Christmas Break!

 

We blinked. Just like that Christmas break is over, and tomorrow we are going back to schedules, routines, school, basketball, and another semester of school! Tomorrow morning is probably going to be a bit of a rough wake-up call as we get back to school and work, but we made some great memories. It was a good break for our family, and it provided a much needed reset for my mental health and clarity. 

As you might remember, I mentioned in our previous post (Here), we planned to take a trip to Maine over Christmas break. We left on Christmas Day about mid-morning, and made it to New Haven, CT., on Christmas Day. We arrived in Maine on Thursday, and we were all excited to see snow on the ground! My boys had been praying that there would be some snow in Maine, and when we arrived, there was snow! God provided safety in our travels, as we went through many of the major cities on the east coast including, Washington, DC., Baltimore, New York City, Hartford, and Boston! Thankfully, traffic was moving right along, and we did not run into any bad weather or traffic. We arrived in Maine on Thursday afternoon, and we headed right to Hannah and Josh’s house. Our kids were all excited about seeing their cousins, and they tromped around outside for a good chunk of the afternoon. Hannah had arranged for a photographer to take family photos while everyone was together. Originally the pictures were supposed to be on Monday afternoon, but it was supposed to rain on Monday! We were able to reschedule the pictures for Friday afternoon, so that meant coordinating clothes for fifteen people. We did have to take a trip to Sam’s Club, but we managed to get clothing that didn’t completely clash. Josh had cleaned out his closet, and Hannah had saved the bag of clothes instead of hauling it right to Goodwill. She saved it as she thought some of our boys could use some of the items. They sure did! The boys borrowed clothes, boots, and coats from the bag all week long! We ended up trading with some of our jackets, and that Goodwill pile sure did come in handy! 

Our family headed down the coast towards Owl’s Head for Thursday night as a friend of Roger’s had offered to let us use his house for a few days. It worked out really well as we were able to catch up with some of our Maine friends over the next few days. I met with my friend, Allison, on Friday morning, and we chatted our way through a quick two hour visit over coffee and a walk around town. It was good to catch up in person. We are terrible about actually calling each other, and we are not much better at texting! The boys’ friend, Austin, came over to spend the day with them on Friday, so that was a fun time for them. Roger and Garett went to visit Penobscot Island Air (where Roger used to work) on Friday morning, and they even caught a flight out to Matinicus. Since we’ve been gone, the company has undergone some changes. Roger’s boss passed away in 2020, and our life was abruptly turned upside down. Through a series of events, Roger took a job in Michigan in the fall of 2021 while the kids and I stayed in Maine as I was teaching and the kids were in school. We didn’t end up in Michigan as we had planned, but instead we arrived in North Carolina in the summer of 2022. We were a little battered and bewildered as to what God was doing, but God is always good. Anyways, back to our Maine visit…it was good to see the company thriving again. They have a new hanger, lots of new faces, and I think it was also a time of healing for Roger. Roger was able to see in person that the company was doing well, and that several needed and good changes have taken place. I stopped in for a visit on Friday mid-morning, and I was able to say “hi” to a few people that I recognized, and I was introduced to the new chief pilot who promptly told me that if Roger ever wanted to come back, he would have a job. While I surely don’t know that that is what God has for us, it’s always nice to feel welcome and appreciated, and it was good for Roger to hear that. 

We survived family pictures on Friday afternoon…in the snow…with all fifteen of us. The weather was actually quite nice as the wind wasn’t blowing, and the sun was shining. Since we were already paying for pictures, we asked the photographer to shoot a few extras of Garett for his senior photos. (Might as well get it all done at once!) Also, for all those that sent us a Christmas card- thank you! You can expect a family card and Garett’s senior photos all in the same envelope around April! :) We had a great photographer who was able to get all the photos we needed or wanted in under 90 minutes. We are excited to see how they turned out, but everyone was also glad to go back to Aunt Hannah and Uncle Josh’s for pizza!

Saturday morning found four of our kids and I visiting with some school mates from Travis and Emma’s classes. We didn’t really plan anything ahead of time for our time in Maine as I wasn’t sure how the week would unfold. However, I reached out to my friend, Claire, and she welcomed the kids and I for a morning of visiting. It was good to catch up on school events, her kids, life, and the kids seemed to just connect right back. Roger and Garett were able to catch up with another one of Roger’s pilot friends, and that was a good time for them. We had invited our friends, the Davis’s, for supper on Saturday evening. I made a big pot of soup, and we sat and fellowshipped for several hours. Jess and I had taught at the same school our last year in Maine, and we had really hit it off. Tim and Jess have four kids, and our children also seem to really enjoy visiting together.  Allison and Jason and their girls came over in the evening as well, and we fellowshipped and laughed until 11:00pm! Our family had made several really great friends during our six years in Maine, and it was good to catch up in person. While we were all a little tired on Sunday morning, it was an evening well spent together. 

We flew around in a flurry of activity on Sunday morning, as we cleaned up the house we had been staying in and prepared for church. We were able to worship with friends at our home church on Sunday morning. Lots of smiles and hugs as we were greeted by so many that remembered us. “How the kids have grown!” That was the most common statement, and yes, the boys and Emma have grown a lot in 2 1/2 years! Several faces were missing as we greeted those we knew as several of our older dear friends have passed on to Heaven. I saw grief-filled faces as I hugged a few of my older friends, and it was a reminder that whether we like it or not, time marches on. Heaven grows sweeter every day. 

Our friends, Nick and Hannah, invited us over for lunch after church on Sunday morning. Hannah and Nick have five of their own kids, we have five, and Tim and Jess have four! The house was brimming with laughter, voices, the smell of delicious food, and families fellowshipping together. Whew! It was a fast visit as we knew that we needed to get to Hannah and Josh’s house later that afternoon. Before we left the Rockland area, we made on more last stop. We pulled into the driveway of Terri Waters later that afternoon, and so many memories came flooding back. When Kevin was alive, we had spent several holidays together, time at their lake cabin, family birthday parties, dinners together, and so many precious memories. Terri welcomed our tribe with a smile and a hug, and we wish that we had had more time to visit with her, but it was good to see her. She sold the company last year, and I think it was a good move for her. Life can change in the blink of an eye, and that is certainly what happened in 2020. It is so comforting to rest in the fact that God doesn’t make any mistakes. His plan is always the right one. I may not like His plan at the time or perhaps even for years to come, but He doesn’t make mistakes. I’m thankful that we were able to stop in to give a hug and a smile to Terri while we were in Maine. 

We spent the rest of the week up by Hannah and Josh. A friend of theirs had offered to let us sleep at their house, so that was really helpful. We love each other, but fifteen of us in the same house can be a lot! Monday was a rainy, dreary day, so we pretty much puttered around in the morning talking and drinking coffee at Hannah and Josh’s house.  Everyone was kinda getting a little stir crazy in the afternoon, so we went out and looked around at a few different places. My parents stayed at Hannah and Josh’s house, and they probably were not sad to see us leave with eight children in tow! 

Tuesday was a beautiful morning, and while the ground was wet and muddy, the sun was shining again! We ended up on a hike with my dad, Hannah and Josh, their kids, Jen, and all our family. It was about a three mile hike through the woods in a preserve. If we had been quiet, we might have seen some wildlife, but certainly not with fourteen of us! Travis shouted loudly at his brothers, who were ahead on the trail, “GUYS, WE HAVE TO BE QUIET TO SEE A DEER!” Um, son…there are no deer for miles around after that! It was a fun morning and everyone got some fresh air. Roger and I, and Garett and Chandler, met up with another couple for lunch in the afternoon. The Peabody’s have been good friends to Roger for years, and they are a special couple to our family. Chandler told me later that he didn’t really remember the Peabody’s but he figured that lunch would be good. He said that he was glad he had come along because after visiting with them, he did remember some good memories…and lunch was good too! 

Garett and Chandler drove down for a youth event that they had been invited to by some friends on Tuesday evening. It ended up being one of the highlights of the trip for them as they were able to re-connect with some of their friends. Soccer is pretty big in that area of Maine, and that is right up Chandler’s alley! They ate food, played games, participated in a soccer tournament (but were unable to finish it as they needed to drive back), and came back tired but refreshed. I’m thankful that Levi extended the invite to them to come, and that Garett and Chan were able to go. 

We packed up our belongings, washed sheets and bedding, and headed for Hannah and Josh’s house on Wednesday morning. It was raining again on Wednesday, and it was a good day to leave as everyone was tired. Hannah fed us (again) and we got on the road to head back to N.C., around eleven am. We made good time, and we stopped around 7:30pm in Bordertown, NJ. That is not a stop we will make again! The pool was not heated, the hot tub was broken, and the room was so dirty that I told my kids not to take off their shoes! We were able to get a different hotel room, but it still wasn’t super clean. We aren’t picky people, but I don’t like some else’s hair on the bed or mud on the floor! Oh well! We survived and continued on the way to home on Thursday. We arrived back around 4;30pm, and everyone was glad to get home. It’s a lot of work to unpack, do laundry, and prepare for reality, but we did it. It’s been good to be home for a few days before heading back to school. We have two weeks of school before we are going to spend a weekend with my Aunt and Uncle in western NC.! 

So…it’s a new year! I’ve been thinking about my goals for the year, the goals for our family, the goals I have for our children, and all the dreams and expectations for the new year. I have a list, and I have plenty of ideas for the new year, but I really want God to be glorified in and through me. I want to encourage and point others to Jesus. I want to help our children understand their need for a personal and growing relationship with Jesus. I want to help them be able to defend and understand what they believe and why. I have a lot longer list of ideas and goals, but these are my starting points. What about you? What are your goals, dreams, ambitions for the new year? I was reading an article that stated that one of the number one ways to succeed in something is to write it down. So…write it down! 

Happy New Year!