Stop and enjoy it

 That old saying, “time flies when you are having fun”… well it seems that it is true about life in general. 

 Even the moments when you aren’t exactly having fun…

 Time still flies. 

 My firstborn rode away this week, off to start Army basic training. 

My “baby” is more than 8in taller than me. 

(This is not a good picture, but in the last minutes before Canaan left I had a meltdown and needed a “family picture”. This is what I got.)

 My husband, that boy I met in college, has completed almost 20 years in the military now. 

 We might be getting “old”, but don’t tell him that!

 

 Time flies. 

 Stop and enjoy it my friends. 

 Take a deep breath in the middle of the rain and listen for a moment to the music the drops make on the rooftop. 

 Be still as the sun sets and notice the crazy colors expanding across the sky, then applaud as they disappear, just because you enjoyed the show. 

 Lay quietly next to the person you love and enjoy their heartbeat and slow breaths, and maybe even some snoring, as sleep comes after a long crazy day. 

 Stop and enjoy it my friends. 

 Time flies. 

 Remember to SEE that you are blessed every single moment. 

 We would very much appreciate prayers for Canaan in basic training!

Stay on the boat?

The story of Jesus calling to his disciples, pulling them away from what they knew and what they were comfortable with, has always been exciting for me. The chance to go and follow Him is beautiful. Stirring. Inspiring. 

 I wanted to be James and John, Simon and Andrew, walking away from the boat that I already knew how to navigate. Learning something more. 

 But until yesterday I had never given Zebedee much thought. I respected him, for raising men that were willing to walk away and brave enough to try something scary, but truly, I hadn’t really given him much thought. 

 Yesterday this verse reached out and grabbed me when it was on the “highlight” list of a woman I respect a lot. It made me ask questions of myself. 

 Then, when it was a part of my “assigned” reading this morning, I figured it was time to really give it some attention. 

 When is it time to be Zebedee? 

 Sometimes, are we supposed to just stay behind, on the boat? 

 My boys are becoming men. At 16 and 14, their ability to make decisions isn’t fully mature and the strength of their convictions is not done growing. They have so much more to learn still, about Jesus, and people, and right vs wrong and the blurry place in the “middle” that confuses us all at some point. 

 But they are becoming men. 

 Right this minute I think I might be having a Zebedee moment. 

 The book of Mark doesn’t say if he argued with them, encouraged them, or simply sat quietly while they walked away. Did he want them to be brave? Did he know they were about to be part of something that changed the world?

 I have to assume, knowing the rest of the story, that he was a man who was seeking after God. What could he do other than hand those boys of his over to Jehovah?

 I have always wanted to be one of the disciples, but right this minute I just want to be strong enough to be Zebedee. 

 When are we called to stay on the boat? 

 I don’t know the answer to that question, but I want to learn. 

 I want my boys to be each a “man after God’s own heart”, like David. 

 Not perfect. None of us find perfection. 

 But aware of their calling, aware of their faults, aware of their Savior. 

 I will continue to pray over them, forever. I will offer them advice when they are willing to hear it, forever. But I cannot be what makes them. I cannot be what holds them. I cannot. 

 So I will seek to be as strong as Zebedee, and listen to my Savior when I am called to stay on the boat. 

 Join me?

Party time!

 I have a 12 year old!!
 I think I struggle with this every single year. He continues to get older (which means I do too!) and I continue to be shocked.

 He originally wanted an Indiana Jones birthday party, but I struggled to find decor and games for that.
 We were going to go river rafting... but then it called for rain all weekend.

 So, he had to settle for third choice. But I think it still turned out pretty good!

 Jurassic Park was the theme. The new Jurassic World comes out this summer and dinosaurs are everywhere!

 We played "Pin the tail on the velociraptor".

 Zion "accidentally" pinned the original tail on his head instead. Made him quite an interesting character! 

Strangely, R2D2 Sorry was the most popular game. Nothing to do with Jurassic Park, but lots of fun. 

 So serious!

 Lots of laughter, which is the most delightful sound.

Ian (above) drew this fabulous card for Canaan. 

As always, Andy got creative. 

 Isn't that a fabulous dinosaur watermelon?!

 Beautiful Smiles!

12 candles!

We had almost as many grownups as children, so Andy and I had fun too.
I believe a "good time was had by all".

Life is good.... and now, four days later the internet is finally letting me upload pictures!

Blessings, 

A few moments of memories

 Twelve years ago, right now, I was in California, about to fulfill my biggest life goal.
 I was about to become a mother.
 I had been attached to the little one growing inside me for months already, but I was finally going to get to hold him!
 He was a stubborn little thing, and waited until "tomorrow" to actually make his entrance though.

Before things got hard...

 May 15, 2003, just after 1 in the morning, he finally arrived!

 9lbs, 4oz, 20 1/2 inches

Proud grandparents

 One of my sisters got married just one month later, so he got to come to GA and meet a lot of my side of the family while he was very young!

 And his Uncle Josh on Daddy's side. 

 How could anyone resist that face?

Matching daddy

He was a well traveled little baby. 

 The Freeman grandparents took him to Lake Tahoe.

 My sisters took him to Florida.

 We visited my grandparents in Indiana, and stopped in Nebraska on the way home to visit wonderful friends. 

So for his first birthday we made him a cake of the USA, showing all the places he had already travelled. (If you count the ones we just drove through, he had already been to 9 states!)

He enjoyed it.

In the morning we will celebrate 12 years of loving him. 

I am so very glad that God allowed me to have my greatest desire. 

I am so excited to see the man of God he is growing into. 

 I miss those baby kisses, but the smiles I still get are just as sweet. 

I love you Canaan Andrew. 

Blessings my friends, 

Miller Cave

 Friday evening Andy and I met some of his classmates for dinner at a local bbq place. While we were all chatting one of the couples told us about a local cave, open to exploring, right here on post.
 She gave us the basic directions of how to get there and said, "If you come to a part that looks like you are about to drive off the edge of the earth, you have gone too far."

We found that part. :)

(This picture does not do it justice. It really does look like you are going to drop straight down!)

We turned around.

 At first we thought this lovely little overhang was the cave. 

 So we enjoyed the view for a while.

 But there was more!

 This lovely little window...

had a beautiful view!

 I adored this tree, and how it adapted to the situation it was given. 

So inspiring, and simply beautiful. 

There were two entrances to the "main" cavern - 

 Up and through...

or down and through.

We tried them both. 

I had to take the camera bag off in order to fit through, but I made it!

 I didn't get many pictures of deeper inside the cave. I don't have fancy enough equipment for that! There was a good bit of water, several neat little tunnels, and an unfortunate amount of trash. 

 Canaan "discovered" a part that Daddy didn't fit in, and Mommy wouldn't try to fit in. He got deep enough in that I couldn't see his light anymore! Fortunately for the sanity of mommy, there was a spider blocking the way and he came back. I am sorry that he inherited that fear from me, but this one time I was glad for it! 

Just a few hundred feet away was another cave,

 but it wasn't open for exploring.

 So I made my boys enjoy a few flowers instead.

I love my boys. 

I love their daddy. 

I love the adventures we discover, right around the corner, every day. 

Life is a little crazy sometimes, but life is good. 

Enjoy your adventures my friends!

Blessings,