The End of a Journey

A lot has happened since my last post, and even before that of which I was totally unaware. This will be my last post to conclude this blog as we have known it "Life since the Move". Because I have moved yet again and the title seems to be haunting me. I had no idea that when I started this blog I would end up moving to 4 different locations within the last 2 1/2 years. I'm tired of moving and feel as though this may not be the last house in which I live, it will remain the last city in which I continue to raise a family. And for that reason I rejoice even though the circumstances which brought me here were unfortunate.
On Saturday morning, December 4th I confronted my husband with questions of his faithfulness. To my surprise his answer confirmed my feelings that something was horribly wrong. He answered with facts that our marriage was not what it had seemed for over the last 1 1/2 years. He denied his love for me and said our marriage was over.
I was utterly devastated. The presence of darkness had filled our house for sometime and it became evident that John's eyes were blinded by sin. I begged and pleaded for him to change his mind. But Satan had a tight hold on him. I decided that I could make it through the next couple of days without going public with this information. My daughter's 5th birthday was the very next day. My older three had a school performance following that and plus it was their daddy's birthday in four days - I couldn't leave.
On Tuesday, December 7th I posted a status update on my facebook wall that caught the attention of many. Some had no idea what was going on and they just started to pray. Others called me right away. The news was now out! God's army was marching towards Lynnville, IN. Some of you reading now were the voices that God heard that day. Thank you for your support and your faithfulness to prayer. Because already God had started working a miracle.
The girls and I left Indiana on Thursday, December 9th and we didn't return for three weeks. We spent time in Tennessee and North Carolina visiting friends and family. Christmas we spent with our dear friends in North Carolina. It was a sad time - wondering if things would ever be the same again. A time of abandonment, sorrow, anger, grief, and sickness. But through it all God was present. I knew that my life was still in His hands.
While the girls and I were away, John was convicted of his sin. He sought out help and counsel and got himself to a safe place. During this time of seperation, God revealed to John the void that he had in his life. All he needed to truly be happy in this world was Jesus. What a wonderful Christmas sermon it was. Christ came to this earth for us.
We have moved back to Franklin, TN - my home town. We are starting over again. For the last three years we have been chasing success, happiness, and the material things of this world thinking it would bring us contentment. But all we really need is Jesus. The journey has led us back to where we started. We have so much to be thankful for here. John and I are going through some intense counseling. John is also attending SA meetings for his recovery. We are planning on attending some workshops to repair our marriage and ourselves. We have such good church leadership, friends and family that are supporting us along the way.
I have decided to close this blog. I think it is partially a way for me to close this chapter of my life. I want to move forward from here with the pain left behind. Yes I will have scars in the future but I am certain that they will only show themselves as a way for me to minister the Glory of God to others.
Thank you for reading. I am entertaining the idea of opening a new blog in the future and at that point I will post a link to the new one.
May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you and give you peace.

2nd Half

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to run another half marathon. I was feeling a bit hesitant about my decision to do it in the days leading up to the race. I had not had enough time to do as many training runs between the half in October until now. My lower back has also been having some issues and I was thinking it was related to the running. But never-the-less I traveled to Huntsville, AL anyways to run with my sister-in-law and some of her running friends.
I took all of the girls with me. We met John's parents in Huntsville where we camped in their motor home at a local state park. Clara Bea had not been feeling 100% and we had to stop numerous times to change her overflowing diapers on the trip there. She then awoke at 2a.m. with a fever and decided to not go back to sleep until 4. At this point I was wondering how in the world I was going to make it through the race the next day.
But the Lord provides! He gives us strength when we think we can go no further. I really felt like giving up during this race. My feet hurt; I was tired. The only way I can make it through these long runs is to rely on songs and verses of scripture. And somehow it pushes me on to the end. I finished my second half marathon, 13.1 miles in 2 hours 1 minute and 47 seconds. That was slightly faster than my first half and this one wasn't a chipped time event so by my calculations I didn't cross the start line until about a minute after the gun. So I almost beat my time by 2 minutes. Praise the Lord!

Halloween Festivities

We had a simple Halloween this year which was nice. The girls had come up with their costumes and we worked out all the accessories a few days before.
Anna had found an old dance costume of mine in a bag in storage back when we lived in NC. She had asked me then if she could use it as her Halloween costume and she didn't forget about it for the next nine months. Anna dressed up as a Caribbean Carnival dancer. Emily wasn't very sure about hers. She had wanted to be a bride (an idea she got from a friend) but it was a project that was to big to start at the last minute. We rummaged through the dress up box and decided upon an Egyptian princess. It fit in nicely since we had some of the parts to the costume and we are studying ancient Egypt in history right now. For Kelsey we had a variety of things for her to pick from. She was a bit indecisive about what she wanted to be and it changed from day to day. Kelsey got to dress up three different times and therefore wore three different costumes. Once she dressed as a butterfly for her library day, Halloween night she dressed up as Winnie the Pooh (which was a good choice for the cool evening) and then she also wore a ballet costume to our homeschool coop classes for her third dress-up event. Clara Bea didn't get a choice. We put her in a tinker bell costume - the first time we tried it on her she threw a fit so I was prepared to distract her with juice and her pacifier the next time.
We joined our friends here in Lynnville for an evening of trick or treating. We followed them around to the houses here in town since they knew where most of the church people lived. Clara Bea enjoyed her first experience with dum dum suckers. She ate about four suckers in a row withing the first 30 minutes. I finally had to make her daddy stop giving them to her! Then we drove into Booneville for a stop in at the nursing home and then to the town square. To top off the evening we enjoyed dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. It was a fun night especially to be enjoying it with another family.

Visit with Friends

Our dear friends from NC drove ten hours to Indiana to visit us for almost a week. A couple of months ago I invited them to come with us on a field trip to the Creation Museum, thinking that they would decline but hoping it would be enough to entice them to make the trip. When they replied with a yes - I was ecstatic.
We had so much fun together again. We kept the tradition going with late night games and laughter and just silly things that we do when we are together. All 13 of us shared one bathroom for six days and it didn't even seem to be an issue. Ok, except for the one time that one of the little ones forgot to close the door while using the potty, while her daddy was in the shower and I accidentally walked in. He was patiently and quietly waiting behind the curtain til everyone left. LOL - whoops!
We introduced them to a little Indiana culture - like the Rural King. We also had a fun day at the park and the kids enjoyed the chickens in the backyard. Our day trip to the Creation Museum was a success. It is really a wonderful place to see, if you have never been I highly recommend it.
As always when we are together one of the kids got sick. I guess our odds are fairly high that one of the nine will catch something. Unfortunately it fell upon Kelsey this time. She ran a high fever for a couple of days and was pretty lethargic but has bounced back nicely. Not sure what it was - something viral I guess, just glad that the rest of us didn't get it!
Since they have been gone the house seems empty and quiet. But I look forward to many more family gatherings with them. I just hope the time between visits is short.

First Half Marathon Complete

Today was a great day! The Lord provided us with great weather, perfect temperatures, healthy bodies and swift feet. John and I both finished our first half marathon in great time. We crossed the finish line within minutes of each other between 2 hours and 3 minutes to 2 hours and 6 minutes. However, I think I enjoyed the experience much more than my husband did.
I was so thankful for a restful night of sleep. That is usually always my biggest struggle leading up to a race. I tend to toss and turn and anticipate the alarm clock but this morning I slept the night thru and didn't wake up til the alarm sounded at 5 a.m. We had no trouble finding a terrific parking spot and taking the shuttle to the start line. I also always have to pee a couple of times before the race - I just call it the pre-race jitters and yet again everything worked out in perfect timing.
The course was a lot of fun. I have heard from other runners that once you have experienced a marathon you are hooked and I believe it now. There is nothing like the encouragement you receive from the people, friends and family members that line the streets, the many water stations, people passing out candy and orange slices or popsicles. The bands that are playing or simply the person who had their car stereo blasting got you pumped up or at least to the next mile marker. All the signs of encouragement, the cow bells and hand clappers - I loved it all, especially the polka lady who played her accordion somewhere around mile 4.
I usually have to walk around mile 7 and had prepared myself mentally to just be okay with the fact that during the course I would probably need to walk a portion of it. But all the adrenaline and the fact that my lower body went numbed (so I didn't feel the pain) got me through. Actually, I know it was all the prayers that were spoken on my behalf today and the constant murmurs of thankfulness that gave me the strength to run today. I give all the glory to God and am so thankful that he gave me the health and strength to run.
I am also so proud of my husband who endured this series of races with me. He never ceased to amaze me. In each race (from the 5K, 10K and now the half) he always surpassed my expectations. He says he doesn't ever want to run again though. Oh well, the marathon didn't have the same affect on him that it did on me. But I appreciate his support in doing this with me. It was so much more enjoyable to experience it together.
I also want to thank my Mom for coming up this weekend to stay home with the kids. It was such a huge stress reliever to not have to worry about them. My mind was at ease. Maybe next year they can watch from the sidelines too.
So - a word of encouragement to all you readers out there. Set a goal for yourself - something that you have not yet accomplished. Whether it is a walk or run around the block, to your first 5K or even bigger - You can do it! God will give you the strength. He created us to do amazing things. To say that you could never do something like that, is to say that God can't, and believe me, HE CAN!

Preparations for The Run

Well, my training time is over. I'm hoping that I have put in enough time and effort to make it through my first half marathon on Sunday. I am excited and anxious at the same time. I know that when I run in a big group event like this I tend to run at a little faster pace than I normally do and hopefully I will not wear myself out to soon on the course.
John had begun the training process with me this summer. Unfortunately he never finished training for the long runs but he has decided to join me anyways. He said he will run and walk when he needs too. I never made it past ten miles myself so I'm wondering what the last three miles will be like on Sunday. The goal I have set for myself is 2 hours and 15 minutes. I figure if I can finish in that amount of time I will be satisfied with a ten minute mile pace.
My mom is traveling here this afternoon. She is going to stay home with the girls on Sunday morning during the race. I'm so glad that she will be here. It relieves my mind to not have to worry about the kids plans and I will be able to focus on the run.
John and I would love for you to send up a prayer for our health and safety and speed Sunday morning when you wake up. We should be running from 7 to 10 a.m. central time.

Learning humility

Have you ever been in a situation where you were watching someone else do the job that you yourself are used to doing? Have you felt annoyed that they left out some important details or steps in the process or that their performance was less than par? And in these moments what did you learn from it or what was God teaching you?
Because I'm frustrated! But I can only vent about it here.
I am finding myself in more than one aspect of life, caught against the competition. Not that they should be my competitor - I guess I should feel the opposite, they should be more like a collegue. But yet, personality-wise I didn't strike friendship. I am learning how to be humble. Okay at least I'm trying to be humble.
So for now I will continue to do my jobs to the best of my ability and pray that the Lord will lead me to a place where I can get along well with others.

God is good.

Everything has worked out according to His will. The girls have gotten the opportunity to attend a homeschool co-op for this semester. They absolutely love it. We look forward to Mondays now - a day of the week that we used to dread. You know the beginning of the work week, but now they have these wonderful classes to go to and friends to see. It has kicked off our homeschool week with a bang.
We also started a running challenge for the older girls. They are doing a half marathon spread out over three weeks. The kick off was yesterday at the park. They ran 1 mile along with some other children. They now have three weeks to complete 11 more miles with the last mile to run on race day. They will cross a finish line and receive a medal at the end. With all the training that John and I have been doing lately the girls have wanted to run with us some too. Now they have their goal set and we are trying to run 1/2 to 1 mile with them every other day.
Emily and Kelsey also started ballet classes. Kelsey is taking through the homeschool co-op group. It is a preschool ballet class. Then we found a Dance school for Emily to attend that offers a homeschool ballet class for her age during the school day on Tuesdays. She had her first class today and came home telling us all about it. They are both learning classical ballet terms and steps - something that I have desired for them to have rather than the year-long recital piece preparation type studio.
I also got an exciting job opportunity to teach some more Zumba classes. A fitness center in a neighboring town called to see if could teach zumba for them two nights a week. The money is better than the hourly wage I make at the Y and it isn't as far of a drive. I will start teaching there in October which will up my class schedule to 6 classes a week.
So as you can see - all my worries are beginning to fade away. The Lord has always provided for us in just the right time. Things are still tight but we are relying on His provisions for us daily and our needs have been met every time.

10K Run

Today John and I ran our first 10K race together. After running off and on now for about five years this was my next goal to complete. I am thankful that my husband decided to join me because it is always more fun to experience it with someone else. At least that is my perspective.
For me, there is always a rush of satisfaction when crossing the finish line. There are many mental games I have to play along the course though. My husband asked me - do I actually enjoy this? My answer was yes, well - sort of, it's more like a love/hate relationship I have with running. It is painful and agonizing along the way but after the run is complete there is such a feeling of joy I have. I guess I feel like I really accomplished something. And yet it is also a humbling experience to know that I could not have done it without a greater source of strength which comes from my heavenly Father.
We took the girls with us this morning. We all left the house by 6 a.m. in order to get downtown and to the race location with some time to spare. They did great. I packed them some breakfast to eat and they hung out in the gym a the YMCA. We instructed them on what time to come out onto the street when we should be arriving at the finish line. It was fun for them to experience this with us. I hope that one day I will be able to run along side my girls. I hope that this will be an example to them for goals of lifetime fitness.
Anyhow - John is always a "game talker". He had decided that he was going to beat me. The kids took sides of who they thought would cross the finish line first. I didn't mind them choosing their daddy over me - they should think of him as the strong one but Emily always believes in her Mom. So during the fifth mile when I could see John ahead of me struggling a bit, I figured it was my chance to take him. So I passed with ease and thought he probably wouldn't let me get out of his sight.
I finished the race in 52:47 and John came in at 53:36. Yes there is a smile on my face now. The Shand household always rolls with some friendly competition.

homeschool activities

The pictures above include:
static electricity with balloons,
a spider web,
mummified dolls,
pyramid of rice krispies

We have been doing school for almost 4 weeks now and time has already flown by. I am so proud of the girls and the efforts they have put forth so far. It makes me thankful for the opportunity I have to educate them at home and pray that it will last. I cannot imagine not knowing what they are studying each day. I also have the benefit of relearning some things that I had forgotten along the way. It makes experiencing each thing that comes along in life a joy - a reminder that God is our ultimate Creator and Master of Everything.
Here are some of the fun things that we have been doing. We are back to ancients in our classical history cycle. This is the first time we will repeat some things that they have already learned four years ago. I'm amazed at what they remember. We are studying ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia - I love how it all ties in with the Bible stories they already know. In science we are using the Abeka curriculum. We have already learned about the moon, classified some insects, and now we are on electricity. They love science! Emily is hard at work memorizing those multiplication tables and Anna is enjoying the switch to Saxon math this year. Kelsey has begun her school work too. She is learning her alphabet sounds and beginning writing. She is always anxious for her turn with Mommy.

My Mom visits

I was blessed to have my Mom come up for a visit before her piano teaching schedule begins next week. She drove up on Friday night just in time for my Zumba class at the Y. We spent most of our days close to home, playing games with the kids. She helped me with schooling the girls on Monday and Tuesday - Kelsey was able to get some undivided attention from Grandma.
I always think it is funny how much my mom is amazed at what I do. To me, it is just a part of my every day life. It is part of all the experiences that I've ever had mixed together to make ME. She wonders how I learned to draw, how could I know the steps to teach Zumba, and so forth. Mom it was you! You gave me all these opportunities in life. I was able to do so many things growing up from dance lessons, art lessons, girl scouts, soccer, babysitting, helping teach at church, piano and music, being around other grown-ups where I learned to play cards and games - and so many more experiences that I could go on and on. You and dad gave me such a wonderful childhood. Thank you for working so hard so that I could do all those things.
Sometimes I contemplate whether it is better to do one thing really well - like a sport or playing a particular instrument. Some people focus all their energy into one activity, to become the best at it. I never really did this. I don't know if it was because I am too easily distracted or too much of a perfectionist to finish anything. But I must say - I'm glad I have a variety of things that I can do. I may not be the best piano player but I have the ability to play and also have the ability to get out on a sports field and time to enjoy other activities.
What philosophy do you have on this for your children? Do you put them on the track to learn one skill or talent really well or do you skip around from thing to thing. I guess with mine I have wanted them to have some kind of physical activity they do well, whether it is a sport or something like dance and then I want them to have a musical skill too. So far we have relied on my piano teaching. But I am finding with four children this might be an impossible expense and schedule to keep up with in time. But I long for them to have these experiences. I consider them to be my favorite memories of childhood and the influences that made me who I am today.
I encourage you to post your comments on the subject if you'd like.

Depression

Fighting off the feeling of depression seems to have become a yearly ritual I am dealing with at the close of summer. It has also been the time that after moving expenses and things begin to settle in a new home, the financial strain is felt. We have moved from one location to another for the past three summers in a row. Summer of 2008 we moved from TN to NC, then summer of 2009 we moved from the apartment to a house in Statesville, then this summer (2010) we moved from NC to IN. Let's just say that I am hoping we will stay in one place a little longer this time.
For the last two weeks I have been working around the clock. Unfortunately the positions of being a home maker and homeschool teacher don't pay. John has been working hard with the kick off of a new school year in the school picture business. We have both been preoccupied with our own responsibilities. The girls have been very diligent and have bounced right back into a schedule but I have struggled with missing my homeschool mom friends.
I don't want to have to look for new opportunities for the girls. You know - finding a new soccer team for them to play on, or finding a new dance studio, new classes or enrichment activities - new people, new routines. It has just made me sad. My heart starts to ache for the people we have left behind. With our current financial situation it doesn't look like we are going to be able to afford for the girls do any of these activities this semester anyways - which made my depression even worse. Funny right - you'd think I'd be happy that life was easier - all we have to do is stay home. But instead it has made me feel even lonelier.
I am searching for reasons why God has us here. I know it is all a part of His plan but wonder why it has to hurt so bad in the process. I feel like I've already had to deal with this once in my life and dont' want to do it again. I wonder why anyone would want to be my friend. These are the thoughts that I fight off each day. So if for no other reason, it at least feels better at the moment to write it down and release it. You can please pray for contentment for me.

Back into the swing of things

We started our school year this week. Seems strange to be starting school when it so extremely hot outside but then again it gives us a good reason to be inside. All the pools here are already closed for the season since public schools started this week as well. It's uncomfortable to be outside so I figured getting us back into the routine of things would be best.
The girls have done well with their school work this week. I think there is always a little thrill in it at the beginning - even for me. We have enjoyed science the most this week. Something I have really never put much effort into before but found an easy to use curriculum and we are having fun with the activities and discussions. I don't have all of their curriculum ordered yet. We are still lacking two subjects, but starting out with five this week has been a good reentry into our schedule.
The most difficult task for this school year will be finding enough things for Clara Bea to do while I am instructing. Her attention span is short and she is loud. It seems like the entire downstairs level of our house is completely torn up after the few hours of morning instruction. Clara Bea has unloaded every toy, pot or pan, tupperware dishes, paper, crayons, books from shelves, and so forth that she can get her little hands on. I had actually added the chore of "cleaning up after Clara Bea" to our list, not realizing what a big task it was going to be. I think it will be the dreaded chore on the list now.
We have also dealt with some behavior issues this week. After the girls have spent time away from home it seems like we always go through a period of re-entry. The good news is that it seems to get better with age. Anna has shown strides of maturity. However again it has fallen on the youngest - mostly with temper tantrums and crying to be held.
I am excited about our school year here. We are hoping to find new friends and relationships here as we pursue activities around town. Prayers are appreciated!

Running

I have decided to pursue a fitness goal of mine that I've had for a while now. I have registered myself for a half marathon race here in Evansville on 10-10-10. In order to prepare for this I have started training for the race by running on the weekends. My dear husband has also agreed to run with me. (I kind of talked him into this- he doesn't like to run.) We have both been taking a boot camp class at the YMCA over the summer. It is a great conditioning class. But I also needed to work on my endurance for the long runs. So I marked in my calender how many miles we have to run each weekend adding a mile each week. Today we ran 6 miles. Neither of us have run this far before. I did the six miles in 57:20. Yes, I'm bragging on myself a little. I'm just really excited about this and realize that I owe all my strength to my Lord and Savior. To God be the glory!

Kids are gone

So our girls are having their yearly summer vacation with Grammy and Pop Bill. This year they took all four girls for two weeks. The girls look forward to this time. They have so many wonderful memories that are created with their grandparents from camping in the RV, driving the golf cart around Chunky, MS, going to the fair and various camp grounds, and much more. Hopefully Grammy and Pop Bill won't be completely exhausted when the kids are returned.
I have some friends who just can't imagine doing this - by "this", I mean sending your kids away for two weeks. There is a part of me that feels a little guilty but then there is also a part of me that rejoices. It is a time of renewal. I am free to live at my own pace, enjoy foods that I normally wouldn't cook for myself, less laundry, more wine, evenings alone with my husband, and time to prepare for school and fitness classes without feeling guilty of steeling time from my children.
This year I have devoted one week to fitness. I have had time to choreograph new routines and find new music. I have been able to take extra classes and visit other instructors. I am also training a fellow zumba instructor this weekend as well. It has been nice to not feel under pressure to get it done.
Next week I plan on organizing the school room and writing out lesson plans. I always take a little time to go through the kids rooms and declutter them. I am hoping to also have some time to spend with my new sewing machine.
It makes me wonder what in the world did I do when John and I had no children. What did we do with all of our time? Think of where I could be today if I had spent some of that time more wisely. Oh well - retrospect is always so much clearer.
So for all you mommies out there - my recommendation to you is: Take some time for yourself! You deserve it.

Finding a new church home

So along with moving comes the chore of finding a new church home. Being in a church family has always been a huge part of our existence - something our children have always known. I want my kids to know that when things get tough or life is hard you can always rely on your extended family - your church friends. So this is something that I have been concerned about since we moved to Indiana.
We have visited a nondenominational church that is reformed in theology. It was recommended to us by a family that previously lived in Evansville. The preaching is good but there are things in the service that seem to be missing. There are plenty of families with children the ages of our girls but we feel very unwelcomed there. Not one person around us has said hello or greeted us before or after the service. We even dropped Clara Bea in the nursery and no one there seemed to notice that we were new. It is discouraging.
This week I made a connection with another homeschool mom. She is the chair person for a co-op group that meets on Mondays. I called to ask some questions about the group and the classes offered. While talking with her we found out that we both live in the same small town of Lynnville. This sweet lady invited us over to her house for a play date so that we and our children could meet one another. After talking with her we discovered that her husband was the heating/air guy that had come to our house to look at the air conditioner. When he was at our house he had talked with John about their church and had invited us back then. But we didn't listen very well about the location or the name of the church so we weren't sure where it was. Turns out it is right around the corner. So his wife re invited us to visit their church. I made sure I got the name and location this time.
Sunday John and I visited this community nondenominational church. They are currently meeting in the community center here in Lynnville and even hold Sunday school classes for the children in the Pastor's home which is right next door. However our children are away visiting their grandparents so it was just John and I this past week. When we came in the door it was like people lined up at the door to shake our hands and greet us. It was such an opposite reaction to what we experienced at the other church. Now granted this is a smaller church and a smaller town, so it was more recognizable that we were new but it felt amazing. The service was similar to the other church, the music was simple and the preaching was from the Word of God. I think we will definitely go back. It will be a great way to make connections in this town. Actually being able to know our neighbors and not having to drive a distance on Sunday mornings would be a huge blessing.
I think now I am hung up on ideals. I am sad that we do not have a PCA church to attend here. Why am I being such a snob about what kind of church we go too? If they are preaching the gospel, then I should be happy and recognize that we are all going to heaven together. But I struggle with this. I want more. I miss the liturgy of the worship service. I miss the hymns of faith. I want truths taught to my children that point to Jesus as our only Saviour.
So for now, we will make it a matter of prayer. Praying that God will lead us to where he wants us to be, showing us the place in which he has called us to.

Trip to NC

So I couldn't post any status updates on facebook or blog about our pending trip to NC until it was done. We let our friend know that we could make a trip out in July knowing that her husband's 40th birthday was near and decided not to tell him so that we could make it for the surprise birthday party. And a surprise it was!
We had to wait until my 5p.m. zumba class on Friday night was over before leaving Evansville. Knowing that it was a 10 hour trip we decided to pull an all-nighter. The kids slept most of the way which was a blessing, especially for little Clara Bea. We arrived in Statesville around 3:45 a.m. Saturday morning and slept for a few hours at some friend's house. (Thank you Millers for letting us crash at your place and wake you up in the middle of the night!) They fed us breakfast and let us shower and caffeine-up so that it wouldn't appear that we were exhausted. We made it to the surprise party to wait it out with the others for the big "we gotcha" moment.
The rest of the week is a blur. I think it went by too fast and I of course didn't get to see and spend as much time with all our NC friends as we would have liked too. But that's the way it goes I have begun to learn. Some of our dear friends in Statesville threw Clara Bea a 1st birthday party. She has a special place in the hearts of some dear ladies there. I guess this will always be our connection to NC since she is our only daughter born there and will always be a "Carolina girl". We also got to spend two Sundays at our former church in NC. I even got to sing and play a little with the worship team which was a renewal to my soul. I didn't realize how badly I missed it and struggled with the thought of leaving it behind again. We played games, stayed up late, ate too much, drank too much, and had way too much fun. I also got to substitute teach some of my former classes at the YMCA. Special thanks to the Larson family and the Miller family for hosting us in your homes. We are so glad that the kids got to pick up right where they left off and hope that it will always be this way no matter how much times passes in between seeing each other again.
Our trip home was not as smooth as our trip there. We decided to leave in the early hours of the morning in order to get John home for a portion of his work day. We set off at 4a.m. and before we could even get to the interstate Clara Bea decided she was awake. I decided to run into a gas station and warm-up a bottle for her, thinking this would put her right back to sleep (something we often do at home). But I guess the warm milk on her stomach did not settle well and two hours later she threw up. We had to stop at a travel center, wash her off in a bathroom sink and clean up the car seat the best we could with wet wipes. I threw away her soiled clothes, we bought a can of air freshener and off we went again. After about another hour of driving John decided that we would stop for breakfast - he was having a hard time staying awake at the wheel - we had definitely not slept enough the several nights leading up to our departure. So after breakfast I decided that I would drive while Clara Bea and John took a nap. For some reason the trip home seemed twice as long but we finally arrived 11 hours later.
We unpacked our vehicle and even unpacked the bags but later in the afternoon a thunderstorm rolled into town. It got really dark, and the trees began to whip back and forth from the wind. The rain down poured but did not last too long. In the midst of the storm we lost power. After about an hour of fun with flashlights and candles the sun seemed to come back out but the power did not. John ended up grilling up some dinner for us, the kids took a bath in the dark and we all went to bed. Thus ended our very long day.
Now we are settling back into life here in Indiana. The chickens grew, the garden grew, the cat has disappeared again, and more snake skin has been found.

4th of July

This year we celebrated the 4th of July weekend at home in Tennessee. Special thanks to my brother and sister-in-law for letting us crash at their home. I had a great time with my marathon runner, sister-in-law and her friends. She let me join them in Loretto for a 5K race on Saturday morning. It was fun and I had a good run. It will be a good way for me to judge whether or not I improve my pace when I run another 5K in August. John and I have been taking a boot camp class to get us back in shape. Our goal is to be ready to run a half marathon in October and then a relay race from Chattonooga to Nashville in November (we will just be 2 runners on a 12 man team).

I was also able to visit with my Mom and step dad, who is currently recovering from hip replacemnet surgery. He looked great. Sunday we enjoyed visiting our old church home and lunch with my Dad. Then that evening we attended a cookout at our friends home with the local fireworks display to follow. I enjoyed reconnecting with good friends. We drove back this morning and are all exhausted. Not sure why - maybe it's the heat. Anyhow we skipped boot camp for tonight and will all be going to bed early.

Hope everyone had a joyous holiday weekend!

June birthday girls

Once again, along with moving comes Anna's birthday. I always feel bad for her that her birthday comes and she is not there to share it with her friends. So we may have gone a little over board this year, but what the heck you only turn 10 once in your life!
Her actual birthday was on a Monday this year. Her Grammy, Pop Bill and two of her cousins were in town so we went to Holiday World to celebrate. It was our first visit to this amusement park and we were very pleased. All the kids had a great time on the roller coasters, various rides and plenty of water slides too. Anna made a comment during the day that it was the best birthday ever. We also noticed that she smiled from morning til night that day - something she hasn't done for a while.
The day before was Father's Day but while my dad was here we celebrated her birthday with cake and ice cream and of course presents! Anna got a new bicycle for her birthday which was a surprise to her. We captured her reaction on video and it was priceless.
Yesterday was Clara Bea's 1st birthday. Since two of her older sisters are gone for the week it was just Emily, John and I to celebrate. We let her open her presents and took her out for a swim in the baby pool with her new bath toys. She also received a swing from us for her birthday and she ended up falling asleep in it while swinging. Later in the evening we skyped our good friends and they helped us sing "happy birthday" to her and watched her dive into her cake. It was a fun day. Clara Bea walked lots of steps on her birthday - I think she is now going to be on the move.

The garden

Why haven't we done this before now?
One of the delights of having a yard out in the country is that there is no home owner's association to tell us what we can and cannot do in our yard. So along with the chicken coop, in far back corner of the fenced in yard, we have planted a garden. John had bought the seeds and had intended on planting it before the girls and I moved here but there were still too many cold nights. So in late May we started the garden. Now we have never done one of these before besides some tomato plants we put in the flower beds back in TN many years ago. In fact about nine years ago - because we can remember Anna being about 1 year old, toddling around eating the cherry tomatoes right off of the vine. So we are new vegetable gardeners.
We planted corn, tomatoes (many varieties), green peppers, and hot peppers, cucumbers, cilantro, and watermelon. It is has been such a fun time watching the plants bud and grow and now we have the first signs of fruit on the vines. It will probably be a few more weeks before we get to eat them but we are enjoying God's perfect design in how they are growing each day.
We also found that there is a tree right beside the garden that is blooming the most beautiful flowers. Many butterflies and dragon flies buzz around that corner of the yard and I've never experienced the joys of nature in way that I am this year.