My favorite flower: Lupine
Last Monday night, Emma and I were at the airport waiting for a flight to Maine. Tonight we are at the airport waiting for a flight to take us to North Carolina! Last Monday, Emma and I arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare for our flight to Maine, which was supposed to leave at 6:45pm. However, after several delays which put us leaving at 9:50pm, they cancelled the flight! Emma and I were disappointed, of course, but now what was the plan?! I called my sister, Hannah, and told her the situation. She was already on the way to the airport when I called her, and because we flew with a budget airline, there were not enough agents to help people re-book or figure out how to get their money back. Hannah and Josh ended up canceling the flight to Maine, and the airline doesn’t fly to Maine on Tuesday. The next available day to go to Maine was on Wednesday. Emma was disappointed, and so was I, but there was nothing to do but turn around and drive home.
Hannah and I came up with an alternative plan on Tuesday. At first it looked like we weren’t going to be able to go to Maine, and we were all disappointed about that! However, God provided a way for Emma and I to leave North Carolina on Wednesday afternoon, and return on Monday instead of Friday. So we re-booked the flight, made sure the bags were packed and Emma and I left again on Wednesday afternoon. This time we made it to Maine! Hannah and Josh met us at the airport with their three littles. I drove home with their kids while Hannah and Josh headed to New Hampshire to spend a few days together. It wasn’t the warm-up, get-to-know- you time that we had originally planned on, but it worked! One of the little ones cried off and on on the two plus hour drive home, but overall, they did very well. We arrived at their house late on Wednesday night, so kids went to bed and I crawled in bed too.
Emma and I spent Thursday, Friday and most of Saturday watching the little ones. Emma had a great time with her cousins, and I think a fun time was had by all. I was able to catch up with my friend, Hannah, and Allison some on Thursday, and Allison and her girls drove up for a visit on Friday. It was cold in Maine! And rainy! And those kind of days are hard on little kids and those watching them! Friday was pretty nice, so I took the kids to the park in the morning, then to get ice cream, and home for nap time! We went back to the park on Saturday morning even though it was a bit dreary and cold. Hannah came home around four pm., as she had dropped Josh off at work. I’m so glad that they were able to get away for a few days together. I very much remember our early days of lots of kids that were too little to watch themselves and desperately needing some time away together. I am so thankful that God orchestrated all the details so that Emma and I could go to Maine to bless them. I told Roger that I had forgotten what it was like to have kids that aren’t independent. You forget how exhausting it is to constantly make meals for everyone, cut up the food, clean up, do the laundry, bath the children, manage the arguing, and all the other things that need to be done. Our kids are of the age that they can make their own food, clean up after themselves, do their laundry, etc. But the years have literally flown by!! It feels like just yesterday I was doing all the things that needed doing for our own kids, and yet here we are!
Emma and I went to our home church in Maine on Sunday. It was good to see faces that we haven’t seen in a year, and re-connect with a few friends. We met our friends, Jess and her girls, before church so that we could have time to visit together. It was a fast hour, but it was good to have in-person conversations. I’ve missed our close friends, and I was thankful for the opportunity to visit for a few minutes.
It wasn’t the originally plan to be gone over Father’s Day, but it’s the way it worked out. Roger actually didn’t even get to spend time with the kids either. It has really been the worst week that I could possibly be gone, but yet God has provided for the details of all our children at home. Roger has been busy fighting a fire since Wednesday afternoon. The kids helped in Vacation Bible School on Monday and Tuesday night, and Emma and I left on Wednesday. My friend, Laura, came to the rescue to help make sure our kids didn’t spend days alone at home. They would’ve been fine, but I’m glad they didn’t have to do that. Laura has had the boys at her house every day, and the boys have enjoyed playing basketball, badminton, watching movies, swimming, hiking, and probably eating them out of house and home! We had originally planned to go to the Hardison’s home on Sunday afternoon. I had talked to Tamela and said that Emma and I wouldn’t be there, but Roger and the boys would be coming with some chips and dessert. Then I had to let her know that Roger was fighting a fire, so I’m not sure that the boys would be able to come. Steven and Tamela jumped in to help make sure the boys got to church on Sunday, brought them to their house on Sunday afternoon, and fed them multiple times, I’m sure! We are so thankful for the Everett’s and the Hardison’s jumping in to help us make sure that the boys had someone checking on them, watching over them, etc. The boys are independent, but I also don’t like them spending days by themselves.
God is good- He gives us exactly what we need. He provided trustworthy friends in North Carolina who are willing to go out of their way to help our children. He provided a way for Emma and I to get to Maine. He gave us an opportunity to connect with old friends. He gave me some extra time to spend with my sister and her little ones. He provided a way for Emma and I to get back to the airport via my friend, Allison, so that the littles didn’t have to travel all the way down to the airport. (And I was thankful for the extra time to have conversations!)He gave moments to reflect on His goodness and faithfulness to our family. He is faithful. I am so blessed.
It’s been a long and full week. Emma and I are ready to get home- but we are currently waiting in Portland for a delayed flight to take us to North Carolina. I’m looking forward to sleeping in my own bed, seeing our boys again, and spending a few days at home before taking the boys to camp next week. I knew that June would be a busy month…I just didn’t know it would be this busy!
To all those that I had the opportunity to speak to in person this past week, I am thankful. There’s many others that I would’ve loved to have had the opportunity to speak with and give a hug too, but we just ran right out of time. We reflect on our six years in Maine with great fondness and delight. God taught us so much in our time in Maine. We were introduced to our first experiences with Christian schools. The boys built many forts in the woods behind our house. Garett developed his interest in aviation. God provided Roger with a great boss and friend for five years. Garett, Wyatt and Travis were all baptized in Maine. We discovered fiddleheads, Maine blueberries, and what redemption centers are for in Maine. ( I also have not missed needing to bring along grocery bags or pay deposits for bottles and cans!) We are blessed!
I’m including a link to another of my favorite songs:
Update: our flight to North Carolina was canceled last night. It was canceled around 10:30pm, and I will not be flying with Frontier Airlines again. After calling Hannah and Roger, checking flights out of Boston, working out some details, we ended up with a flight for Tuesday morning @ 5:49am. By the time we figured out the flight details, it was nearly 11:00pm, and we would need to be back at the airport by 4:30am, so Emma and I spent the night in the airport sleeping in the chairs. The first place we picked was too cold, so we moved about 1:00am. Then we got a few more hours of sleep until we could go back through security to get ready to board the plane. As I type this, we are praying that we will be boarding and heading home in about an hour- we are ready to be home! Emma has done very well, but we are both tired!
No comments:
Post a Comment