to clean is up."  Zeke, "Deal!"

AND SO

Zeke got his book about Betta.  And they do only need a very small bowl because that is how they live in the wild in the Thai rice fields, who knew!  He made his list of things he needed to get and remember to do to make his fish survive.  And he knows that if at any point he neglects this fish it is *flush* down the toilet.

AND YES, 

Sure enough, his sister did not make it to the toilet in time that day and sure enough, he cleaned up the mess, washed the floor and was joyful the entire time... Then when she got into the bathroom but had an accident on the rug instead of in the toilet so he picked up the rug and washed it in the washing machine... then when she had an accident on the carpet, he got out the carpet cleaner vacuum and cleaned the carpet... all with joy and proudly proclaiming, "I am going to have my fish in no time!" 

AND

Lucky for him, his sister's messes are getting less frequent every day. 

Lately, my peanut brain has been trying to get its grasp around just how in the world could they let a school district give out birth control to 6th graders. But this short thought quickly multiplies itself with this that and the other and in the end, in essence, I realized that I am not as "safe" in my government as I thought I was as a Christian.

I understand reality... the Bible says that when the storms of life come, that family members will turn against each other, that the world rejected Christ, what do you think they are going to do with you? But in my peanut brain, I like to think that, oh, everything is fine, it will all work itself out, why get your undies in a bunch over this or that, they are just going to do what they want but you will still have freedoms, it won't go all downhill, why fight it now?

They beheaded 200* students that day back in China, and I can't help but think about the 200th student and what was going on in their mind. Why fight it? They could've just signed... but they didn't.

This week, in Geography, we learned about a small country whose main export is this drug, similar to marijuana. So this week, we, as parents, got to explain what drugs are to our 7 and 5 year old, in age appropriate, understandable, terms, relating it back to things we know are important to them. And, just like a few years ago when we explained to them what cigarettes are and their effects, the discussion did not end that day but it has continued since and now our kids freely can talk to us about both subjects.

We, as parents, want to be the ones to talk to them about sex, both heterosexual and homosexual. And we have already started in little ways, and with each day we add a little more as it is age appropriate. But that is the point, WE, as parents, are doing it, starting the conversations as the issues arise and keeping the discussion open.

Slowly, our government is taking away our rights as parents... oh well, it's all going to work out in the end, why fight it? No, No, No! Above the head of this government is God, He is without political party branding of any kind and like those precious college students, it is to Him we will serve first.

I have never thought of myself as being one to want to get involved in such political matters more than the prayers I lift up for our government each day or voting in elections. I do not know quite yet how this will manifest itself but it definitely makes me more aware and more serious of the things that will start coming our way... but I tell you what, easy or hard, I will fight it.

*Beheading was actually a common thing in China even before the Communists and was performed by the mandarin for crimes like stealing and such.
**I am sleepy and it is late, so if I remember, I will double checks my facts on this event. I will say it is a decent paraphrase but probably may have some holes.
***Again, I think the number was 200 but I can't quite remember right now.

Not that I watch the cartoons, but the kids do, and I have gotten into this habit of making my meals/grocery list while drinking a latte and the kids watching cartoons. (I wasn't planning on this being a discussion about Saturday AM cartoon justification or not, but if you want to go there, you can.)

I was up for it even though nervous, ask Leslie.  I made a plan, we would ride our bikes to the library that morning and all being well. What I didn't plan on was the fact that since Josh was gone, I would not get a decent nights sleep and since Josh was gone, throughout what sleep I did get there were between 1 to 3 kids in bed with me. When morning came, all four of us had a rough night of sleep.

By the time we were done with breakfast, I was tired and the kids were too and all I could think was... Joost.

Joost? I am deciding that it's tag line should be, "The Poor Man's Cable."

It is an online TV player that offers a variety of shows from cartoons to dramas to trash (that you can easily remove). You have to download it to your computer and then you can have National Geographic and GI Joe and CSI at your fingertips, for free. It does have commercials, at strange times, but only one at a time and they are super short, like 10 sec and even still are rare. Bummer is that it plays those commercials at an incredibly loud volume. And, like I mentioned above, it does have some trashy channels that you can erase easily.

It is like cable but I don't know much else. I don't know if they are going to upload new shows weekly or how they will keep it fresh. I suppose I should do some more reading on it as well before I get you to try it. :)! But they do have a lot of big name ads, so they are definitely planning on going somewhere and this is only the beginning. My advice is, research it first to see if you want more info, :)!

As for me, I turned my office into a make-shirt lounge.

Brought in all the pillows from around the house, blankets and stuffed animals... moved my monitor to the floor... got the kids their cappuccinos and turned on some good ole GI Joes as we all snuggled in the pile of comfort. They were in heaven and I got to rest my jaw, get my grocery lists done and finally wake up, :)!

Again, we don't need TV and could do without our Saturday morning cartoon fix... but for all of us, after a long week, it was joost nice to kick back and chill.

Get Rid of It.
We are on our way to lighten our loads.  We have accumulated too much stuff over the years that there was a memorandum issued in our home to dispose of 2 additional garbage bags of stuff to either give away or throw away each week.  Oh wo/man, it feels so good.  My goal is to only have enough stuff to fit into a trailer home, just cuz.  (I am giving myself grace on the furniture, since we could unload that easily when needed.)  But everything else is out.  Do you need something?  Chances are I have it and I can give it to you.

We do not need a pet.
In case you were wondering, our family does not need a pet.  I love pet people, don't get me wrong.  But I have one child who likes to pee on the floor and it is worse than a dog and I am quite content training her and being done with it.  :)!

Still cookin!
I made some Crab Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes the other day from the Silver Palate.  I think next time I will use actual baking potatoes and do a better job of scooping out the potatoes and actually make the special creme stuff and make the correct amount of creme stuff, but otherwise I enjoyed them.

Still in love!
I am blown off my feet by how wonderful a husband God has given me.  Wow... what a guy!

Do I work at all?
Someone asked me that the other day... they meant it nice and about architecture specifically since we had gone to school together... but I realized I missed architecture but I missed the studio aspect of it mostly.  So the kids and I have been having our own little studio time during the day building things out of cardboard.  It is wonderful!

How's school?
Good.  Busy.  Takes a long time.  "But doesn't homeschool only take a couple hours?"  Maybe in your world.  In ours, it takes all day, which isn't a bad thing either.  It actually is nice and there are breaks and stuff throughout the day which is good for the boys and their attention spans.  All in all, it is a nice system and we are all learning a lot.

Don't complain!
While putting dishes into the dishwasher a child complains, "Why do I always have to put dishes into the dishwasher?!"  A parent responds, "Well, it could be harder, and you'd have to wash them by hand."  The other parent adds, "Why not have them do that now?"  "Great idea!"  Child then has to wash the dishes by hand.  Once completed says, "I will never complain about loading the dishwasher again!"  Kisses the dishwasher and says, "Thanks for doing all the work!"

Pay attention!
Talking birth shop with a friend, our 2.9 yr old comes up and hands me a piece of candy.  I open it and give it back.  A moment later, I am approached by her cohort of 3.3 yrs who says nothing but hands me the piece of candy, to which I wise up and say, "You better ask your mom."  Note to self - pay more attention to your kids with candy.

Take my stuff please!
Again, do you need anything?  I have this tub shower install kit that I can't get rid of.  If you come and take it from my house, you can sell it, burn it, trade it whatever!  Just take it please?!  How about a humidifier?  What about... 

"Mom... is that a mosquito bite on your face."
Mom, knowing exactly which big zit on her face her child is speaking about and embarrassingly says, "No, that is a pimple."
"You have them all over your face!"
Still embarrassed mother, now more embarrassed says, "Yes, that happens to me sometimes."
"Humph." Child goes back to wanting to go back to creating havoc... Chiropractor, kindly, finds a nice way to soften the blow...

One day, the child will understand, unfortunately, genetically, I know he will...

But thankfully he didn't point out my mustache, crow's feet, boogers in my nose and wax in my ears as well... 

Laying in bed, winding down from the day, listening to Diane Reams on NPR, we were in the midst of a conversation when the discussion on the radio slowly ended our conversation and we drawn into theirs. Diane was interviewing two women and the 25th anniversary of their cookbook. Not only were the women authors of a cookbook, but before the cookbook they were chefs / restaurateurs. Diane was praising them about how much their cookbook helped to "change the way America cooks..." then they started taking calls.

Each person that called didn't really ask a question but, unplanned, shared their favorite recipe... one after another, praised this recipe, that recipe, this recipe, and so on to the point that it had our mouth's watering. Josh turned to me and said, "We need that cookbook."

We bought it and WOW!

The Tomato Basil Brie Linguine, the Pasta and Seafood Salad with Basil, the Leek Soup, Salad Nicoise, Ginger Candied Carrots, etc... delicious.

If you ever have a vegetable garden this cookbook is a must have... there is a whole section of recipes that focus of what to do with your harvests... exceptional.

All the little extras, like how to make Pate Brisee or Puff Pastry from scratch, homemade dressings and mayonnaise, great for any novice or expert... insightful and encouraging.

We have thoroughly enjoyed this cookbook and it is already covered in sauces and stains from constant use, and we have only had it a few months. One of their most famous recipes is for a Chicken Marbella made with prunes, olives and capers. I am really looking forward to making this recipe when I can chew like a normal person... it looks and sounds heavenly.

If you are in market for a new cookbook, this is definitely worth your 20 (more or less depending on your suaveness). I would also highly recommend the 25th Anniversary Edition because of the full color pictures. Not that pictures are necessary, but they will make you see the love of fresh ingredients that rings true throughout the cookbook.

Not convinced yet? Try this recipe. I have made this twice in the last two weeks and it is wonderful. I did eat it the first time I made it against doctor's & husband's orders and better judgement, and it was worth all the additional pain.***

Pasta and Seafood Salad with Basil

1 lb shrimp, raw, shelled, deveined
1 lb bay scallops, rinsed
2 or 3 squid, cleaned / optional**
1/2 lb. pasta (corkscrews or the like)
1 cup tiny peas (defrosted or patter dry if fresh)
1/2 c diced red pepper
1/2 c red onion
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
3-4 T lemon juice
1/2 c Basil Puree*
Salt, Pepper
1 c pitted kalamata or alfonso olives

1. Boil salted water, drop in shrimp and scallops and cook for 1 min, drain immediately
2. Cut squid into 1/2 in. rings. Divide tentacles in half. Boil another pot salted water drop in squid and simmer for 5 min, drain.
3. Bring 3rd pot to boil and cook pasta in salted water until tender but firm, drain.
4. Be certain the seafood and pasta are well drained and toss together in bowl.
5. Add peas, no need to cook them, bell pepper and onion and toss.
6. In small bowl, whisk olive oil, lemon juice, and basil puree and season with salt and pepper. Pour dressing over salad and toss well, season as needed.
7. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate. Allow salad to return to room temp before serving.

*Basil Puree - Process or blend 7 cups washed and dried fresh basil leaves and 1 T dried basil and 3-4 T olive oil. Cover and refrigerate.
** Omit squid if you must, but there is no substitute for what it adds, they say.

Now for<]]> Mon, 08 Oct 2007 11:02:03 CDT noreply@cramer5.markupfactory.com (Dana Cramer) Welp, that's it. It's official. That garden lot is now turned back over to its owner, the city.

We closed it out this weekend. It was hard work and sadness and a little relief. Today, it will be tilled under and laid to rest for 6 months.

In my typical fashion, I went out early on Saturday, as the sun was rising, to do some work by myself.

(And when I stopped by Dan's, it was so cold, all the regulars were sitting in the darkened Blimpies that is attached, drinking their coffee, talking about the homecoming game to come. Too bad all their talking couldn't help our team win!)

I came away with two big pictures about life...

1. Again, weeds are sin, and in the end, everyone has to give account for the weeds, the ones you did and did not pull. For me, it came in the form of the weeds we didn't pull around our fences. And even though we were so good to take out or hide all the other weeds, these weeds at the fencing now have to be dealt with.

2. Man will work the land and toil it and fight it and curse it. Our society really gets the jip of not being able to fully experience this curse with all the grocery stores and availability of food around our society. Though, I know you could say, working endlessly to pay for food at these places is curse enough, true, but there is something to be said for actually growing your own food for your whole family. Our forefathers/mothers were amazing for having done this and lived. We did not live on our garden alone, it was a perk, but not our sole food.

The first big picture I realized when I started to pull out the 140' of fencing we had buried 6" deep. We never weeded along the fencing, it was a pointless task, or so we thought. If you did it, you'd have to make sure both sides were pulled and go out some distance and there were neighbors or lack of neighbors to contend with plus there was the perk of actually using the tall weeds around the fencing to actually block the view into our garden to deter thieves.

Along all of our fence were grasses and weeds that were 3 to 4 feet tall, intertwined around the fencing. The fencing was also in continuous 50' pieces, wrapped corners and itself, tied to fence posts every 8' with wire or hemp. By 5' in I was already bloody and should've worn thick leather work gloves, I realized that I really should've cleared this with my chiropractor, and that I should've enlisted some help.

But I love a challenge and manual labor, so I continued.

By 25' into it, I hit my first major snag. A root... from a weed... 1.5 inches thick... grown/fused around the buried fencing in such a way that it was like a staple that held the fencing to the ground, reaching down the depths of two feet or more. Sooner or later, everyone has to give account, everyone. I dug around it, too deep. I cut at it, too thick. I dug some more. I pulled the fencing. I got out the hoe and hacked at it, cursing it with each swing. I dug some more. I hacked some more. I picked at it with my fingers, pulling it at the splinters. I cursed some more. Finally, after about thirty minutes, the root was free. My hands were more bloody, my back ached a whole lot more, and I could smell myself.

When reading about the ten commandments to the kids last week, I was able to see more clearly how this is a daunting task, being perfect. The task is impossible, sin abounds. We sin so often. We know all our past hurts and offenses more than anyone else. The separation between us and God is intense and even 1 sin, separates us from His perfection. No matter how much we try to clean up ourselves, do the right thing, be a good person, even if we say we are a Christian, it all comes down to, someone needs to die for our sins, will it be us, or will it be Christ?

The Pharisees and Sadducees watched Jesus Christ like a hawk. Why?<]]> Mon, 01 Oct 2007 09:10:18 CDT noreply@cramer5.markupfactory.com (Dana Cramer) (This blog post was partially lost in a server error.  My apologies!)

Have you ever tried to loose weight? Get in shape?

Does it happen overnight? Can you wish it into being?  Snap your fingers?  Does the weight just drop off?

If you are honest with yourself you will 100% say, “No.”

I would like to take this opportunity to show tribute to a dear friend of min.  Two years ago, this month of September, my friend started the long hard journey of weight loss, exercise and healthy living.

And, I am sure most of you are thinking, “Two years?” Shouldn’t it only be a few months?

Again, if you are honest with yourself, you know the answer is, “No.”

Anyone who has seriously tackled living healthier knows that it is not something they do and then can stop It is a complete change of lifestyle and focus.

Again, you may think, "Oh that is easy"

Try it. For two years. It is harder than it looks.

Did she do it by some binge diet?  A magic pill? Surgery? Saying she needs to do it and hoping it will happen by osmosis?

No.

She did it the old fashioned way of blood, sweat, tears, trips to the ER and giving it everything she has. This has not been an easy journey by any means. But 2 years ago, she made the decision. By doing this the hard AND right way, she has had to make sacrifice after sacrifice, but the rewards far outweigh them all.

Finding those moments to get to the gym when she could sleep in or go to bed early, she made it a priority. Keeping herself away from the tempting foods or late night snacks with friends, she missed out on those fun times but is building herself a legacy. Eating proper portions and healthier foods, she made it part of her lifestyle.

Whenever I read the verse about Paul, pushing on in the race… "Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. pan>No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”  I picture her. She has beaten her body and made it her slave.

Having watched her go through this these last two years, I can’t help but stand in awe of her faith and determination. I know there have been times when the task felt daunting, overwhelming, but she set her mind on higher things. “Christ, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross.”  She continues to persevere. She has her eyes on the prize, a healthy life, a long life, in service to the Lord.

She has pursued this task with more joy and enthusiasm than I have ever seen. I admire her for making it something that flows from her, like a musician to his instrument, she breathes healthy living In a world of so much excess and indulgence, she stands for restraint and self control It is not of herself that she has persevered, but through the strength of Christ

The benefits are not solely on the outward, but inwardly as well…

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace... (This is where data was lost.  Again, my apologies!  If I can get the original from her, I will type it in!)

There were already 5 cars that arrived to Dan's ahead of mine. The inhabitants of those cars were all gray haired men, with their own mugs or refillable containers. They have left the comfort of their cars with leather seats with butt warmers for hard plastic chairs that have been sitting out all night and are wet with dew. They sit in front of Dan's, which is merely a gas station, and shoot the breeze about life, argue about sports and reminisce about the past.

This fascinates me and oh, how I wish I could join their club.

One of my favorite past times is sitting and listening to old men shoot the breeze. I love hearing their stories that they have told a thousand times before. I love how they know so much about the sports they love and the years and dates just drip from their lips like a mother's with her child's birth-weight. I love the fact that they can congregate anywhere, as long as there is some form of coffee... gas stations, diners, etc. I love that they also just sit for long periods of time, not saying anything, just watching the world, reading the paper in a goup, yet no one is offended. I also love the eras they grew up in and how that has shaped, for good or bad, who they were and are.

Josh shares my same fascination and he too wishes he could join their club. My husband and I love eating at restaurant dives in strange towns and we inevitably run into these groups of men and, without even trying to eavesdrop, end up hearing them spin their tales. They speak loudly, either from past ear damage from wars or factories, or they are speaking up for the others who have those conditions.

My grandfather-in-law is one of the sweetest old men I know and talking with him always brings joy into my heart. He too can spin marvelous tales of the past and give you play by plays of the days (base)ball games. In strange ways he embodies a lot of what I feel like my own grandpas would have been like if I was given the chance to go back and enjoy their company once more.

Josh and I went on a Friday night date and stopped by the local high school to watch the end of the game and there in the back, in the free seats that we were enjoying, was the group of old men I normally see at Dan's. And sure enough, the next morning at 6AM, there they all were, double in number now since the football season is officially going strong.

They too, like Josh and I, were reeling from the kid who should've caught the pass that lost the game and oh, how I wanted to add my two cents into their conversation. But I couldn't, I wasn't wearing their club clothes... and I have work to do, a garden to weed... and I have to get back to kids at home, who will be waking and wanting breakfast... and I just don't have the time to sit in front of a gas station all day and not do anything...

Maybe this is why older women do not congregate like this, outside, in open public? They have to be doing something else? Quilting? Their hands have to be busy, they are used to watching kids and doing something else? I sat in the line at Caribou getting my $1 off latte (Thank you Leah!) and was preparing checks for a bank deposit, when the cashier says, "I'm sorry we don't take checks." To which I reply, "This isn't for you, this is for my next stop."

A friend's older grandmother, whom I love and adore, will talk to me for hours about God and life and being a wife and mother but I can assure you we would not be sitting still for it. We'd be making a run with the local police or going to get that good deal on sirloins or something... but not sitting still. And dur]]> Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:30:13 CDT noreply@cramer5.markupfactory.com (Dana Cramer) It is time...

We have to be out of our garden by October 1st.  This puts another point on the side of a garden at home. It is truly sad to see it all end.  But I think just breaking free of it all at once is probably nicer than trying to drag it along?  (I am really just trying to make myself feel better because truly, it is going to be sad for me.)

I went to the garden on Saturday morning.  Just because it was 6AM and I was awake.  Since the garden is winding down, there really isn't much to do.  I did pick 3 kinds of tomatoes (just a small batch) which was fun that they are still turning red.  I picked the rest of our leeks (to make Chinese omelets and give come to Mom to make Potato Leek Soup), picked some chives and basil for the leeks dishes and pizza for Zeke's birthday... oh, and tons of hot peppers. 

I had been praying that somehow, we could revive out cantaloupe, but to no avail.  I tried and tried but there was no bringing back the brown wilted plant and the fruit would then not get fed. 

That is him, in the upper left.  All that brown you see that looks like old straw is the brown wilted plant, right in the center of the photo.  Soooo sad.  I took the kids to the garden last night to show them how far he had gotten before the bugs got him and to dissect him to see what was inside.  This is what we found...

He is gone.  The green in the middle is weeds.  The green in the back is chives.  The green in the back left is tomatoes.  But no cantaloupe.  Either a big animal picked it up and took it out of the fence, or a person did.  In this case, I am glad they did.  I have never eaten a green cantaloupe, and was going to dissect this one just for fun with the kids, so if someone took it and will actually eat it, more power too them.  I hope that the inside does have some fruit in it for eating, or else seeds for planting next year would be nice too.

Oh, and the habanero and chili pepper plants we planted in the front of the garden for people to take from were completely stripped of peppers, as well as some herbs missing, and some tomatoes and I am really ok with it.  We have definitely been blessed this whole season!

Here are some pictures of the ending of our garden.  The kids actually said they were sad to see it go.  I think all the rain and harvesting made them forget all the daily hard work of a few months ago!  It was a brisk day yesterday and oh so nice there! 

Jeremiah and Miriam picking habanero peppers.  These plants have done amazing.  I have yet to figure out how to can but if you want any peppers they are yours! 

Ezekiel and his celery.  This is going to be sad because I don't think these guys will make it to completion.  I am wondering if we can transplant them.  They are said to be done the end of September and right now are only an 1/8" thick.  They do look like mini-celery though, which is really cool! 

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 13:46:57 CDT noreply@cramer5.markupfactory.com (Dana Cramer) Look at this guy!

What a great kid this is! And he's now 7!! Amazing! And to believe he started like this...

Now he is doing all sorts of things! Reading, writing, fishing, bike riding, etc. This birthday was all about fishing though. He was given a gift card to Scheels and knew exactly what he wanted - bait. But then he still had money left over? He was so excited and wanted to make the most of it, which was really encouraging to see! He ended up picking out this tackle box he had been wanting for a long time and a new reel for his pole. Last night, this is what we found...

He had set up his box and pole right at the foot of his bunk bed so he could get up and go fishing as soon as possible. Then this morning these guys were rearing to go!

Carrying their poles the way Papa taught them. Zeke even had his fingernail clippers on a necklace like a real fisherman does. They didn't catch anything, slim pickin's in IA, but that didn't matter to them. They had the time of their life! This was only the start of fishing for the week, they get to go all day on Wednesday for a field trip!

Not only did he have fishing on the brain, but he also had fish on the brain. I asked him what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday, he said "Trout!" It is a pretty sloppy attempt but it got the point across!

Zeke loved it, and that's what matters most! Then, he picked the best part for his piece...

Again, what a guy! Oh, and to brag on him, one more time! His little brother was starting to feel sad that he didn't get anything since it wasn't his birthday and Zeke up and gave him $5! Then Jeremiah used it to buy himself a new GI Joe! What a great guy! I am so proud of you Zeke! You are a wonderful son! I am so glad God gave you to us!

But then Monday happened.

A mere two days later we went back, both on our own accord, to find complete devastation.

Was it robbers?  Yes.  Robbers who wore gray camo so that no one would sense their coming and going until it was too late.  Robbers who travel in groups so that they can cause more devastation than if they were alone.  Robbers who took the life out of Leslie's amazingly beautiful squash patch.  Robbers who are trying to do the same with our cantaloupe!  AHHHH!!!!

Yes, I am SO glad that the garden is not in my yard now!  These things are so gross!  The worst part is that they are in camo so you don't notice them at first but once you start watering or spraying they come out crawling in masse... ew, ew, ew!!!  They completely destroyed Leslie's squash patch and are about to finish off my cantaloupe patch.  They suck the plants juices straight from the vine and even the fruit, which they say is a new thing!  Ew!

Then, there are the bunnies.  They are in love with my red pepper plant leaves.  Yes, some tomatoes, but mostly the red pepper leaves.  They eat them right off and push over the plant as much as necessary.

However, Ezekiel is still loving it!  Jeremiah and Miriam are completely done with the garden, but Ezekiel has been more helpful as of late than a long time.  I think the break from watering thanks to the rains helped him out a lot!

One of the other sad things was our neighbor's in the community garden, this older couple who are slow moving and hard working and always hold each other's hands, had been having their veggies stolen.  They actually put up a sign and they said it worked and stopped the thievery.  

While I was out with Leslie on Saturday, I worked big time on my growing tomato plants.  The original 7 I planted are shot and done but there are 3 new ones that have lots of green fruit and 2 mildly new ones that I don't know what they are going to do. But overall, we are still getting veggies and they are wonderful and oh-such-a-blessing to us this month indeed*!

*Several people have asked me if it was financially worth it all.  I do not have the final numbers yet, but this being our initial year, the fact that I made a lot of mistakes, I guess "no" so far.  However, this month it has really helped out a lot and I am very thankful for God's provision through it! 

Yesterday, Ezekiel asked me what a burrito tasted like.

Today, I was able to put two and two together... plus a handful of change and a finished school day, then packed up the crew and went downtown. For some reason it did not strike me that when we got there it was going to look like this...

I asked the kids if they were up for it... told them it would take an hour... it was 95 degrees outside with no clouds... and the line was moving slow... "I really want a burrito for dinner," replied Ezekiel... so we waited.

My first thought, as a mom, was that I had no water on hand. I couldn't very easily leave the line and get back in with 3 kiddos in tow. I had the boys wait in the shade and shaded Miriam in her stroller. Was it really worth it?  After fifteen minutes...

Then the radio station and/or Pancheros brought by cold waters for everyone in line. How nice!

We have moved up a couple store fronts now. At this point Ezekiel started counting people until the entrance to the building. He counted at least 49 but he says he didn't get to count everyone.

Here we are... the end time 4 o'clock. They said they would not stop the deal if you were in line by 4. We were so close. "28 people," Ezekiel says. The boys are now dumping their cold water on their heads. My shirt is disgusting and wet from sweat. The kids are still troopers and still want burritos.

Now inside air conditioning, they were giving out free t-shirts. They did not have kids sizes (I think the three were the only kids in line!) so they all got smalls or mediums. The boys used theirs as capes and Miriam really wanted to wear hers since her other shirt was wet from dumping water on herself to cool off. But, as I told the boys, just because we were inside the building we still had to wait.

The nice thing was now the boys could sit... they could use the restroom... they could start to dry. After another 15 minutes we finally made it to the line. The limit was 2 per customer and I technically could've gotten 8 but the insanity and the fact that I was using our pocket change, I stuck to the 5 I planned on, which caused enough of an added insanity, BUT we left with 5 yummy burritos, 3 free t-shirts, 4 bottled waters and one very excited Ezekiel!

Miriam was the one really all smiles for the camera. She was clueless what we were up to, while Ezekiel and Jeremiah just wanted to get home and eat them! We were home by 4:49, without a ticket on our car, which Ezekiel said he had prayed for while we were waiting in line.  What a guy!

The only thing I am wondering now, is if we have enough sun and warm weather left to bring it completion?  I am wondering the same things about our additional tomato plants.  Our original tomato plants are almost completely done.  The blight has won but we are still getting a few red ones each visit.

Our edamame are D-O-N-E done!  Yeah!  I brought home a handful yesterday and made them... yummy!  We have thousands of them in!  If only it would stop raining long enough so I could get them all out tomorrow, that'd be great!  I read that they are great as frozen veggies so that is what I am going to do with them all.  The ones I made for Josh he said tasted delicious!  I thought they were as good as ones served in a restaurant with sushi.  What fun!  Totally doing these guys again!

Our pepper plants are nearing done as well.  Our habaneros are still growing full speed ahead!  Really, anyone want some?  I hear you can can or pickle them.  I have never done this process before.  For some reason I think I need to be taught on hand.  Anyone know how to do this?  I hear it is hot and long?  Oh my!

For the most part things are really winding down around the garden.  Outside of praying for the green new tomatoes to get red and the happy little cantaloupes and the various herbs and carrots, it is really getting near the end.  I guess the eggplants are still coming... the cucumbers are done though... and the beans... sigh... it is an addicting process, it really makes one long for next spring.

We are making sauce and salsa, and if you can believe your eyes, I even baked tonight!  Yep!  I made focaccia bread and then put slices of our fresh veggies on top for church tonight.  Impressive?  Well, don't say it till you've tried it.  Though, Josh asked me to make one with all the spicy peppers, which I did.  I first softened them in oil and let me tell you... I will never do that again.  It caused such a coughing fit in everyone of us.  We had to open up the whole house to get the fumes out.  I am not going to try the bread but am still offering it as "Hotter than being separated from God bread."  Phew! 

As for us, school starts tomorrow, so this winding down of the garden is really good timing for us.  Ezekiel goes into 2nd and Jeremiah into Kindergarten!  What a new adventure this will be!  Just don't expect any big revelations from this blog this week as we adjusted to new schedules and such.  2nd grade means more work for Ezekiel and myself!  Yeah!  I can't wait!  

Not big on salsa?  How about homemade sauce and some stuffed eggplants?  This actually uses way more tomatoes than you would think.  We are down to a mere 5 tomatoes in our house!  Amazing!  Here again, the kids joined in, Miriam helping prep the tomatoes to peel them, Jeremiah at the camera and the chopping.  The dinner was so yummy and fun looking even Josh joined in and took a photo!  I never knew eggplant could merit such sounds of "Yum!" but this dish took the cake! 

Now I need to figure out what to do with our hundred peppers!  That will be tomorrow's vacation adgenda! 

Everyone keeps asking what we are doing with all those tomatoes... salsa, salsa, salsa!

The boys did a great work. We used only a small portion of the veggies you saw in the first photo. Oh my! This took us 2 hours. I am exhausted and will make more tomorrow... phew! Time to relax and eat some... salsa?

1.) Beans -
Bush crop beans, space to 3" instead of 2".
Use a 6 to 8" fence around edge of bean area to help them stand up better even though they are bush beans.
Use 2' between rows. And 4' between other plants.
Plant every two weeks as everyone suggests.
Be faithful with the bug spray and fertilizer.
When they come in, take them all. Be very diligent to take them all. Look very closely and take them all.
Blanch and freeze extras.
4 packets.

2.) Harvesting -
Always bring 1 or 2 grocery bags each visit to the garden.
Always do spraying of whatever on the same day every week.
Take when ready, just do it, use your shirt if you have to.
Take some spices home every day.

3.) Tomatoes -
Do plant 5 big plants initially in the beginning of the season.
Be faithful with the fertilizer, once a week.
Be faithful in the beginning and end to spray for blight.
At first sign of blight, take off infected leaves.
Plant cheap plants throughout garden 6 or so, after taking out spring crops.
Find bigger, stronger tomato cages. Make sure firmly in ground in case of wind storms.
Yes, use marigolds.
Yes, use straw but remember to fertilize.

4.) Peas -
Space 2" apart faithfully.
Plant every 2 weeks as suggested.
Water a lot in the beginning.
3 packets.

5.) Onions -
Ask gardener how to pick out a good seed from the onion sets.
Plant every 2 weeks.
Plant every 3" for scallions.
Plant A LOT and every where I can.
Harvest as soon as tops turn brown.
White and red worked best, try yellow if find good set.
May have to add more soil during season.
Plant early where you will add summer crops later.

6.) Broccoli -
Plant A LOT, 16 or more.
Yes, use maggot mats.
Try different varieties.
Plant in intervals if it works.
Give more room, 2' min. diameter.

7.) Cabbage -
Only plant 6 or so.
Use maggot mats.
Give A LOT of room, minimum 3 to 4'.

8.) Bedding & Layout -
Straw, can still use, BUT must be more diligent with fertilizer.
Wait to put down straw until after spring winds die down.
Use carpets for main walkway.
Raised beds are good.
No bedding in spice area or carrots.
Rent a tiller.
Till at 2 times, spring crop and then for summer crop.
Peat moss is good, use kind from Lowe's.
Fertilizer in potting soil is good, use Miracle Grow.
Don't use generic HyVee's peat or potting soil.
Plant veggies in front as well as back.
Double up fencing up to 2.5 feet.
DO plant all spring crops in front of garden all together. Plan to put tomato and melon and zucchini plants in that area.
Don't plant sunflowers, even though they are pretty, they give too much shade.

9.) Melons -
Put in beds where broccoli grew.
Give lots of room to grow.
Go for 2 plants.

10.) Zucchini -
Buy plants and use cutworm collars.
Make sure they are in full sun with no shading issues.
Fertilize! Bug protect!
Go for 4 plants and hope for the best.

11.) Eggplants -
Do exactly what you did this year.
4 plants is fine if you can give them away.

12.) Cucumbers -
Once they start making fruit, feed fertilizer.
Be faithful with blight warning.
Spray for bugs.
Pick when ripe.
Only 2 nee]]> Sat, 11 Aug 2007 10:28:49 CDT noreply@cramer5.markupfactory.com (Dana Cramer) Welp, due to some late blithe, we have had to be vigilant taking care of our tomato plants to survive and keep producing. As of right now, they are hanging in there and producing. However, since we have to spray them with stuff we have to harvest everything ready and then spray because we can't harvest for a few days after. In which case, we just did and I am here to say...

Anyone want any tomatoes?

I will deliver them to your IC home (all others will have to come to us, :)!) Oh!

And peppers too?

And eggplant (in a few more days)?

Easy Eggplant Parmesan for 5" round baking dish
(It is just like lasagna but the eggplant slices go where the lasagna noodles normally go.)

1 eggplant
2 roma tomatoes
3 large thin slices of zucchini
mozzarella (shredded)
parmesan (grated or shredded)
salt, pepper, garlic, basil
extra virgin olive oil

Peel eggplant and slice up eggplant into 3/8" slices.  Lay flat on plate and sprinkle with salt, tilt plate at a slight angle and let eggplant sweat off bitter juices.  (In about an hour.)  After an hour, pat dry eggplant and heat 1/8 to 3/16" oil in skillet on med-high.  Fry eggplant on each side until looks lightly browned and softened.  You can also place zucchini in skillet and saute after eggplant is done, just remove extra oil if you like. 

Then in your smallest baking dish, I used a 5" round one I had, spray with cooking spray then layer in however order you want depending on how much you have of each on hand... eggplant, parmesan, roma slices, salt, pepper, mozza, basil, zucchini, mozza, eggplant, tomatoes, salt, pepper, parmesan, zucchini*, etc... end with eggplant, then parmesan and mozza and basil.  Cover and bake at 375 for 20 minutes if you use a small dish.  Can bake 5 more minutes uncovered at end.

(If you make this in a large dish, it takes about 3 eggplants and then you can use actual marinara sauce as well or instead of roma slices.  Also, a bigger dish is for 45 minutes.)

Again, to this dish my husband said, "It was surprisingly amazing."  You can be the judge of that. 

*Also, when I lived in Italy, we made variations of this type of dish all the time.  We used whatever fresh veggies we had on hand, onions, peppers, carrots, etc and saute them up and put them in however.  We also used buffalo mozzarella (the soft stuff sold in water) and if you have the inkling try that for a layer, yummy!

With that, here is our garden these days...

My has it come a long way...

The amazing thing here too, is Jeremiah's tomato plant, in bottom right of the photo, is doing leaps and bounds better than any of our other tomato plants. I don't know if it was the cedar vs. straw or just being more separate from the rest, made it less susceptible to disease and bugs, but whatever the case, it has stayed green the whole time and not one tomato has been stolen from it. Amazing.

We got out to the garden with much trepidation, but not from what you'd think. It was the mosquitoes that put the fear into us. Everytime we have gone as of late, we have come home with some of the most painful bites ever. They were on our faces and legs and they were bad. Friday was not the case, not one mosquito in sight. I don't know where they went, but they weren't there. The weeds at the garden have taken full advantage of the mosquito factor and are a tad out of control. I will try for our next visit to take a crack at them for now, I just wanted to give the plants a good watering.

Jeremiah and Miriam were having fun looking at all the tennis ball sized eggplants growing. They also liked watching the daddy long legs climb effortlessly over the leaves. He tried to snap a photo but the spider would not smile.

Our edamame are in! Well, almost. The estimated date I wrote on their marker is Aug 15th. I wrote the date a week early of actual times. I am excited to see how they taste and if I can make them as yummy as Jade Sisters.

Ezekiel's carrot patch has not been found by the rabbits who have snuck into our garden somehow. They found my tomatoes, but not this patch. Ezekiel is protective of this patch like his toys. He kindly let his brother and sister pick a carrot of their own, but no more. He likes just picking one a visit for some reason.

The carrots are definitely ready to pick though. Ezekiel picked out seeds that make carrots only this big, so they won't get much bigger than this. All the kids love eating them fresh from the garden, even Miriam, who generally does not eat whole carrots.

Other news at the garden is that the mosquitoes are unbearable! Whatever it is that started it, I don't know - but they are in force and fierce. It was so bad Sunday we had to cut our visit super short as we didn't have any bug spray on but Ezekiel did get to water his carrots that are oh-so-tall just not very long.

Sunday though, Ezekiel sure brought in the harvest, first tomatoes and then peppers.

A kind neighbor offered to share his bumper crop of zucchini with Jeremiah too!

Very strange bugs at the garden these days too. Every day I spy new bugs I have never seen before. Don't worry, I am not freaking out about it. Though, I am really happy the garden is not at my house because of it. However, I think I will ask Jeremiah to do a photo shoot of the bugs. Right now there are at least 10 different ones I can think of that I have never seen.
Ew is still what I think though. Ew, ew, ew... but again, I am not freaking out. Happily though, Jeremiah loves bugs and this will be perfect for him.

Unbelievable is the fact that our cantaloupe plant is doing amazing! Now if you remember it used to look like this...

Due to whatever feats of the imagination it now looks like this... at least 2 feet long and growing... just in the wrong direction, but that is ok!

Really cool for a 20 cent plant! Even the boys are amazed by its progress. Don't know if it will produce anything for harvest but it is still exciting!

Another crazy thing is our Tumbling Toms look like death. (No photo yet, the mosquitoes, sorry!) Doing everything by the book, they still have gone completely brown. The brown is not stopping them from producing cherry tomatoes. Having a little talk with a gardener, she said hers are perfect, healthy and green. It could be just me. Really, anything staying green in our garden is a miracle.

The other neat thing is the 20 cent tomato plants we bought are working great and producing already. You'll remember way long ago<]]> Mon, 30 Jul 2007 10:17:03 CDT noreply@cramer5.markupfactory.com (Dana Cramer) Are you getting tired of these updates yet? I suppose if you are you just don't read for the day... oh how I long for a good diaper story to tell you all... sigh... maybe I will start writing secret messages in each post and see if you can find them?

Phew! Tough getting to the garden these days! Not that we don't want to go or don't need to go, just lots of stuff going on! This definitely puts one on the side of having a garden in one's own yard! Oy!

We did make it out there today though, we've haven't been since Friday. Some exciting and bummer things going on, but overall very good! We harvested cherry tomatoes galore! SOOO many! I ended up baking a pan full with fresh minced garlic, diced chives, diced basil, cracked pepper then a 1/4 c. olive oil sprinkled on top... and a few slices of thin onions and baked it for 30 minutes. It was delicious! It was perfect on top of pasta!

On the garden side of things, the only bummer is one area of one cherry tomato plant that is on the ground went yucky. Still dozens to eat, but bummer for the yucky ones. Ezekiel was my main man once again, he was an awesome harvester!

We did get 3 more big tomatoes, but I am still worried about the plants. One side looks like wilted bunk and the other, a lush of green heavenly! Both sides are producing huge green tomatoes that, I was told should be turning red in the next few weeks in abundance? Honestly, I will believe it when I see it.

Happy days, our eggplants are in! Well, coming in. They are the size of my palm and growing! We have one on each plant. Yum, yum, eggplant parmigiana here we come! Oh and stuffed eggplant? Yummy! More reasons we need those tomatoes red! :)! Plus, I found this tomato, basil and brie recipe that they say is best when your garden has too many tomatoes you don't know what to do... I am so excited for that day!

Ezekiel keeps picking carrots at random as well. The fact that he can't see them is driving him crazy. The one he picked today was little but yummy. He gave it 5 stars.

OH! And here are some shots of some of the storm damage of last week. The tree is now completely gone, they ripped it out, stump and all. Mrs. Moon's popcorn stalks we're pushed over, crushing all the veggies in between and the neighbor with the tall corn... well it looked like someone put a gentle bend on them as they got pushed over.

It was 1 AM and I woke up to the sound of a loud truck and it's boom box right outside my bedroom window. Josh wakes up too and we look outside to see a over a half dozen trucks from fire, police, electrical, etc in our front yard. We aren't deaf, we just live on a busy street that firetrucks love to use as a fast way to their destination, and we hear them all the time.

I rush out the front door, trying to figure out what is going on, Josh rushes out the back door. Josh finds the neighbor's house on fire. I was able to find the neighbor's.

Turns out, thank God, they were both not at home at the time. The one got home after midnight to see smoke pouring out of his bedroom windows. The house normally houses 4 college guys and thankfully, 2 were out of town for the summer.

Last thing we heard before going to bed was they didn't know what started it. Unfortunately, their whole house interior was paneled in wood, walls and ceilings. It smelled like a really intense bonfire. The whole bedroom half of the house is destroyed completely. I am assuming it was the construction of the home, it was a flat roof with no attic space, that made it really difficult to get all the hot spots out and they were out there all night putting out the fires. (The report says they were done at 2:17 but we went to bed at 2:30 and they were still working on it and at 7 this morning the house looked a whole lot different than when we went to bed.)

Here is our neighbor's house this morning. What is really a bummer is the parent owner's were just starting to really get it looking nice. (That is our house on the right of the photo.) The college guys only had 10 days left on their lease and all their earthly possesions are now destroyed, they literally only have the shirts on their backs. Please pray for all the insurance stuff to come through in their favor in some way.

I tell you what, I am inspecting all our smoke detectors and maybe even going to add a couple more today... how about you?

You know all the great rain I talked about?  Well, not only did it rain, but it stormed.  I should have made it clearer to God**, but I was jazzed about the rain and I was not jazzed about the storms.  Storms are not good when your husband is a WISP.  Storms are also not good when your garden is a community garden out in the middle of a big empty field.

We went to the garden today to see all our veggies happy and healthy... We were first welcomed by a knocked over tree by the park... then walking past the other's gardens we saw that all the sunflowers were knocked over... then we saw all the corn flattened... then we saw the beautiful cucumber fencing collapsed... what was out little garden going to look like?

The cilantro bushes were all knocked over
The bean bushes were flattened
The cucumber plant was sickly yellow
The tomato plants were flattened
Bummer.

I went ahead and harvested a ton.  I picked a big Ziploc bag of beans, a small mound of cherry tomatoes, and 4 cucumbers and 1 of Leslie's zucchini... oh, poor Leslie's zucchini!  She officially did get a squash worm borer and she actually went into the stalks and cut out the yucky things and killed them!  What a woman!  The poor plant looks like a goner but she has done everything right to bring it back to life!  Here's praying!

Our tomato plants have just mounds of green tomatoes on them!  I am hoping to fix all their fencing tomorrow morning.  I need tools and more fencing and rope to fix them.  The wind was so strong it pushed our cages in such a way that they are really bent and smashed into the dirt.  Definitely some work ahead of us for sure.

It reminded me of how earlier in the season poor G-Bob & Elaine had hail and it completely demolished their beautiful garden, Elaine said it never recovered.  I hope that is not the came with ours and all the other gardens out at the lot.  I will try and remember the camera tomorrow to show you the after effects from the photos I took a few weeks ago.

Here is one after shot I took though, not of bad, but good.  Our harvest today.  The big zucchini is one Leslie let me pick from her plant.  (Thanks Leslie!!)  The cucumbers are still a minimum 14" and our green beans are over 7."  Ezekiel also picked a carrot, just to see how they were doing.  Not done yet, but looking good for sure!  They are now so tall since the rains, the storm did no damage to them for sure!  OH!  And I did get 2 onions out!  Ezekiel picked them, he was so excited he couldn't wait any more on them either.

*If you have ever watched IT Crowd, please insert Moss's voice there. 

**This too, is where I am glad I believe God when He says He will work all things for good.  Praise God that He can even work these storms for the business and for our garden for good!

Have you forgotten your genetic makeup? Do you not remember that you sweat like a pig?

Have you forgotten how sweat does not just form on one's forehead and arms, but also all over one's body when you are really, really, working hard in the really, really humid weather and by the time the 3 hours is done you will be covered in a nasty layer of sweaty wetness making your outfit have no choice but to head for the laundry?

I know what you were thinking... the boys are playing so nice in the backyard, Miriam is sleeping, is it finally not raining, the grass and weeds around the house are over 2 feet tall... but really, really woman... go inside and at least change first!

Yes, I am proud of you for wearing protective eye gear that did keep that staple from getting lodged in your eye and instead just lodged in your once-cute-hair. Yes, I am proud of you that even though they were your only pair of nice jeans, that you were wearing jeans to protect your legs from all the other sharp objects of massive thistle weeds and trash leftover from roofing that came flailing about as you weed whacked areas that have not been weed whacked in over a year.

Was it really worth it?

I know you, you are saying "yes" with a big smile aren't you? You loved every hot and sweaty moment of it! You are so happy the forest is gone, you don't care about the hair. You are so glad to have cleaned out the window wells because in the process you found 2 dead moles that have been reeking havoc on your yard you don't mind the stains on your only nice pair of jeans. You are so happy the 3" diameter tree is gone from the window well you don't mind that by that after taking a shower you did not look as cute as earlier.

But I know the best unintended result you enjoyed?

The fact that you drank SO much yummy homemade iced coffee during the day that WOMAN you needed a good 3 hour work out to burn off the hundreds of calories! What were you thinking there? Let this be a little mini-note-to-self to you... don't make a batch of iced coffee and proceed to drink nearly the entire thing UNLESS you have looked at the calorie content first. Thankfully, you had a yard to clean today... you may not be so lucky next time and have to... gasp... run or something!

I heard from Maren that cilantro needs to be tended in some fashion.  Bummer!  They are bushes!  I have researched that I should have done something to them long ago and they are now just making seeds.  Bummer again!  I had bought seedlings super cheap and just thought they'd grow.  i now know that I should have planted seeds and that I should have sown them every 2 weeks.  I also now know they bolt in warm weather.  I also now know that I could harvest coriander but I have no idea what I would use it for yet.  They do make the garden smell pretty though and I heard their smell is a nice insect repellent!

We have SO many cherry tomatoes!  Our tumbling toms are producing so many!  I harvested a bunch last night and there were just as many, if not more, waiting to still be picked!  Not to mention another 6 dozen green and growing!  I hear that cherry tomatoes can be good on pizzas and I am hoping to try that soon!

I am a little bummed that I did not get 2 Roma plants like I thought.  One that I picked up in the Roma section is definitely not a Roma plant.  I don't know what type of tomato plant it is, but something like a Champion I think.  Either way, I got 3 red Romas the other day, how exciting!  One of our tomato plants has yellow leaves on the west side.  I need to research why that is now too.  I have heard it is either lack of nitrogen or a type of fungus mold.  I think I will ask the gardener this week what to do.  Our eggplants have it too on the west side.  I don't know if it a coincidence or not?

Toad family in the cantaloupe.  So, Hunter Thomas was frognapped or eaten by a bird from the home Jeremiah made him.  However, I was watering the cantaloupe plant, which is growing quite nice, and lo-and-behold there was a big Mama toad sitting there.  I think they must like the bedding around the cantaloupe and have made it their home.  That is fine by me, eat all the bugs you want toady and get nice and big!

We are harvesting beans galore!  I can literally stop by the garden for our daily veggies!  How much fun!  The boys really like the beans too.  Josh stir fryed them for us last night, and they were OH so good!  Our edamame are still having bug issues.  I have now resorted to killing the bugs by hand, er... foot, as the case may be.  

Cucumber swords are growing!  They are so long the boys think they are swords!  Ouc cucumber plant is trying to take over!  I have it caged, but it is not big enough!  It is now stretching over to the nearby tomato plant cages and grabbing hold and is on his way to the eggplant cages.  What do I do?

Bountiful harvest!  Last night I went to pick up some beans for dinner and ended up with more than I could handle!  A cucumber and pepper just fell into my hands and the cherry tomatoes were so plentiful I just couldn't resist.  I ended up using a big cabbage leaf to transport them to home. 

Leslie is growing squash and they are so pretty!  Her zucchini plant too is producing like crazy!  My zu]]> Mon, 16 Jul 2007 10:51:29 CDT noreply@cramer5.markupfactory.com (Dana Cramer) That's right folks!  You can find all the stunning, awe-inspiring images in the July 2007 album of our photos, but here is a run down of the weekend.  I will try to do it mostly with images, just to keep the boredom to a minimum, :)!

We took the MN challenge this weekend, and failed, again, both ways.  But Miriam played oh-so-nice with her little ponies and created some fanciful story that if we were closer I am sure we would know just what she was talking about.

We went up there to participate in a Go-Kart Race Fundraiser that Josh's dad was sponsoring on behalf of a dear friend of his that passed away earlier this year.  What a great fundraiser!  53 teams of 5 people each got to race for a minimum of 1.5 hours, or more if you won!  It was very competitive and lots of fun for the drivers.

Our team was Josh, Karl, step-sister Rachel, step-brother John and Rachel's boyfriend Brian.  Our team name was FODS, Friends of Dave's, the gentleman who the race was in honor of.  (I got to make all us non-drivers t-shirts, what fun!)  The drivers did great, and I think I figure they got 15 out of 53.  Josh's dad was in a special celebrity race and got first place all his own!  Here are the kids congratulating him!

Everyone came out for the day, even GG Bob & Elaine.  Did you know they just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary?  Amazing!  Do you know that they went out mini-golfing to celebrate?  Oh to be young like them!

Miriam, Jeremiah and I also got tattoos.  Miriam wanted to get the same kind as me.  She just wasn't excited to get her photo at the time, but she was really proud of her tattoo.  Yes, her face is covered in lots of dirt and her shirt is covered in cheetos.  What are you going to do?!

Oh, and what the hey... here are a few more of my favorites!

Miriam and Ezekiel, head-to-head.

The Cuties up a tree.

Jeremiah and his bullhead.

Josh and Karl with their game faces on.

Me and my old lady bangs with the cuties Miriam, Jem & Mare-Mare.  Oh, who am I kidding, I am old, it is not my hair!  AHHH!!!

The Fab 5 and our team spirit.   

We have flowers on the eggplants! Yeah!! They are on 3 of 4 of the plants. We fenced them in a few weeks ago because we heard a fence helps hold up the eggplants. They have been growing tall as plants for a while but this is the first sign of new life on them for sure!

Ew! This little stinker and his brother are having their way on the edamame. I need to get some new bug stuff for these little bug-ers for sure. Ew!

Yeah! We are finally seeing beans that look like beans! My bible of gardening book said a few beans today means a whole lotta beans tomorrow. Now, if you remember we planted two rows of beans, two different types. This type is getting ready to go for harvest while the other type is sitting pretty still waiting for godot? Either way, it is definitely nice so that way we don't have too many beans at once.

I have been nervous about our onion patch for a while. A couple weeks ago I was reading in our garden bible book and it said that if the leaves turn brown then the onion is ready. I then saw a brown onion and pulled it... no not ready but yucky! Some bug had gotten to it and it was rotten. Then, I saw another one in the red onion line that was brown, I pulled it... no not ready but a Siamese twin. I have been giving these guys a lot of extra attention lately hoping they will hang in there. I love onions and I will be really bummed it they don't work. I did notice some yellow ones that are looking healthy and big so we'll see what is happening on the bottoms in a little bit.

I should have put my hand in this photo. This cantaloupe plants leaves are no bigger than a dime. This is one of the 20 cent plants we bought on clearance a few weeks ago and are trying to bring back to life. It is actually working. I do not know if it will make it to harvest, but It is going to be fun trying to revive him!

About the size of my pinkie. The odd thing is, the plants leaves are only the size of a cantaloupe. I have no idea what this tiny zucchini is thinking, but we are going to see what will happen in the next week. In any event, our 3 zucchini plants look ill, we are thinking they have squash borers. I can't find the entry hole, but we are still looking. We never put a collar or aluminum foil around these guys so any bug is possible.

Miriam just loves getting wet at the garden these days. She just finds the biggest body of water and climbs on in.

One thing we have grown is cucumbers!]]> Mon, 09 Jul 2007 14:05:22 CDT noreply@cramer5.markupfactory.com (Dana Cramer) Mrs. Obvious Time!

On Saturday I got up with the sun to go and tend the garden for a while by myself. It was fun because of not only tending the garden but I got to commune with the Son at the same time.

A lot of different obvious things struck me, so you will have to indulge me while I point out these obvious-ities.

Mrs. Obvious #1 : Weeds and sin, again. And again, I assume most Christian gardeners would correlate these things, (and I keep thinking about a lot of the same things, but I think also I am getting old, and with age I need a lot of reitteration). I spent a lot of time weeding. Some were obvious and others small and others large and others try to disguise themselves as a real plant and others that anywhere else, they would not be such a weed. While weeding around the mess that is the tomato plants, there are grass weeds growing trying to go unnoticed and under the radar.

And grass is not a bad thing, as long as it is not in the garden. Some sins are like that too. In the hands of one wo/man, they are not that bad, but in the hands of another can be hazardous to their health. For me, I kept thinking about all those gray areas of life and it truly brought to life Romans chapter 14. And while the whole chapter is great I will just add...

Romans 14:12-13 "So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way."

Mrs. Obvious #2 : Thinning and discipline, again. I thinned Ezekiel's carrots on Saturday too. It was something I was not wanting to do. They all looked so healthy and green and growing so tall and strong. They even smelled like real carrots! But I knew I had to do it. While I was pulling them out I kept thinking about how it is like when God disciplines us as His children.

(Sometimes I wish discipline would be as easy as being a kid again, immediate consequences and it's done. Discipline as an adult is so much more involved and complicated. It seems more painful because it takes longer to work out, or it involves other adults who have hearts and feelings as well.)

The thing I was reminded of is how it is painful to God when He disciplines us. He doesn't revel in our hardships, but He knows the good on the other side is so worth it. I hated pulling out the good little carrots, but they were ultimately going to stunt the growth of everyone else. I needed to thin them out so the ones could grow strong and bigger. It was so painful to me, but oh for the good of the carrots. As it is with God and us, enter Hebrews 12, specifically...

Hebrews 12:11 "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

Mrs. Obvious #3: Our garden pales in comparison to the others, but thankfully it is still growing! When I first got to the garden on Saturday I strolled up and down the other 70+ lots, counting how many bunnies I saw, etc. I was amazed by some of the other gardens! Some had fancy fences, little treasures, lots of flowers, etc. Not only that, but the plants themselves were enormous!

I took a bunch of photos on Sunday of some of them to show their hard labors! It once again made me happy that I have not killed this garden yet. While I could compare to them and get down on myself, I am honestly really thankful we have made it this far. (I mean really, do you know that Nathan once left me in charge of all his beautiful dorm plants and I single-handedly killed them all?)

1 Corinthians 3:7 "So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things]]> Tue, 03 Jul 2007 09:17:05 CDT noreply@cramer5.markupfactory.com (Dana Cramer) After 6 inches of rain, I thought for sure our garden would be washed away! At least the onions, anyway. In fact, the onions are there and do need some extra soil, which I will go them today, but otherwise it was looking good!