Memories and Heat!

 

Summer break comes around but once a year, and we do our best to treasure the moments! (Most of them anyways!)

Last Wednesday, Emma and I took a trip to New Hampshire with my friend, Allison, and her two girls. Allison and I really went because we wanted to Aldi (a grocery store) and Trader Joe’s! The girls came along for the shopping and fun! It was a fun day as we wandered around with our girls, ate lunch together, and created memories. I’m glad we took the opportunity to do this day trip with them.

Roger, Emma and I played “tourist in our own state” on Saturday afternoon/evening. We went to Boothbay which is another quaint little seaside town. We wandered around the streets, peeking in the little touristy shops, and just visiting and talking together. The boys would probably not have enjoyed all the wandering around the little shops, but Emma enjoyed it! We bought ice cream and coffee, but other than that we just took in the sights, sounds and smells of another little spot in Maine.  

I’ve been working on some continuing education classes for school, and I’ve been learning a lot as I go. Emma and I have enjoyed lots of reading books together, outside time, and special moments with just her and I. 

This week we went to the beach with a bunch of mamas and kiddos on Monday. It was supposed to be a very hot day, but it wasn’t really hot when we were at the beach! I ended up wrapping up in my towel as it was not hot when the sun was behind the clouds. But by the time we were getting ready to leave the beach around noon, the sun was coming out and it was really starting to warm up. 

Tuesday was very hot, and Emma and I were able to spend part of the day at the lake with Allison. Emma was in and out of the lake all afternoon, while Allison, Annah and I visited together and watched the kids play. I’ve had a harder time keeping track of one kid over the past few weeks than I’ve ever had keeping track of five kids! I think it might be because I think “how can I possibly lose one kid?” So I don’t count as often, but with five kids, I count a lot!! 

And it has certainly warmed up! Par for the course, the week of Vacation Bible School always seems to be the hottest week of the summer. It was so, so warm on Monday and Tuesday night of Vacation Bible School, but we made it. I hadn’t planned to be really involved with Vacation Bible School this year as it was a crazy school year, and we are only two weeks removed from that! However, there was a need for help this week, and it was something that I could do, so I did. Emma and I have been going to VBS every night, and there has been a good turnout of kids! I had thought that the crazy heat might keep the kids home, but no, they’ve been steady at coming! Tonight (Wednesday) is the last night for VBS, and I know that the teachers and helpers are thankful that it is wrapping up.  Vacation Bible School can be an incredible evangelistic ministry for children and their families, and while it’s a lot of hard work, seeds have been planted to tell children about the love of God, the faithfulness of God, and that a home in Heaven can be theirs for the asking. 

Roger and I are still very much in a “waiting” stage of our lives. To be totally honest, I’m ready to be out of the waiting stage even if I don’t like the next thing God has planned. But…perhaps that is God’s perfect plan as He is working on my heart and Roger’s. We’ve been through some pretty rough days the last few weeks, but God prepared us for that also. Remember a few weeks ago, when Roger and I were able to get away for an overnight? I think that God allowed us that very special time to reconnect and bond together so that we would be better equipped to handle some difficult days. God has a way of giving us exactly what we need, even before we realize that we need it. Because of that spontaneous offer by a friend to watch Emma for an overnight, Roger and I were able to make sure that we were rooted and grounded. It feels like we’ve been in a “storm of life” for a while now, but I know that God sees the storm from the other side. 

I miss my boys! I cannot wait to see them again! Tomorrow will mark the third week that they’ve been gone, and I’m heading out to Wisconsin to get them next week. Emma and I will be driving out to pick up the boys from my parents house, and then driving back to Maine. Last week, Wyatt and Travis had the opportunity to go to camp, and it sounds like it was a wonderful experience for them. Our boys are not much for phone conversations as we talked with all four of the boys last Saturday night and the total length of the phone conversation was under twelve minutes! They all told me that they are missing home, but they are glad that they’ve had the opportunity to go to Wisconsin. This week they are headed out to my sister, Jen, in South Dakota. She plans to take them camping, to a water park, and to a rodeo. They are soaking up good solid memories with my family, and I know that these experiences are important to them. But…I can’t wait to get them back!  

Summer Vacation!

 Our boys are in Wisconsin, so Emma’s an only child for a few weeks! She surely seems to be enjoying it!

 We have had our first full week of summer vacation, and I think I am done in my classroom. Last week, we spent Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at the school as we decluttered, cleaned, and filled the dumpster. Two of the teachers and myself worked on decluttering stuff thats been hanging around the school for a while. With the continued growth of the school (Lord willing) its becoming imperative that we have a better system of organization for our resources. Karla is very, very good at decluttering. So while I’d sit there thinking about whether or not we should keep something, she’s hauling it off to the dumpster! We were a good pair as we both like organization! We worked until the dumpster was full on Monday, and then we really couldn’t continue on as we had no place to go with the trash. On Wednesday, Emma had the opportunity  to go over to a friends house on Wednesday afternoon, and that was such a blessing to me. I was able to finish up my classroom and get a few groceries before picking her up. 

On Wednesday evening, Roger brought home a friend, Andy, with him for supper. I actually really enjoying cooking for others, but Roger asked if I was up for having company for dinner. He said that his friend was gluten free so that might be hard to cook for him. Um…no, we eat a lot of gluten free meals, its just that the kids and Roger don’t realize that. We grilled out chicken, made salad, fresh fruit, and a fruit dip. It was a good evening to interact with a friend of Roger’s, and we do appreciate the opportunities to have people over in our home. 

Thursday was beach day! Emma and I met some moms at the beach for a morning of fun in the sun! Emma and some of the kids got in the ocean, but no way for this mama! I went down and stuck a toe in the water and that cooled me off! It was a fun morning of visiting and fellowshipping with other moms and their children. Those informal get-together are some of my favorite memories from summer vacations. 

Roger worked up in Millinocket on Friday, so Emma and I were on our own for the day. Emma and I went on a walk on the Breakwater with Allison in the morning. One of Allison’s spiritual gifts is discernment, and that is not my gift. I treasure her wisdom and insight, and her ability to tell me to “calm down and start praying!”  Our walk went by really quickly, but it was a beautiful morning spent with good company. On the way home, I saw that a few of the teachers cars where in the parking lot, so I went in to say hi. Becki and Karla have encouraged me and prayed for me so often over the school year, and I needed some prayers again. Roger and I are in the “waiting and praying” stage in many, many areas of our lives, and we so appreciate the extra prayers. As we prayed together once again, it was like feeling the spirit of God moving. There is such sweet fellowship in praying with fellow sisters in the Lord. I don’t always like what my friends might tell me, but I also know that these dear sisters have my best interest at heart, and their desire is to help me grow in the Lord. 

Roger, Emma and I were supposed to go to my sister’s house for supper on Friday night, but then Roger ended up working. So Emma and I decided to go up anyways to visit, but not stay for supper. We arrived at Hannah’s around 1:30pm, and we decided to go to Bangor to go to Mardens (discount store). We were getting ready to merge onto the highway (like on the on-ramp) when we heard a funny sound. That description is what drives Roger crazy when I tell him there’s something wrong with the vehicle. When he asks me to describe the noise, I use words like “thumping, funny, weird, etc.” and he’s like what type of description is that?! Ha! So that’s not my strong suit! Anyways, Hannah pulled over to the side of the road on the free way, and we got out of the vehicle to inspect it. One of the tires was leaking pretty badly, and Hannah thought that there was a rock in the tire. We wanted to get off the freeway, so we hopped back in the car. We made it to the next exit, and off the overpass, and even into a driveway of a store as  we knew that we weren’t going to make it to a car repair place. I haven’t changed a tire since my days in drivers ed, but we knew we needed to get the spare tire and the jack out. We were in the parking lot of a pool and spa place, so that was not much help in a tire repair option but at least Emma could use the bathroom. Hannah and I were reading directions, and getting started when a guy and his daughter came out of the pool store. He offered to help us change the tire, and we were so thankful for his help! It’s so nice to know that there are still guys out there that will offer to help those in need. I had a Dunkin Donuts gift card in my purse from one of my students, so I gave it to Hannah to give to the guy for his help. He didn’t want to take it, but we knew he went to Dunkin as his daughter had a drink from there! It wasn’t much, but it was a gesture of our appreciation. I always look back on moments like these and you can totally see God at work. First of all, we made it off the highway. Secondly, we made it into the parking lot of a store with a bathroom. Third, God sent someone to help us. Fourth, I had a gift card in my purse so we had something to give. God is so good!

Our van has also been in the shop, so we’ve been a one car family for a few days. It’s actually been a good time to have the van worked on as we have less people in our family that need a ride! On Saturday, Roger asked if Emma and I would want to take a drive up to Millinocket to see the place where he’d been working. We’ve been up there before, but it has been a while. We enjoyed the afternoon tromping around, eating wild strawberries, and creating memories. Emma went swimming in the lake, which was too cold for me! It was a good day spent together. 

It was quite the drive up there, but the time to talk together was much needed! Emma had on headphones for a while as she watched a movie on my ipad, so it gave Roger and I the opportunity to talk things out. Roger has been facing some challenges at work, and then those very same problems have been evident in a totally different area of his life. It’s one thing to face struggles in the secular workplace, but its almost twice as disheartening when those struggles are apparent in the Christian arena. It’s like the devil has been working overtime to sow discouragement and frustration in Roger’s life. Sometimes it’s hard as the spouse to know what role exactly God wants me to do- pray? Yes! Offer advice? Um, not always! Roger and I are complete opposites in some areas of our lives, and that has worked out well (for the most part) in almost 16 years of marriage. We all have mountains and valleys in our spiritual walks, and Roger is going through a valley. Good, Godly friends can be challenging for women to find, but it often seems like men have a harder time making those friendships. I’m not entirely sure if it’s because most men don’t talk as much as women; if there’s not enough Godly men; if they don’t seek each other out; I really don’t know. A few years ago, Roger was gone for over six months to do aviation training. In that time, very few men reached out to him to call him or to check on how he was doing mentally, spiritually, etc. (I could count the men that reached out on less than three fingers.) I’m thankful for men like Roger’s brother, Nate, who call him regularly to talk through things. I’m thankful that we are not “islands unto ourselves”, but that God does provide us with an encouraging word, a prayer, a friend, etc. exactly when we need it. We all need the body of Christ (the church). 

It’s been really quiet around our house! Emma told me for the first time today that she misses her brothers.  Garett and Chandler had the opportunity to attend camp last week. Wyatt and Travis will be attending this week. Our boys are not big phone talkers (or talkers in general!). We called the boys on Saturday on our way home from Millinocket. It was good to hear that Chandler and Garett had a positive camp experience. Chandler said that the food wasn’t his favorite, but he really enjoyed the competitive team events. Garett said that his favorite parts were the competitive events and the preaching. What a blessing to hear that the boys had the opportunity to attend a Bible camp! I know that the preaching was solid, and both boys mentioned how much they enjoyed the camp speaker and his chapel messages from Ephesians 4. We are praying for Wyatt and Travis this week as they attend camp. Camp was life changing for me around fifth grade, and I am so thankful that the boys have the opportunity to attend a Bible camp. We are so thankful for this opportunity for them. I miss them like crazy! I did not expect to miss them this much, but wow! I asked the boys if any of them missed me, and they all said “yes”. But Travis says, “Yeah, I miss you. But I haven’t cried because I don’t miss you that much!” Haha! Well, I’m glad that no one is crying tears cause they miss home so much. They are making good memories and having life experiences. 

Graduation and Moments to Remember!

 

And just like that- another year is wrapped up for school! As I reflect back on the school year, it was one of different challenges unlike any every before, but God was faithful! Last June, as restrictions were being put in place by our governor regarding school rules, the school year stretched ahead long and daunting. There were those that said it couldn’t be done- there was no way that kids would be able to go to school in-person all year long. I’m here to shout it from the rooftops that we serve an amazing God! The God that I serve is so powerful that He could split the Red Sea; He’s so compassionate that He raised a 12 year old girl from the dead. He’s so merciful that He gave His only Son to die for my sins, and He’s so faithful in answering the prayers of His children that He protected our students for 175 days. WOW! God is Good!

Last week was  a long and emotional week. It was very hot in the first part of the week as it was practically in the 90s. But with only three days left of school, we did not want to miss out on the fun parts! Wyatt’s class had a field trip to an animal park on Monday, some classes were going to play mini golf, and I took my class to the beach. Another mom helped me out with my field trips all week long, and I am so thankful for parents that are willing to volunteer in the classrooms. It was a beautiful day to go to the beach, and my class had a great time playing. Travis’s class had a field trip to play mini golf, and my parents offered to help drive students for that field trip. It was an “all-hands” on deck kind of week as all of our kids were going off to various field trips, Garett was graduating from 8th grade, my parents were here, I had my own class field trips, and we had the end of the year wrapping up with field day on the last day! Praise the Lord we made it through!

Garett’s graduation was on Monday night. None of his siblings were real excited about going, but they came anyways. It was a small group on Monday night, but it was a bittersweet feeling watching our oldest son graduate from middle school. Roger was running late due to work, but he made it shortly after the program started. Garett had one of the best teachers in the world for the past two years, and he has improved so much in his education. Oh, it’s still really hard for him, but he has learned so much. I’m so thankful for all of his hard work, determination, and character traits that have been developing. He earned the “Knight Award” for Christian character all four quarters, and his gentle and helpful spirit has helped so many younger students. We are so proud of him. We don’t want to raise “church kids”, rather we want to raise “Jesus kids”. Kids who will mature into adults who are on fire for God, love their Savior, are committed and upstanding citizens and patriots. Garett is not perfect, by any means, but then his mama is full of faults also! We will continue to pray and give the Holy Spirit opportunities to work in the lives of our children. 

On Tuesday it was so hot! I had actually moved one of my field trips due to the heat. We were supposed to go on a hike, but instead we played water games at the school. It’s probably one of my favorite memories as almost the whole school jumped into playing water games with the kindergarten class! Chandler’s teacher had also bought a bunch of water squirters, so the air in the morning break was filled with the delighted shrieks and shrills of children loving life! My friend, Christine, came along on our next morning activity for kindergarten and that was to get ice cream! We took the kindergarten class to McDonald’s for ice cream, but then it was disappointing as their dining room still isn’t open. So instead we brought the kids back to school, and they ate their ice cream there. It wasn’t quite as much fun, in my opinion, but they certainly didn’t seem to mind! 

My dad has been busy working on raising the deck this week, so Wyatt came home with my parents on Wednesday after the awards program. It was still a very warm day, and we had a good number of parents show up for the awards program. Garett, Chandler, Travis and Emma all received the “Knight award” for their leadership and character, so we were rejoicing with them in that. It was a bit of an emotional morning as our kids received some awards and I handed out some awards to my class-what a year! My dad and Wyatt were able to get a lot done on the deck project, so that is another thing we are thankful for this week. My parents were planning on leaving right after the field day activities on Thursday to head back to Wisconsin. This meant that on top of all the school activities, we were also trying to get the boys packed for their trip to Wisconsin. I didn’t even have time to think last week, but by Thursday morning, I sure was emotional! 

Thursday came all too quickly, and we were out the door for our last and final day of the school year. I felt emotional just looking at my own children, plus the emotions of saying good by to my students. I’ve come to love and appreciate each one of my students, and saying “good bye” to them was hard! We spent the first half hour of the school day praising the Lord through music. I felt the tears on my face as I listened to the young voices of those around me worshiping the Lord through song. I’m happy for summer break, but I sure am going to miss these moments! 

It was a crazy morning with games, outside play, snack time, lunch, and taking home all the miscellaneous items! Garett had been roped into dressing up as a unicorn for the last day of school, and the students loved it. I think some of the 8th grade girls thought that Garett would be too embarrassed to actually follow through with it, but he did it, and the preschoolers loved every minute! School ended at 11:30, and my parents were waiting to pick up the kids. I hardly had time to cry, but when my boys hugged me good-by, it was hard to not cry. I’m going to miss them so much! I’m so thankful that they’ll have the opportunity to go to camp, spend time with my parents and my sister (Jen), and to create some fun memories. But, I’m going to miss them! We had a staff meeting to discuss the school calendar after school, and Emma was thrilled to have the opportunity to go over to her friend’s house to play. I was happy that Emma got the opportunity also as it would’ve been a long afternoon for her!

On Friday morning, I had plans to meet with two other teachers to clean up my classroom and pack up for the summer. My friend, Hannah, suggested that I drop Emma off at her house, and that I should send along pajamas for Emma to spend the night. Hannah said that then Roger and I could have a date night. Well that text came at 7:30am. And by 8:00am, I had messaged my two teacher friends to tell them that I was going on an over night with Roger and that the classroom could wait! I dropped Emma off around 9:30am, and Roger and I were on the road by 10:30am. We didn’t really have much of a plan, but we knew we wanted to make the most of the next 24 hours. We decided to go to New Hampshire as we really haven’t spent any time in that state, and they also have a lot of great parks and trails too. We ended up in North Conway where we spent the afternoon tromping around on hiking trails. We had so much fun hiking together, eating dinner, finding a place to stay for the night, and just being really spontaneous with everything we did- we are so not normally like that! It was a great 30 hour get away, and one that we made the most of together. We haven’t been away on an overnight together for over two years, so this was truly a wonderful opportunity for us. I’m so thankful for friends that love our children and are also willing to invest in their lives. Emma was very tired when I picked her up in the afternoon and she barely made it home with her eyes open. 

It’s been a totally different house around here with just Emma at home, but we are treasuring our time with her. She’s not the loud one in our home even though the boys say she’s so loud! She’s content to play on her own, but she does enjoy taking bike rides and trips to the park with me. On Sunday afternoon, we had another spontaneous trip. Roger needed to fly in the float plane, and he asked if Emma and I wanted to come along. So we did! We flew out to Isle au Haut, and Roger did a great job landing the plane. We hiked around on the island for about an hour, and then we flew back. It was such a spontaneous adventure, and a rare opportunity with just one kiddo! 

I already miss our boys! We are excited to have the school year wrapped up, but there is still plenty to do at the school. My classroom still needs packing up for the summer, and its amazing how many things I use to teach kindergarten! But, we are getting there. 

We are going to enjoy these moments and memories. What are your plans for the summer? 

Parents, Programs and Patriotism!

 

It’s been over two weeks since I last posted on the blog, and I’m reminded of why I don’t like to go that long between posts! We’ve been very busy…very! Between house projects, teaching kindergarten, planning and coordinating field trips, decorating for the Patriotic program, rehearsals for the program, my parents coming, planning for Garett’s graduation, preparing for the kids leaving for Wisconsin- well, it’s been a bit of a crazy house! 

Last Friday (6/4) was our Patriotic program. Our students worked so, so hard on this program, and it showed! When we started preparing and planning for this nearly five months ago, we had no idea how we were going to actually be able to have this program with the restrictions. But we serve a BIG GOD! Restrictions were lifted, and people came out with enthusiasm and love to show their support for the students. We had two performances on Friday, one at 1:00pm, and one at 6:00pm. The afternoon one was fairly well attended, but the evening one was a full house! The seventh and eighth graders did a stick drama set to the music of “God Bless the USA” and they got a standing ovation on Friday night, which delighted both Garett and Chandler. It was such a wonderful day, and truly one of the highlights of my year. I have a deep love and passion for the United States of America, and we truly need the grace of God in our lives. We need a revival and it needs to start with us, right now. I’m not planning on teaching music next year, but this is the part that I will deeply, deeply miss. While the practices, preparation and planning are tough and time consuming, I love this nation. I want to pass on that to my students. I taught the kindergarten, and 5-8th grades for music this year, while another teacher taught the other grades. It was so nice to have someone to work together with on this program. I do believe that God was honored and glorified, and perhaps we were able to encourage a few others to keep the faith that God is faithful. 

Last Tuesday Travis and Wyatt had the special opportunity to go with Roger for the day. Roger was flying the float plane, and then had a dentist appointment to go to later in the day. Travis and Wyatt jumped at the opportunity to go with Roger. Travis has had an especially hard year at school, so I was happy to see his smiling face at the opportunity to go with Roger. School is important-absolutely! However, so are moments like this. Life is about balance, relationships, experiences, work, fun, and so much more! I know that Wyatt and Travis will remember these times with Roger. 

My parents arrived also last Tuesday night. Roger and I were actually away at a meeting with a prospective administrator, and Garett was away baby sitting, and the other boys and Emma were at a friends house. But it was nice to see them when we came home. The children are always excited to see my parents, and my dad has been busy working on projects for me! My mom is going to drive for Travis’s field trip tomorrow. All the boys are leaving with my parents on Thursday at 11:30…as soon as school is out!  I’m already feeling like I’m going to deeply miss our boys, but I’m thankful for these opportunities for them. 

My dad handed me a note from someone in their church that was addressed to Roger and I. It was from a couple in their church that just wrote a note to encourage Roger and I. They told us that they were praying for us, and that they were thrilled to see us endeavoring to raise our children in the Lord. They enclosed a gift of money for a date night, and the whole note and gift just encouraged me so much. Roger and I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed as of late with the future, decisions, parenting, and it was such a blessing to read a note telling us that someone was praying for us and wanted to bless us. It’s a memory I’ll treasure as well as a reminder to encourage others around us. Just because someone is smiling and appears to be strong, that is certainly not always the case! I want to see the needs of those around me and live out Christ in me. 

The days have been warm here…very warm, which make us long even more to be done with school! We are close…3.5 days close! I’m taking my kindergartners on several field trips this week, and then on Thursday it’s a quick 1/2 day! 

Garett will graduate from eighth grade tomorrow night. I didn’t think I would be emotional about it, but this is our first born son. He’s matured and grown up so much in the last year, and we are very proud of all his hard work. School does not come easily to him, but he works hard at it. I don’t know what God has planned for Garett’s future, but I know that God knows what is best for him. We are planning on him attending high school at the school he currently attends. The school is planning on starting a ninth grade class, so Garett will be a part of that, Lord willing.  

The school year is almost complete, and that always brings with it a bittersweet feeling. I’ve learned so much this year, and I sure do love my kindergarten class. I’m going to miss them so much as they pass on to first grade. I know that God has great plans for them.