Maine Adventures, Budget Airlines, and Headaches

 

                                                  

                                                       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! 

Weddings, Vacations, and More Adventures!

 

Week #2 of summer break has come and gone and we are headed into week #3! The days of June are flying by as we welcomed summer break with a visit from my parents, a wedding on the western side of the state, a trip to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge with friends, home again for a few days, and now Emma and I are heading to Maine for a few days to visit my sister and family! 

We are always happy to have family and friends come and visit us, and we enjoyed having my parents and sister, Jen, here for a few days two weeks ago. Time flew by, and Jen was busy with job interviews. I was wrapping up the school year, so it felt like a bit of a rushed visit. Jen left on Thursday (6/1) to head towards the western side of the state to visit with my Aunt Lisa and family. My parents left on Friday to head that way, and they took a few of our kids with them. Roger, Garett, Travis and I left on Saturday morning as we had a wedding to attend in the afternoon. Weddings are not favorite events for children and teens, but it was a beautiful wedding…albeit very hot! It was good to see some extended family that I haven’t seen in several years and to visit and catch up. The kids were all happy when it was time to head back to Aunt Lisa’s house so that they could go swimming! However, they did very well at the wedding and playing with the little ones at the wedding reception. 

On Sunday morning we attended church with my aunt Lisa and family. After church we said good by to my parents, sister, and headed for the mountains for a few days! It was a few very full, but very fun days in the mountains of Tennessee. We went to Dollywood, did the Alpine coaster, visited the Black Rifle Coffee company, ate lots of good food, wandered around and spent a lot of time laughing, visiting and fellowshipping. We went with our good friends, the Everett’s. You know your kids get along when after four days of spending time with each other, the boys ask if Brody can have a sleepover that night! We really enjoyed Dollywood and our time spent there at the amusement park. Emma got a little scared on the first roller coaster, but everyone said that they would love to go again sometime! On the way home from the mountains, we took a trip to the Biltmore. I’ve been to the Biltmore before, but that was a very long time ago! It was fun to see the house, the gardens, and picture what life might have been like over 100 years ago. Travis was in a bit of a bad mood at first, but once we started on the tour, he really enjoyed it. He enjoys history re-enactments, and learning about history, but he’d prefer not to read about it on his own. All the kids seemed to enjoy the tour, and I’m glad we took the time to go, as I’m not sure when the next opportunity might be. 

We arrived home on Wednesday, and Roger went back to work for Thursday and Friday. On Saturday we hosted a few families over for the day. Since five of the kids will be on the cross-country team in the fall, we first had practice. I had walked out a hill running routine for them, so they ran hills for a while. Then they jumped in the pool, ate lots of food, went to the park to play softball, ate some more, played whiffle ball in the yard, went swimming again, and played volleyball! They went to bed tired! It was a fun and full day with our friends, the Harrison’s and Everett’s. We are thankful for good friends to have fellowship with and encourage us. 

Today, (Monday, June 12th) Emma and I are heading to Maine! We will be there just for a few days to visit my sister and family. We are excited to go, and the boys are a bit disappointed that they aren’t going. They were hoping to be working for the neighbor again this summer, but he doesn’t have work for all of them. Please continue to pray that God will provide a job for them this summer. 

Thank you for your love and prayers and for following us along on our crazy adventures! God is good! 

First Week of Summer Break!

 We’ve wrapped up another school year complete with awards programs, spring tryouts for cross-country and soccer, and the age old problem of “how’d all this stuff even fit in your locker?”! We are so thankful to be done, but at the same time it’s a weird feeling as the last few weeks flew by and here we are- done! 

We had the school awards program last Friday which included all grades first through eleventh grade, so that’s a lot of kids! This was our first introduction to the final awards program, and it was a lot of kids and awards. Sometimes the challenge is trying to make it feel personable and special when there are that many students. All four of the boys did end up with “B” honor roll certificates, and Emma ended up with a certificate for “A” honor roll. Travis was awarded a trophy for “Citizenship” which is an award given for Christ-like character, respectfulness, responsibility, etc. Roger was not able to go to the awards program, so later in the evening, Roger was talking to Travis. Roger was telling Travis how proud he was of his character and doing the right thing. Travis replied, “Dad, it’s really not that big of a deal. My class has a lot of naughty kids in it, so there’s not a lot to chose from for that award!” We had a hard time not laughing, but if you know Travis, he will speak his mind to those who ask his opinion! Regardless, we told Travis that we were proud of his work ethic and character cause that is a HUGE deal! Emma received an award for the “Most Improved Student”. We’ve been proud of her hard work to navigate a new school, dropping back a grade, adjusting to so many new things, and lots of changes. She’s not a straight “A” student, but she does try to work hard. We are thankful for the kids hard work in adjusting to a new school, new church, new state, lots of challenges and changes, but by the Grace of God, we made it through! 

My parents arrived at our house for a visit on Monday evening, as well as my sister, Jen. It was a full week and a full house. The weather has been unusually cool for North Carolina, and we’d all like to see some heat and sunshine! My sister, Jen, had her days full with interviews and appointments for various schools in the area. She would be a help and an asset to any school, and they all would like to have her work for them. We’ve done a lot of praying and talking! The boys and Emma enjoyed having Nana and Papa here for a few days as we made multiple trips to the park, fishing, doing projects, and visiting together. The week flew by, and we are thankful for family. The boys worked on building an outdoor pizza oven, which needs some tweaking! However, they had fun working on it. 

June will be a busy month for us as we have a wedding today (June 3rd). Then we are going to the mountains in Tennessee for a few days with some friends. We’ve never been to Gatlinburg, so we are excited about that adventure. We are coming home on Wednesday, and then Emma and I will leave on Monday (12th) to head to Maine for a few days. I am going to be watching my little nieces and nephew for a few days while Hannah and Josh get away by themselves. Emma is excited that she will be get to come along, and we are excited about a trip to Maine. Once we come back from Maine, we leave the following week to take the boys to camp at Pensacola Christian College. We’ve been praying about this camp for them, and asking God to work in their hearts and lives. It’ll be a busy month, but we have very few plans for July. 

The boys were hoping to work for the neighbor again this summer, but he said that he won’t have very much work for them this summer. Garett and Chandler are especially disappointed about that, so please pray that they can find employment this summer. They have things that they need/want to buy, and they’d like to be working this summer. We’d appreciate your prayers for them. 

Summer is a wonderful time of the year, and we want to use these weeks wisely. Our children are growing up so quickly, and life literally is like a “vapor” as it says in the Bible. God is good, and we are blessed with five great kids. We always appreciate your prayers as we try to point them to Jesus.