Summer Speed!

 The summer speed is disconcerting at best! We are trying to savor these last few weeks before school begins again, and time is flying by way too quickly! 

Early morning at the storage unit with Chandler 

A rare “date” with this youngest son! 

This girl has enjoyed swimming so much this summer! 

For those of you that have followed us along on the journey of my sister, Jen, and her move to NC, we have an update! The moving company misplaced (spelled lost) all of her belongings for about ten days. They didn’t seem to know where her stuff was at, where it was going to be delivered, or what had happened after it had been picked up in South Dakota! The original plan was for her stuff to remain in Rapid City until she found a place to live here. However, it was discovered on Monday, July 11 that her stuff was on a moving truck in our area. Tuesday morning found Chandler and I waiting outside a storage unit at 5:00am! Jen was able to find a storage unit, so Chandler and I made sure the stuff was delivered. It was an early morning and made a bit more hectic by the fact that Travis had IEP testing that morning and that was Garett’s first day at his new job! Whew! But, by the grace of God, we managed to get it all done. Chandler and I came home from the storage unit escapade to take a quick nap. Then Travis and I went off to his IEP testing. He was NOT a happy camper, but Travis was still polite and respectful to the lady doing the testing. This whole process has been daunting and draining, but we are in the final stretch. We will hear the results of their testing on August 2, and then decisions will be made. Please pray that we will be at peace with decisions made and that God will be glorified. I’ve had to fill out paperwork for the boys, and it seems to be a struggle to separate bad manners/parenting from an academic need! A bunch of the questions were related to manners in my opinion. Questions such as “does he say please?” Does he manage money well?””Does he help with chores around the house?” And so on…I understand that there are children that mentally struggle with those capabilities, but so much of those questions are parenting related! One of the questions  asked was, “does he bathe regularly?” Let’s see. Travis went to camp for a whole week and bathed once! That’s because he’s a sixth grade boy who’d rather be grubby than a child with a handicap! It’s hard to know how to answer the questions, so please pray for clarity in this whole matter! 

Garett has been at his job for almost two weeks. It has seemed to be a good fit for him, so we are thankful for this opportunity for him. It doesn’t look like Chandler will be getting a job this summer, and that’s been a disappointment for him. He’s done some odd jobs here and there, but nothing on a regular basis. But we are thankful for the little bit of work that he has been able to do. And actually this past week, both Wyatt and Chandler were able to acquire work for two days. They spread out pine straw for landscaping for a man in our church. It was hot, sweaty work, but they were paid well and got the job done. They were even given some Chick-fil-a coupons for food -which totally made their day! 

Roger and the boys (except Garett) left EARLY Wednesday morning for a whirlwind trip to Wisconsin. Roger is visiting with some of his family during the air show, and the boys are visiting with my parents. They were all excited to go even though it will be a very quick trip as they’ll be coming back on Sunday. Garett was a little disappointed to not be able to go, but that’s part of growing up and having a job! Emma wanted to see Nana and Papa, but not enough to take a 16 hour road trip! 

Roger told me yesterday that he was able to get the deer hunting tags for the boys for the fall hunting season, so that was good news! Each boy will be able to deer hunt over Thanksgiving break, and hopefully, shoot some deer for the freezer! We have a lot of mouths to feed, and grocery prices are skyrocketing, so I’ll be thankful to have some deer meat should the boys be successful in their hunting. We had originally planned to take them to Montana to hunt elk and deer, but that’s a very long ways away from North Carolina, and the tags were much more expensive than in Wisconsin. This way they can have the opportunity to hunt with my dad at a much more affordable price and still do something that they really enjoy. They’re already looking forward to going in the fall. 

Meanwhile, we’ve stayed home and worked on a lot of various things around the house like mowing grass and doing laundry. We’ve spent some time in the pool and with our friends, the Everett’s. I’m sure that Chandler, Wyatt and Travis will have a great time in Wisconsin and come back with many stories to share. I sure do miss them when they’re gone! The house is too quiet! (I don’t know what to do when I don’t have to referee the fights!) -Kidding! :) Emma had the opportunity to go with the Everett family to Beaufort to visit some friends on Friday evening. It was a quiet evening for Garett and I, but it was so good to spend some undivided time with this oldest son. He struggles SO much with school that sometimes it just makes my heart hurt. But he’s kind, respectful and a leader in a quiet way. I’m so proud of him, and I was reminded that I don’t tell him often enough how much I love him. I’m thankful for these moments with him. 

Laura and I have conducted two cheer camps on Mondays this month, and that’s kept us busy and tired. Laura has the experience, and I like communication and information! I lead strength and conditioning and Laura teaches them the routines. It seems to work so far, and we have fun while we do it. We also come home tired on Mondays- one more to go! Pray for us as we pour into these girls during the winter sport season. We want to point them to Jesus, help them deepen their relationship with Jesus, and grow together as a team. We’d ask for prayer for Laura and I to have wisdom, direction, and discernment. We’re sure to make mistakes, but we want God to be glorified through it all. 

I’ve also been putting in some time at the school as we work to get the library up to speed for the school year. A private school library is a challenge to maintain because we don’t have access to new books like a public school does or a public library. We did managed to add over 400 new books last year though generous donors, so that’s a really good start! But that also means that some books have got to go to make space for the new ones. As adults, I think we’re often attached to books due to our own childhood experiences, but the next generation has no such connections. So what will they read?! Well, it’s a challenge for sure! We’ve discovered that graphic novels are appealing to a lot of kids and even some of the classic series like  The Boxcar Children  have been re-written in graphic/comic form. Kids are drawn to the comic type writing in Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and the I Survived series is also popular. Children also seem to be drawn to books about facts, interesting quick tidbits of information, and the Who? What? Where is? Series of books. My friend and fellow librarian, Jennifer, have been working hard at making some changes in our library to make the shelves more appealing to our readers. Reading is a challenge for so many kids, and I think reading aloud to all children is important. 

My sister, Jenn, is heading our way this weekend. She has a few houses lined up to look at, so we will see what happens with that adventure. We are excited to see her, and we are praying for a smooth transition for all of us. Change is hard, even if it’s good change. It looks like there may be changes for myself this year during the school year, but we are still praying about making good, wise decisions. I know that God has a plan and a purpose in all that He allows and that He is our Rock in the midst of uncertainty. 

The summer has literally flown by, and I am not ready to go back to school! It means that another summer with our children has come to a close, and I’m reminded daily that our time with them is so very fleeting. We are thankful for the memories we’ve created and the time spent together. 

I’ve had this song on my mind a lot the past few weeks. I’ve been overwhelmed with a lot of thoughts and changes that are looming upon me. Sometimes when I lay my head down to sleep, my mind runs away with all the responsibilities that I need to do. I want to do what I do and do it well. I want to love Jesus and point my kids and students to Him. I want to pour into others knowing that I am filled by an almighty, all-powerful God. I love this song, and the words in it. “Praise God, Just as I am!” I’m thankful that the God Who created the sunset this morning is the same God that loves me. He is faithful. 

Summer Memories- Florida, Camp, and the Fourth of July!

 Do know what happens when I don’t write a blog post for a couple of weeks? A lot! The answer is that a lot of things happen in a short amount of time around here! 

Emma and I arrived back from Maine on a Tuesday afternoon. It was a flurry of activity as we prepared to leave for a week in Florida. My friend, Laura and I left at 4:10am on Saturday morning with 8 kids in tow to leave for Florida taking the kids to camp at Pensacola Christian College. We made good time down to Florida on Saturday, and arrived at the condo where we were staying for two nights around 3:30pm. Everyone was happy to arrive and spend time in the pool and at the beach for a few hours. We certainly were all happy to go to bed on Saturday night! 

On Sunday morning (6/ 25) we visited a church that the Everett’s had been a part of fifteen years ago when they had lived in the Destin area. The church was very friendly (of course, it’s hard to miss two moms coming in with six teens and two elementary students!). The preaching was solid, the people friendly, and it was a church that I would re-visit if I was moving to the area. Living in a post-Covid world, so many churches are plagued with the same problems: people not returning after Covid, an aging generation of pastors and laypeople, and the struggle to find the balance between technology, Bible translations and music. But we press on in Jesus’s name to share the Good News and to live our lives for His honor and glory. 

Monday afternoon found us dropping off six teens at camp where they met up with the other 9 kids that came from our church. It was a great group of teens to take to camp, and Pensacola Christian College definitely put their “best foot forward” as they represented the college and camp. The boys all had a great week and the favorites from the week were the preaching and the food! It was a little bit of a struggle having three of the brothers be in the same room, and I could do without that next year, but overall, it was a positive and great experience. All the teens said that they would like to go back next year, and Chandler and Wyatt said that they’d like to try basketball game, We are so thankful for all those that poured into them and mentored them during that week of camp. 

Meanwhile, while the kids were at camp, Laura and I hung out with our children that were too young for camp- Emma and Brody. We stayed at a place about 20 minutes from the college, and it was the perfect spot for the week! I had heard about this place through our friends, the Falde family. They have a great little Airbnb that was the perfect price for us. Emma and Brody played together so nicely all week! We spent a day at the Pensacola Beach with our friends, Laura and Cara, who had also come down to drop kids off at camp. Emma and Brody spend probably seven hours outside playing in the beach and then playing in the pool! Needless to say, they slept very well at night! It was a fun time of relaxation and enjoying each other’s company, and we wouldn’t complain if it became a yearly tradition! 

It was a long drive back from Florida! We left the campus about 8:15am on Friday morning, but we didn’t get home until around 11:00pm. Traffic, rain, and longer stops than usual, ate up our time. We also decided that we prefer the route down to Jacksonville, Florida and then over to Pensacola versus the route through Alabama and Atlanta, Georgia! But now we know! 

Roger and Justin stayed home to work while the mamas and the kids went off to Florida, so everyone was glad to be home on Friday night. Roger told me earlier in the week that he thought the washing machine was on its last leg- something that no mama wants to hear! We arrived home to discover that the washing machine had quit working altogether. It came with the house and had been used multiple years without the water filtration system and I’m guessing that the hard water has just worn it out. But a family of seven has a hard time going without a washing machine for too long! We went to get a replacement one on Saturday, but we were told that it wouldn’t arrive until Wednesday. Nothing to do but let the laundry start piling up! Thankfully, my friend, Laura took some of it home with her and that certainly helped diminish the pile- but we are looking forward to having a washing machine! 

We spent the Fourth of July floating down the Neuse River on air mattresses and rafts!  It was totally red-neck, but also free! The Neuse River is not very clean, but it’s not very deep and the current doesn’t flow very quickly. It was  a fun afternoon with friends, rope swings, laughter, fellowship, and only one lost flip flop! We followed up the afternoon with an all-American barbecue and fireworks. It was a very all-American day, and a reminder of how much we have to be thankful for in our land. It’s very easy to become discouraged by the wickedness swirling around us, but I still pray fervently that God will continue to work in hearts and lives and bring revival to our land. We are a blessed people. 

We hosted a missionary family for supper on Friday night, and that was a good blessing as well. It’s always great to hear missionary speakers in church, but it’s so much more personable to have people in our home. We had a great time of fellowship as we talked with the missionaries to Togo,Africa. Our older boys both said how they think that they’d like to go on a missions trip to Togo sometime soon. It’s expensive to fly across the world, but it’s definitely something that we’d like to see them do also. I made lasagna for supper last night as it’s one of our kids favorites. I’ve been making lasagna for 20 years now, and rarely use any kind of recipe and it turns out fine. On Thursday morning, I had Wyatt brown the meat for the lasagna while I mixed up the egg, cheese, and cottage cheese mixture. We started layering the two pans we were making, and I was feeling very accomplished about getting the lasagna made a day ahead of time. We finished the lasagna, wrapped it up, and put it in the fridge. I turned around and looked at the stove and there sat the three pounds of browned meat! Yikes! I had forgotten to put in the meat! I texted Roger to tell him that I was going on a run as I clearly needed to clear my mind! I ended up making one additional pan with the meat and saving the rest of the meat to use for tacos on Saturday. Anyways, the lasagna was still delicious! 

On Saturday, we had the Hardison family over for fellowship and tacos! The Everett kids were here as it’s Justin and Laura’s anniversary weekend. Since five of the kids are on the cross-country team, we had them run before supper. There were minimal complaints although it was very, very hot! Thankfully, they were able to run and then jump in the pool to cool off. It’s been hot and humid here- welcome to summer in North Carolina. 

My friend, Laura, and I are coaching cheerleading this fall/winter, so we’ve been preparing for our cheer camp which starts next Monday! We’ve typed a lot of notes, talked through a lot of different ideas, rehashed some more ideas, and are still a work in progress! Cheerleading is out of my wheelhouse, but I’m fairly good at communication, coming up with games, typing out schedules, and coordinating things. Laura will take on the teaching of routines, stunts, etc. Together we are hoping and praying that we will encourage these girls and point them closer to Jesus. We are looking forward to the challenge, but we surely would appreciate your prayers! 

My sister, Jen, has been facing all sorts of challenges in trying to move across the country to North Carolina. Please pray that God will give her peace and that He will make the way clear. We are looking forward to having her in the area. 

The summer days are flying by- way too quickly for my liking! We are trying to soak up memories and moments as we see our children growing up so fast. Garett will be starting his job tomorrow. He will be working with a seamless gutter company right near our house. God orchestrated this job to be 1.5 miles from our house, and the two guys that run the business are both Christians. Pray that God will help Garett to understand the job, be a hard worker and have a good testimony. Chandler would still like some summer employment, so he would appreciate your prayers that God will provide some work. 

Garett took his IEP testing last Wednesday and Travis will take the testing tomorrow. The testing is long and it’s tiring, but we are praying for an accurate representation of any learning challenges that might be present. It’s a long and tiring process, but we do feel like it’s important. 

Many things we are praying for this summer- school, employment, experiences, and so much more! But God is so faithful to lead us step by step. We continue to trust that He will direct our steps.