3 “M”s -Moving, Maine, and Michigan

 

It’s an unusual place to be in for me, but the whole month of September almost went by without a single blog post! (Did you miss us?!) :) 

I have sat down several times over the course of the month to try to write down some thoughts and to give an update on our family, but the words weren’t flowing or my thoughts were too jumbled. My thoughts are still jumbled, and my words still are not flowing, but it’s time for an update anyways. Bear with me as we share some important updates on our family. 

First of all, we are moving! As you process that information, you can rest assured that this was not an easy or hasty decision. It’s one that we’ve wrestled with on and off since about February, but God has made it increasingly clear that His plan for our lives is in a different direction. There have been many, many tears over this decision and more to come, but God is faithful! Oh, He is so very faithful! As we’ve prayed, we’ve seen God at work. He’s opened the way for us to walk in this path, He’s never forsaken us, He’s encouraged us through using people when we’ve been discouraged. We serve an amazing God! Through all of this, we want our children to know that God will be glorified and that He is worthy to be praised -even when it’s not necessarily what we would’ve chosen for ourselves. 

Secondly, our house is going on the market on Wednesday! That’s another reason that I haven’t updated the blog as it’s a big job to get a house ready to go on the market and especially one that seven people live in! One of our children has already been very stressed over school, and this packing, decluttering and disrupting his life, has made this month a great challenge for him. I faintly remember telling Roger about seven years ago when we were getting ready to sell our house in Wisconsin and move to Arizona that “I don’t ever want to do this again!” And here we are! Roger has had a pretty rough work schedule this last month as he’s had to work every single weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) for his entire last month. That’s added to the challenges as the kids are in school Monday through Friday. But it did mean that Roger could work on many projects on our house. He took many trips to the dump as well as many trips to the scrap yard. Our house is looking pretty amazing these days, but it’s not feeling like home! 

So, what’s the plan? Whenever we decide to make a plan, generally God redirects our paths, but we do have a tentative plan. When our house sells, we will be homeless. Sounds fun, right?! Honestly, I absolutely believe that God orchestrates our lives so that we will depend on Him for every moment. 

Back to point #1- Roger has accepted a job in Northern Michigan. He will be flying for an aviation company out there that will also allow him to build multi-engine time. More importantly, he will be able to be home every night. There are many, many aviation jobs out there. But we know our time with these children is so very short, so having Roger at home at night is a big deal to us. However, we will be separated for a time (this kinda feels like de ja vu of our experience when Roger was in Florida for flight training!) Roger will be leaving for Michigan the first week in October. God has provided a place for him to stay for short-term. The kids and I will be staying in Maine for the time being as I am teaching kindergarten, the kids are in school, and there is a housing shortage in Michigan also! 

As our house goes on the market on Wednesday, we are diligently praying that God will continue to provide in a great and mighty way for our family. Depending on how long it takes our house to sell, the kids and I will need a place to stay for the school year. God has already revealed one possibility, but we are still very much in the waiting. Roger will be flying back as often as his schedule allows to spend time with us. We are planning to go to Michigan for Christmas break, and we will continue to work together to see each other as much as possible. We are thankful for those that have offered us “buddy airline” passes for Roger to fly back as well as so many that are praying that we will find a place to live. Again, the Lord  is good and faithful! 

The last month has been difficult on all of us and that would be an extreme understatement. We’ve worked hard, cried, yelled, hugged, packed, cleaned, decluttered, and we are “done”. As Travis told me yesterday, “I can’t wait for this part to be over!” (As I told him to pick up his stuff and put it somewhere else!) Roger has had a rough last month at work, and it didn’t end the way that we wanted it to. We have some amazing memories of this company and this spot in Maine is dear to our hearts. Several of Roger’s co-workers have come up to him to tell him how much they enjoyed working with him. Several younger guys commented to Roger that they learned so much about manhood, character, and work ethic just by working with Roger. An older gentleman gave Roger a gift of money and said, “I’ve appreciated your family. I know you’ll be able to use this.” Another friend happened to tell Roger, “I’ve seen a lot of naughty kids in my days, but your kids have always been a pleasure to be around. It’s encouraging to know that there are still families trying to invest in their kids.” 

Yesterday a bunch of people from one of the islands that Roger has flown to for the past six years came out to say good-by to him. Roger said it was one of the most emotional moments he’s had in his lifetime. He told me when he go home that it was a good thing he was so familiar with the runway as he could barely see through his tears. Oh, this is hard- so hard. There is SO much more here, but sometimes it’s just to complicated to share my heart. Please do pray for us as we navigate these unfamiliar waters again. Pray that God will show Himself strong and mighty to our children. Please pray that Roger and I will have great wisdom, understanding, and communication, as we are separated for a bit. God has shown Himself strong and mighty, but we are still emotional drained and hurting. The school kids have been focusing on a song at school “Jesus, Strong and Kind” and every time I’ve heard it this month, I can feel my eyes water. “We can always run to Jesus, Jesus strong and kind.” 

It’s not all about Roger and I as we also look into the faces of our five children. Chandler and Garett are excited about the move, and are praying that God will give them some hunting land. (I don’t think they care too much about where they live, they’d just like some hunting land!). Chandler said that he thinks he’d like to move back to Maine someday. “I really liked living here, Mom. I think I want to move back someday.” Wyatt and Travis are very unsure about the move to Michigan, and Wyatt told me that he’s glad that he has one more school year in someplace that he already knows and has friends. (Travis would prefer to move someplace where there is NO school!) Haha! Emma thinks that moving will be a great adventure and she’d like to bring all her friends with her. I’m thankful that God knows their hearts and needs better than even I could ever dream. 

In the past month, the kids have completed four weeks of school. The four boys are playing soccer. Garett received some very nice notes from some staff and teachers. Chandler made his first big purchase - a bow. And he’s excited to practice and go deer hunting soon. The older boys went to multiple neighbors and people and asked about hunting on their land. Everyone they asked either said “yes” or “I don’t have enough land”. I could not believe the amount of people that told them yes! That was exciting for them! 

In closing, we do ask for your continued prayers. We did not envision this step in our lives, but God goes before us and beside us. We rejoice in the fact that He is worthy! 

Summer Adventures - Last Days of Summer Break!

 August is typically a very busy month as we celebrate three birthdays, prepare for school, enjoy the last days of summer, etc. This year was no exception, and it felt like one of the craziest and fastest months of the year! We had family visit, friends visit, Roger took a work trip, we cleaned out so.much.stuff out of the school, switched classrooms, did a yard sale for school, and tried to soak up the last few days of summer break. 

So many of you have been praying for the staff that we’ve needed so greatly at our school. I’m happy to write that God has provided for each one of those positions! The last person needed was a third/fourth grade teacher, and she was hired on about an hour before the open house for school yesterday! Wow! We serve a big God! Thank you for all those that prayed with us. The school has grown exponentially this year, and with that we experience new challenges and growing pains. We have a great headmaster and administrative team, and with the hand of God to guide and direct us, we move forward with great expectations! It’s an exciting year to be a part of the school, I feel like we have prayed for this spirit in the school for the past six years, and we’ve prayed for student growth for the past six years. For six years, God said, “Not yet, not yet”, and this year, He’s opened doors that seemed impossible, He’s already abundantly provided, and the enthusiasm and unity of the school is contagious. I’m thrilled to be a part of the school again this year, and I’m looking forward to welcoming fifteen kindergartners to my class tomorrow morning! We are going to be tired as we adjust and adapt to a new routine. I know I’m going to be tired! 

Last weekend we had friends visit from Wisconsin. Amanda and her son, Owen, came out to Maine to visit for a few days. The kids enjoyed the scenic boat right out of Bar Harbor on which we got to see birds,  seals, porpoises, and other parts of God’s Creation. We are blessed to live in such a beautiful place. It was a quick few days, but we enjoyed our time together. 

This past week I’ve spent many hours at the school as we prepare, plan, had teacher inservice, prayed a lot, and enjoyed getting to know the new staff members. I’m thankful for my friend, Hannah, who had our children over for several days over the past few weeks. Our children only enjoy being a school for so long before it’s not nearly as fun anymore. The older boys spent some time working at the school this week, and I was thankful for their help. I hope that they look back on the time spent helping and working around the church and school as a blessing and a molding of their character. I’m thankful for Godly men and women that invest in the lives of our children. 

My friend, Allison and I helped at a yard sale this past weekend. It was a ton of hard work, and we’ve agreed that we will never do one of those again! It was one of those ideas that seemed like a good idea about three months ago, but then here we are with just a few people pulling most of the work load. Did I mention it was a lot of work?! Another mom came to help clean up after the yard sale, but it was still a lot of trips across town to the thrift store. I think I took three or four truck loads, and she had three van loads. Around three o’clock, Allison and I sat down for coffee, looked at the mess before us, and said, “Never again”! We managed to drag ourselves back up to finish the job of cleaning up, and finally said good by to each other around 4:30pm. (The yard sale ended at noon). I had Travis and Emma with me as Roger had taken the three boys and a friend to their field day for their bow hunting class. We decided to stop at a food truck for supper before heading home, and while we were waiting, Allison and her family pulled us. It was a nice way to end a long day. I’m thankful for Allison and our friendship. She encourages me, laughs with me, and we can manage to get through most of our “adventures” without tears most of the time! 

Travis turned eleven this past week, and Garett turned fifteen yesterday! We haven’t really celebrated either of their birthdays as I had teacher inservice on Travis’s birthday, and on Garett’s birthday we had a school open house! We will celebrate them on a day when Roger is off of work, and we can enjoy some time as a family to celebrate their special days.  I can’t believe how the years are flying by, but God has been so faithful in giving us these five children. I fail them often, but God’s grace sustains us. We aren’t perfect, and we surely have our moments of terribleness, but again, God is faithful and offers forgiveness. 

We are excited to start school tomorrow! Please pray with us as we partner with families in our churches and communities for the glory of God’s Kingdom! 

Visits with Family, Old Sturbridge Village, & Birthdays!

 Almost every day I think to myself “I really need to write on the blog today”. Yet somehow it’s not been an easy one to cross off my to-do list. Maybe it’s because we’ve been so busy with the end of the summer festivities, family visiting, beach trips, trips to the amusement park, visiting Old Sturbridge Village, cleaning at the school, and so much more! 

I’m happy to be making these summer memories with our children, but sometimes I do stay up at night wondering how I’m going to get everything done. Yet, by the grace of God, we press on. We do the next thing in a great big grand scheme, not always seeing the big picture, but one puzzle piece at a time. I know I’ve been feeling a bit frazzled and frizzled by the anticipation of another school year, compounded with our need for teachers, add to that Roger’s job, mix with times of prayer coupled with anxiety and it’s the perfect recipe for what? Well, I don’t know what, but it’s probably not good! Every time I think I’ve managed to give all my anxiety back to the Lord, the devil tempts me to pick back up my baggage. It’s a moment by moment battle. 

Emma’s 8th birthday was this past week, and I can’t believe it! The years are flying by, and I’m trying to treasure the moments. Emma is very, very different from her brothers, but we are so delighted to have her in our family. Emma loves all things pink, chocolate, bike rides, friends, and singing loudly. She’s unique and special, and we pray daily for her to grow up to love the Lord with all of her heart. 

Last week we enjoyed a trip to an amusement park with several of our friends. Allison and I had originally planned on just taking ourselves and our kids, but we ended up with enough friends coming along that it was cheaper to get the group rate! Travis and Emma were delighted to have Lucy and Abel come along, and Emma also enjoyed spending a bunch of time going on rides with her friend, Hope. Hope is fourteen, but Emma really enjoys spending time with her. Hope graciously took Emma on a lot of the rides, and Emma is a dare-devil! She went on all the crazy rides and multiple times! The boys went around and around in the amusement park, riding almost every ride and having a wonderful time. It worked out really well, as we were picking up my sister, Jen, from the airport that afternoon. Jen arrived in Maine for a visit last Tuesday, and the airport was only twenty minutes from the amusement park. 

We’ve enjoyed our week with Jen here as we went blueberry picking, a day at the beach, a trip to Old Sturbridge Village, celebrating Emma’s 8th birthday, hiking, reading and playing games together. Jen, Emma and I also went up to see Hannah on Tuesday afternoon and we had a good time visiting, walking and having ice cream. The first thing that Emma told the boys when we came home was that she had ice cream without them! To which they replied that they didn’t really care as they had ice cream at home! Oh, life with siblings!

The three older boys have been attending Teen VBS at our church each evening this week. I think they’ve enjoyed it, but it is a long evening. Chandler and Wyatt have also been working on a project for a man in our church, so they’ve had some tiring days. I think we will all be excited to go to bed a bit earlier after this week. 

Last night I met with some dear ladies from our church to have a special time of prayer for the school. We just walked room by room, floor by floor, praying for God to provide the right staff, teachers, and students. We are praying with great expectations as we wait to see what God will do and how He will direct us. We still have some very pressing staff needs, but we rest in the fact that God is never late! He has a specific plan to reveal to us, so we will be fervent in prayer as we wait. We pray for unity, harmony and a great spirit of revival to sweep through our school and community. It would be so exciting to be a part of that! Oh, how we pray for God to send revival and may it start with me. 

This morning I drove Jen to the airport to catch her flight back to South Dakota. We were finally able to get the grass cut as the sun was shining today. I met up with my friend, Bethany, and her kids at a nearby lake, and we soaked up the sunshine. The boys and Emma had a great time playing in the water and with their friends, and it was good to reconnect with school friends. We do miss our school friends during the summer, so it’ll be nice to get into a routine of seeing some of them regularly again. 

Roger continues to press on at work, school, church and home, but I know that he is weary. Change is coming, and it’s something that feels real and tangible at this time, but we don’t know yet what that will look like. I’m thankful that God holds our future and whether it’s here or in Timbuktu, He will go before us and beside us. Roger and I have been faced with challenging decisions before but these days it’s a bit harder as we look into the faces of those in front of us. Five years ago, when we moved to Maine, we adjusted, adapted, and came to so love and appreciate Roger’s job. But it’s been increasingly clear that God perhaps has something else in mind for the Robertson family. 

Meanwhile, I continue to make plans for kindergarten teaching and my class continues to grow! I’m excited about teaching kindergarten again, and I’m praying for God to greatly use me to impact lives for eternity. I’ve done quite a bit of reading and professional development over the summer so I’m looking forward to implementing some of what I’ve learned into my classroom. Travis and Wyatt will have a new teacher this year, and they are excited about having their first male school teacher. We’d appreciate your prayers for our children as well as we prepare for another school year. God is so good, isn’t he? While the world around us seems to be going quite crazy on a regular basis, it’s comforting to know that God has a plan in all this madness. He’s not surprised, confused or anxious. He will never leave us nor forsake us. What promises He has given us in His Word! 

Old Sturbridge Village- Jen had been asking about what to get Travis for his 11th birthday which is this month. Travis mentioned that he really likes history, so we decided to look into going to someplace historic while Jen was here. I remember faintly going to Old Sturbridge Village as a young child, so we tried to figure out if we could make that happen. It was hard to squeeze it in, but we did it! Sturbridge is about four hours away, so we decided to stay overnight. The kids always like a hotel with a pool, so we specifically tried to find a hotel with a pool. We made fairly good time getting to Sturbridge, so the kids were excited about swimming. Well, the hotel had a pool, but the pool was green! Even the boys said that the pool looked gross! The kids were very disappointed, but after a year + of Covid, we are all learning to adapt and adjust! The hotel was a bit run down on the outside, so we wondered if there would be a breakfast in the morning. Let’s just say that we were thankful that the hotel was close to a McDonald’s so that we could get sausage biscuits for breakfast! It did make for some fun conversations on the way home as we talked about our adventures. The boys really, really enjoyed the village. They enjoyed the opportunity to help water the gardens, watch the blacksmith, see the old mill at work, and walk through all the buildings. Emma wasn’t quite as interested, but she did well at walking and looking. Travis’s only complaint with Emma is that “She looks at stuff too fast”. We did see the entire village and some of the village we saw twice. It was a good experience and one that I am thankful that we took the time to do.

 

Summer- Lakes, Beaches, New Jobs, and a Circus!

 

                                                              Circus Memories!

                                                            Lake Days! 

                                                                          Summer Chats! 

Wyatt counted up the days until school resumes, and we all feel like summer is flying by too quickly! We’ve had a lot of rainy days the last week or so, and that makes for a few long days. We are all hoping for some more hot summer days soon! 

Last week we did a park morning with some friends, a beach morning with a few other friends, cleaned and worked on projects at home and at school, went to a circus, I spent an afternoon with my sister, went to the lake with some friends, and we tried to soak up as much of our summer break as we could. As a teacher, I’m feeling the itch to get back into my classroom to prepare for another school year. However, the flooring is being replaced in my classroom so I must wait! I’m hoping that the flooring people will be able to come earlier than they anticipate, but we will see. 

I’ve been busy taking continuing education courses and reading, reading, reading! I’ve taken a few courses through Bob Jones University, and I’ve enjoyed the reminders of why Christian Education is important. I think that sometimes Christian schools are looked upon as glorified Sunday Schools, and that is definitely not what we are endeavoring to be! My goal is to provide my students with a quality Christian education as well as a positive environment. I want my students to know that they are loved both by their teacher and their Heavenly Father. Eternity is forever, and what a privilege I have as a Christian school educator to share my faith, love my students, and point them to Jesus. So many children are hurting in our communities and that is both children from Christian and unChristian homes. Our society and culture screams “It’s all about you”, “Do what you want!” “Make yourself your priority”. Hmm….what a contradiction to what God’s Word says, “Be ye holy for I am holy”, “Love thy neighbor as thyself”, “Let each esteem other better than themselves”. Yes, we are trying to swim upstream, and sometimes it feels like an insurmountable battle. However, I rest in the promises that God’s Word will not return void, and that He promises to be faithful! 

Speaking of God’s faithfulness, we are in a position in our Christian school where we are walking by faith! Our school has grown to the spot where we are needing to make individual classes instead of combining grades. It’s a great problem to have, but its also a bit unnerving as we have a need for many teachers. There’s probably not a spot in our nation where there are enough willing workers! However, we are asking God to provide us with top notch quality educators as we move into another school year. We’ve been fervent in prayer and ask that you pray with us. 

Garett has his first official real job! I can’t believe that he is old enough, but here we are! Garett has the opportunity to work for some friends of Rogers that have a car rental business. Garett has been hired to wash, vacuum and clean cars. He started his job on Saturday, and its for just a few hours. I picked him up on Saturday afternoon and Garett’s first words to me were, “Hey Mom, they have an awesome vacuum cleaner for pet hair!” Haha! Out of all the information that I was hoping he would share, I didn’t expect it to be about a vacuum cleaner! I asked Garett if he liked the job, was a hard worker, etc. I received a lot of very informational responses such as “yes”, “good”, etc. Oh well! I’m happy for Garett, and he’s happy to have his first real job. 

Roger had to work over the weekend, so it was just the kids and I for Saturday and Sunday. We had plans to have some friends over on Friday night, but that didn’t end up working out. That was okay as we did yard work, some projects, and hung around home together. Roger did take Wyatt and Travis to play golf. They did enjoy it, but they definitely aren’t as excited about golfing as Garett and Chandler. But it was an opportunity to spend time with them. On Saturday afternoon, I decided to take the kids to a circus that was in town. I haven’t been to a circus since I was probably about eleven, and I really had no idea what to expect. It was a smaller circus, but the kids really seemed to enjoy it. I did have to tell the boys several times that they were not to attempt what they saw at the circus at home. We will not try a hand stand on seven chairs, you will not attempt to balance on five cylinders, etc. The circus was about one and one-half hours, but we enjoyed it. It was something we’d never done before, and it felt like a very “normal” event. It was nice to see people laughing and sitting together. 

Sunday was a crazy, crazy day. It definitely was not a normal Sunday, but we survived. Wyatt woke up with a cold, so I wanted him to stay home. Garett was asked to work as he is still just starting his new job. I had thought for two seconds about just staying home, but then I got a message asking if I could play the piano for church that morning. I also wanted to stay for the business meeting after church, so I said yes. I left Wyatt and Travis at home, went to church to practice the music, dropped Garett off at his job, came back for Sunday school and church. We were supposed to have a picnic after church, but the weather was rainy. Roger sent me a text asking if I could pick him up in Bangor in the afternoon. So after church and the business meeting, I picked up Garett. I took everyone home, and no one wanted to come with me to Bangor. I changed clothes, and drove up to Bangor to get Roger. We had a quick dinner together and headed home. We had to stop at church as I had told a dear lady in our church that I would bring her car home. (She had driven to church, but then hadn’t felt well about driving home.) We took her car home, picked up Roger’s car from the airport and headed home. Whew! I am very thankful that most Sundays are NOT like that. I treasure the moments to soak in music, Scripture and fellowship with believers, and today felt frazzled! 

In preparation for the school year, the church trustees are asking for volunteers to help paint. Today Travis and Emma had the opportunity to play with their friends, Abel and Lucy, for a bit. Garett, Chandler, Wyatt and I painted and painted and as Wyatt says, “Painted some more!” I am thankful for their help. Our children are not going to wake up some morning and decide to be diligent and hard workers, we MUST teach them. They faithfully painted for several hours, and we made good progress. Chandler asked if we were going to help paint tomorrow to which I replied that I wasn’t sure yet. He responded, “Well, I hate to take up all the blessing of working at the school. I’m happy to let someone else be blessed!” I had to laugh out loud! 

We are treasuring our remaining summer days. I had wanted to go on a little get away as either a couple or a family, but that doesn’t look like its going to happen. I think all the tourists that did not come to Maine last year have arrived in force! Everywhere is expensive and kinda booked. Then there’s the challenge of Roger’s work schedule and the deck seems stacked against us. I know that we can figure out a day trip here or there, but do you ever feel the strong pull to need to unwind from what’s  around you? To take a step back, refocus, refresh, and get rejuvenated? Or is that just me? (Yeah, I could be crazy!) 

But, we continue to trust that God has a purpose and a plan. 

Away and Home Again!

 It’s mid-July and this is my first post for the month of July! We’ve had a busy month as we’ve enjoyed all the summer activities, and lots and lots of outside time. The boys have been gone for the past month visiting my parents in Wisconsin as well as my sister, Jen, in South Dakota. We are all home now- thank you, Jesus!

We started of the month of July with a very low-key holiday which was the Fourth of July. The Fourth of July has never been “low-key” and this was an entirely different experience for us. Since the Fourth was on a Sunday, that was a bit tricky already but it was also raining here. I don’t remember very many Fourth of July’s that have been raining, but this one was both rainy and cool! In fact, in many places in Maine it was colder on the Fourth of July than it was on Christmas Day 2020! After church, Emma, Roger and I came home and ate leftovers for lunch. We kinda just hung around home. We talked about our nation and it’s current state of affairs. We spent some time praying, and just kinda did “not much”. 

Monday, July 5th

Today marked the one year anniversary of Kevin’s death. I’ve never had a year seem so short and so long all at the same time. We miss him more than words could ever describe, and Roger misses him more. So much has changed in a years time, and we surely miss his presence in our lives. 

Emma and I left for Wisconsin today. We were on the road by 6:45am to begin the long hike of 1,304 miles to Wisconsin. We made good time as we made it to outside the east side of Cleveland, Ohio by 8:00pm. The van had been making a bit of a “funny” noise for the last 100 miles or so, so I was happy to get off the road to see if I could figure out the problem. (Funny, right!?) Emma had been such a good little traveler all day as she looked at books, played with her doll, watched a movie, and talked to me. One of her friends, Audrey, and Audrey’s mom had put together a little basket of “surprises” for Emma. It was filled with a bunch of stuff from the Dollar Tree that they had wrapped. Emma enjoyed opening a small gift after each stop for gas or a break. Anyways, I had booked this hotel online for us to stay at, and it stated that they had a pool and a breakfast. Emma was looking forward to swimming, but when we checked in they told us that the pool was down for maintenance! Then I asked about the breakfast in the morning to which the clerk replied that “Due to Covid, our breakfast supplies haven’t been getting delivered regularly. We probably wont have a breakfast tomorrow.” So the van was having some type of mechanical issue, the pool wasn’t working, and no breakfast! (Oh, and we later discovered that the air conditioner in our room was not working either!). I felt like crying, but Emma and I needed to find some supper, and we needed to come up with a plan for the van. Emma was a trooper for sure as she didn’t whine about being disappointed in the pool not being open. I called Roger, and we decided that I probably should not continue to drive the van until I was able to get it looked at. 

Tuesday, July 6

Emma and I were up early as neither of us slept great. I was concerned about the van and it was very warm in our room. We left the hotel about 7:15am to try to find a place to get the van looked at and quickly. We went to the first place and then realized that it was just for trucks. Then we went across the street the the Honda dealer and automotive services. Our van isn’t a Honda, but according to my AAA app, they would look at our vehicle. The mechanic told me that they didn’t open until 8:00 am, but he would look at it as soon as possible. Emma and I sat around and waited until almost 9:30am, but they said that a bearing was causing the “funny”noise. They said it was safe to drive to Wisconsin, so back on the road we went! We made it to our friend, Jenna’s, house around 7:00pm. Jenna and I stayed up way too late talking, but we never run out of things to talk about and pray about in our lives. I’ve missed her dearly, and it was a wonderful time together. 

Wednesday, July 7

Emma and I had breakfast, coffee, and fellowship with Jenna and our friend, Katie. It was a long over-due visit, and it was good to re-connect with dear friends. Emma made some poor decisions as a friend that disappointed me, but life goes on. We took the opportunity to discuss better choices to make in the future, and hopefully we both learn from our mistakes. Parenting is the hardest job we will ever do, and it’s also a very humbling job! It was a full morning, but I’m glad I was able to visit with Jenna and Katie. Jenna, Katie and I have a very dear friendship in that we talk about politics, Bible reading, children, parenting, and everything under the sun. It was so nice to discuss deep Bible topics and pray together. “Iron sharpening iron” friendships. Oh, none of us are perfect or have it all together, but we can surely pray for each other and our crazy kids! 

Emma and I headed to my parents house around 12:30pm. The boys were going to be coming back from South Dakota the next day. Emma and I visited with my parents and attended Wednesday night church with them. It was also good to visit and fellowship with people from my parents church. Emma and I were very tired after two nights of not great sleep! 

Thursday, July 8

My boys are back! I was so, so glad to see the boys pull into the yard this evening. Our day had been busy with visiting with my family. I had gone to have lunch with my friend, Amy, but it was cut a little bit short by Roger’s phone call. He had called a mechanic to look at our van, and I needed to drop it off. My mom and I took the van out to the mechanic, and he told us that the earliest he would be able to have the van done was Monday. I had been planning on leaving on Sunday afternoon, but it looks like my plans were changing. Oh well! I’d rather get home than be stuck somewhere with five kids in tow!

The boys were glad to see Emma and I. They have had so many fun adventures with my sister and my parents. Lots of fishing, four-wheelers, activities, swimming, camping, and even a visit to see a rodeo! I am so thrilled at the opportunities  that they had, and I’m happy that they are all wanting to go home and see Roger. 

Friday, July 9

We spent the day working on projects around my parents house, shopping for groceries and hosting a cookout in the evening. I had invited several of our friends to my parents house for a cookout and fellowship. We probably had about thirty people there on Friday night, but it was a good evening of fun, laughter and fellowship. 

Saturday, July 10

We had a busy day today as we went to a park with the Shuberts. My kids love Jenna and Ryan’s kids so they enjoyed playing basketball with them, as well as with Ryan (Jenna’s husband). Jenna and I never have enough time to finish all of our conversations and we definitely have a “Jonathan and David” friendship. No matter how long it is between conversations, we can just pick up wherever we left off. I was holding back many tears as I hugged Jenna good by. It was a short visit as I needed to take the boys over to mow the grass at Mark and Allison’s house. We had made plans to play mini-golf with Mark (Roger’s brother) and Allison (Mark’s wife). Roger’s brother, David, as well as his wife, Gao, were also going to play mini golf with us. The boys made quick work of mowing the grass, and we headed to play mini golf. It was a good time together, and then Mark took Garett and Wyatt flying while Allison and I went to Hobby Lobby with the remaining kids. It was a fun afternoon, and I’m glad that we were able to spend some time with Roger’s brothers and their wives also. It’s always a challenge to figure out how to fit in visits with so many people that are so dear to us during a short stay in Wisconsin. After mini golf and flying, we went to have supper at the Longsine’s house-also dear friends to us. The hours flew by, and before we knew it, it was 9:30pm! We surely missed Roger during our visit, but the kids seemed to enjoy renewing their friendships with the Longsine children as well. 

Sunday, July 11

Originally, I had planned to leave after Sunday morning church, but since our vehicle was not ready, that decision was taken out of my hands. The kids and I went to church at Wyldewood where it was good to see familiar faces and many new faces at church. It’s harder for the kids to jump back into friendships after a year of not seeing many of these people, but they did very well. I had no problem jumping back into conversations and seeing many of my dear friends was a very special part of my day. After church we headed to have lunch with the Schilder family. I’m always thankful for friends that are willing to feed an additional six people! We ended up taking the kids swimming, well the kids went swimming while Gretchen and I visited! We shared struggles in parenting, our hearts desire for our children, some of our dreams, and just treasured the few moments together. Gretchen has a very dear friend that is going through a very hard time in her life right now, and I cried as I listened to Gretchen talk about the devotional she had shared with her friend. The truth is that often and frequently we just don’t know what God has for us. In our short-sightedness, I have a hard time seeing how God can bring about something good from something that seems like a tragedy. Continually and often, I find myself giving something to God only to take it back a few minutes later and worry or fret over it. I’m certainly a work in progress, but my hearts desire is that I will lean on Jesus, trust Him completely; and even when it all seems unclear, I can rest in Him. 

Monday, July 12

I had planned to be back in Wisconsin by this evening, but that was not God’s plan. The boys and my dad went to take a bow over to a hunting shop, they unloaded some wood, and they did some shooting. Emma and I went to pick up a friend, Abby, and then the girls played at my parents house for a bit. We made plans with my parents to have supper together at Pizza Ranch, and I was praying that the van would be done tonight so that we could leave early on Tuesday morning. It was an unexpected day to have, but it was a good day. The boys and Emma were able to go to the Schidlers to swim for a bit, while I snuck in a coffee date with Ginny. (Many friendships were made in our time in Wisconsin, and it’s super hard to connect with many of them over the course of only a few days!) The boys were happy to spend some time with their friends, but they are definitely ready to go home also! We enjoyed supper at Pizza Ranch with my parents, sister, and Gretchen and her family. Then Jen and I drove out to get our vehicle. The repairs cost way more than I would have liked, but the vehicle is repaired and ready to drive back to Maine. The mechanic is a friend of my dads and a sound and honest mechanic, so I know that he did the best job possible on our vehicle. We arrived back with the vehicle to my parents house around 9:00pm, and we are planning on an early start for Tuesday morning. 

Tuesday, July 13

6:45am was when we began the trip back to Maine. The kids are tired, but ready to see their dad. Mama is tired, but also ready to get back to Maine. It was a good week for Emma and I, and the boys are ready to be back in their own yard. Chandler told me that it was a good vacation but he’s ready to get back to work. Wyatt told me that he wants to see Dad and he wants to sleep in his own bed. “Me too!” We made it to Erie, Pennsylvania, before stopping for the night. We stopped a little earlier than we normally do when traveling, but I wanted the kids to have time to swim before bed. Well, the pool was open, but the Covid restrictions were in place. While it was a bit irritating to have to sign up for a swim spot and then its only for 45 minutes, we were thankful that we could go swimming. Since we couldn’t go swimming until 9:00pm, we walked to get supper, wandered around a bit, and walked off some energy. I went to a grocery store to pick up snacks for our next day of traveling. We were a bit early for our swim spot, but we were able to go swimming early as the 8:15 people were already done swimming. The kids had the pool to themselves for the first fifteen minutes, but then the other people who had signed up for the 9:00 swim spot showed up. The limit was 16 people at a time, and there were 14 people in the pool area. It’s a bit crazy because generally when we stop at hotels we swim whenever the pool is empty. But when you have to sign up for a swim spot, then often you end up swimming with more people than you normally would. But oh well! Everyone got to go swimming, and then it was time for bed. 

Wednesday, July 14

We made it home today! Thank the Lord! We made pretty good time on the way home today, and we were really only stuck in traffic for about forty minutes out of the whole 21 hour drive. We did make a stop at the Aldi grocery store in New Hampshire, but we were home by 9:00pm. Home sweet home! It was a long drive, but we made it back. We were all ready to sleep in our own beds!

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.