Out of my hands

Sometime last April Nate and I met with an architect and dreamed to her about all the crazy things we wanted to do to our little rowhouse. At the time, we imagined that it would take a few weeks or months to get started and we imagined that by fall we would be moving into our sweet new master bedroom. I remeber one conversation we had about how we were so smart to get started when we did so that we wouldn't have our roof off in the cool Baltimore fall. Well we didn't. We didn't even a crew in our house until a few days before Christmas (you know...right around the time we got 2 feet of snow...) Our GC actually said to us "If we waited until a clear weather forecast it would probably be February." Wow. This is not how I would have planned things. And I like to plan things. And I like for things to go my way. But this process has been an exercise in patience from the beginning. We have had to wait on city beauracrats, bankers and mortgage broakers, architects, and construction crews, and weather. All along Nate and I would throw our hands up at the next delay and bump in the road and wonder if things would ever happen. But they have now. Our roof has been ripped off and suddenly there is a third and fourth floor on our house. I went back to visit and had to convince myself that it is still the same house I used to know. And of course it is a huge mess and completely uninhabitable for myself and the kids. We have camped out at the greenhouse next door to my parents just in time for Kirsten and her family to get here. Now we two sisters are under one roof for a precious few weeks and I could have not planned it better myself. God was definitely laughing at Nate and I when we had our late night conversations planning how this whole process would go! But only because he had such a great present in store for me. Living oceans apart from my sister and her family makes this cohabitation such a delight that I keep reminding myself to remember every moment of it. In the end, I guess I am glad that it doesn't all go my way.

Thankful

In the past few weeks since Thanksgiving, I have been trying to think of something I am thankful for everyday. The habit has worn off on Scarlett too and every night when she says her bedtime prayers we talk about things that made her happy. A little while ago, her prayer was "Dear God, Thank you for purple. Amen" It was so sweet and sincere it still rings in my ear. There are so many huge blessings in my life to be thankful for--a great husband and kids, a house I love in a city I love, loving and supported extended family--but now I have been trying to be thankful for the small things that bring me joy. Today I am thankful for Honeycrisp apples and pandora radio. Sometimes the simplest things really are big treasures. What are you thankful for?

I tri'd

Well the time has come for the Iron Girl...The race is tomorrow. Today we have to go pick up papers and set up transition areas and get bikes inspected and ask all of the questions we still have. I am already sick with nerves. I have been training so long I know that I am phisically ready for the race...but I am still not sure how it is going to go. I am pretty worried about the lake swim--somehow I can do it easily in the pool but once I am surrounded by so many others I freak out a little bit. There is a good chance that I will not finish this part of the race, and I will have to go home without a medal around my neck. But I am ok with that. I am really proud of myself for all of the work that I have put into this and feel like I have already accomplished my goal of getting into better shape and trying new things. I know that I will continue to swim and bike and run no matter what happens tommorrow. Even though I have my doubts, I am going to show up in the morning before the sun and do the very best that I can. I am going to keep my mind focused on the scriptures that I memorized and I am going to be an Iron girl regardless. If I do finish this thing, I know that it will not be because of my own strength, but because of His help!
Isaiah 45
1 "This is what the LORD says to his anointed,
to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of
to subdue nations before him
and to strip kings of their armor,
to open doors before him
so that gates will not be shut:

2 I will go before you
and will level the mountains [a] ;
I will break down gates of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.

3 I will give you the treasures of darkness,
riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the LORD,
the God of Israel, who summons you by name.

4 For the sake of Jacob my servant,
of Israel my chosen,
I summon you by name
and bestow on you a title of honor,
though you do not acknowledge me.

5 I am the LORD, and there is no other;
apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you,
though you have not acknowledged me,

6 so that from the rising of the sun
to the place of its setting
men may know there is none besides me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other.

Ensley's a year old!

Today we celebrated Ensley's first birthday. Just to prove to me that he is a big boy, he took several steps on his own and insisted on feeding himself everything. He blew out his candle, ripped open his presents and paired up with his daddy to race his new matchbox cars on the track. Watching him be such a big boy made me proud of him and eager to see what this next year will bring. It also made me flash back to a year ago, when we first met. Just a whiff of a thing, swaddled up and asleep in my arms. I feel so blessed to have had this year with him. He is such a treasure to me--his dimpled smile, inquisitive nature and great sense of humor. As expected, I do feel like his babyhood went way too fast and I will miss dearly the time that we spent being so very close. But I am enjoying this too--this time of becoming his own little person. He's my little dude and he always will be! Happy Birthday Enny-Benny I love you!

my adventure begins

I am on my way to Chad to visit Kirsten!!!! I am sitting in the Paris airport, 6 dollar coke in hand (a necessity as my body does not compute that it is 930 am alrady!!) and pacing as I wait through my layover. In a few short hours I will be away from everything familiar and dear with the exception of my big sister and her family. I can't believe I will be hugging them so soon! I am missing my family so bad, especially when I see a little toddler or baby. I want to snatch them up and run away. But then I realize how peaceful it is and I appriciate the temporary solitude. I have been burning through my novel and working on sketches that have remained only ideas for 2 months. Every now and then I am shocked at myself that I have traveled all of this way alone--what an adventure! Don't forget to say a quick prayer for me tonight!

Camping adventures

We got brave and decided to take our first family camping trip. The scenery was amazing at the campground that was hosting the weekend-long bluegrass music festival.

We camped with friends who also had kids (misery loves company I guess!) and had a great day and night listening to music and playing in our campsite. Weather was so perfect we even got to enjoy a swim in the Potomac.

Then the hail storm came. At first it was just huge droplets of rain that were welcome relief from the heat. But then the sky got dark. and loud. and angry. The wind gusted, thunder and lightning warned, and we all ran. I was pushing the two kids in our double stroller and doing my best to keep them sheltered while pushing through crowds. Right after we got to a pavilion, hail pelted down. We were all awestruck. The storm lasted what felt like days but ended up being a bit over an hour. Our tent poles were broken, our sleeping bags were floating in icewater and a tent just feet from our was flattened under a massive tree.

Shortly after throwing our sopping wet gear into my in-laws minivan and hitting the highway for a dry, indoor bed, Nate and I were debating the ranking of this trip in our "worst camping experiences" list. It definitely was the wettest (although we both thought of a few that were close runners up!) but the good times made the craziness seem worth it. I can recall camping disasters with my parents growing up and so can Nate. I guess our kids are doomed!

I'm going places!

The little man is mobile...
brace yourselves!!