Our Southern Summer Part 1

We often find ourselves saying, “We should do xyz someday”. So many times, those things never actually come to fruition; such is life. But this summer, “we should” turned into “we did”. Brad is a teacher, and I don’t work very much outside the home, so it’s always a possibility for us to go on a long trip during the summer. We’ve never had the means (reliable car, money, etc.), but this past spring we had to get a new van to supplement our always breaking down, never reliable car, and we got a hefty tax return, so after much discussion about all the reasons we shouldn’t leave town for a month and a half, we decided to do it anyway. Sometimes you have to do that, or years pass by and you realize you haven’t done any of the things you really wanted to do, making dreams reality. And so we packed each of us suitcases and loaded the van with snacks and toys and books and blankies and dolls and left for a southern summer. In six weeks, we drove 7,378 miles, through 15 states, stopping at least 9,000 times for potty breaks. It may sound nightmarish, but honestly it was pretty fun. Okay, the potty breaks wore on my nerves, but I returned home a more patient person, so there’s a silver lining to everything, even hours spent in gas station bathrooms. We visited grandparents and aunts and uncles and the girls met so many cousins that at some point, I think they stopped believing us when we would say, “Come meet another cousin!” It was awesome. They also got to see the ocean for the first time, which was so much fun and such wonderful memories were made!

I took a million pictures on our trip, so I’m doing two separate posts for pictures. Here is Part I: Tybee Island and Savannah, GA. Enjoy!

Our Southern Summer Part II

Here is part 2 of our trip. These are pictures from the road, with family, at parks, on the farm, and whatever else…completely out of order!
I took a ton of pictures because our kids are at an age where it’s likely that only Addison will have clear memories of our trip, so hopefully this helps preserve some memories for the other two.

Brad thought I was crazy for making him find a good cheese shop in WI, but he did and we took a little detour and I got some great Wisconsin cheese:)
This sign sort of snuck up on me but I managed to pull off in the midst of rush hour traffic and drug my whole (thrilled) family through the chigger infested TN grass and got a quick picture. We didn't get any bites, so I didn't feel like an awful mom.
Sweet baby cousins!
On a downtown stroll for dinner at our favorite pizza place
Fun at the zoo! (I have a picture somewhere almost identical to this one, only it was Lily on Brad's back:)
The girls and their great Gran:)
This is actually a gorgeous, scenic rest stop just coming into NC in the Smoky Mountains. We stopped for a picnic on our way to Charlotte. Such a sweet time with our NC family!
I love a good stormy day in the south...
Addison turned five and got to share a birthday party with her grandma!
Soaking up Aunt Kathy time:)
My favorite picture of the summer. I didn't stage this. We were just walking and I looked up and there they were, holding hands walking down the road together. So sweet!
We learned that Izzie likes chasing chickens. Good thing they are so fast!

Sneaking up on a deer, not so quietly...
Tic-tac-toe with their great granddad (Daddy K)
Each morning, the girls would wake up and run straight outside to find him in the garden. They helped him pick the days veggies and then go sit on the porch shucking corn, shelling peas, or whatever was needed. I think he liked having them around just a little bit:)
Brad dug around in the barn and found croquet balls and an old baseball bat and taught Addison to play ball. Finding fun on the farm.
The week spent at Daddy K's was a hot one, with just a little window air conditioner, so we took a few trips to the local pool, which was such a relief!
More cousins!
Checking out Daddy K's cows
Ladies night! Not everyone made it, but this is a lot of us!
The view from Daddy K's
Just hanging out at Gran and Granks
And another cousin!
So dad decided to ride his motorcycle down and surprise Gran on her birthday. He pulled up and he and I were outside planning the best way for him to make his surprise entrance, but little did we know, Addison had seen him pull up and snuck in the house and told Gran! Still, you can tell by the look on her face, she was thrilled to tears:) Getting everything loaded up for the long journey home
A neat bridge in St. Louis
Getting close to home! This was taken in the Wind River Canyon in WY
A birthday party for Daddy K's 88th. Included in the picture are his 8 great grandkids!
Not the greatest shot, but Izzie and her cousin on Brad's side, just a few weeks apart in age We got to stop for a night and stay with Jim and Joyce Howard, who recently moved away. We were so happy to spend some time with them...obviously the girls were happy too.
Windmills of MN Well I should have made greater effort to put these pictures in order, but I don't have all day! So there is a snapshot of our trip! Such a wonderful time and such good little travelers we have...we'll definitely do it again! But for now...I'm not driving anywhere that's further than across town!

What I Choose

It's funny how the grass is always greener on the other side, isn't it? It all stems from a lack of contentment, I suppose. If we were content with what we had and saw it as a gift, we wouldn't constantly be looking for greener pastures. I realized something about myself last week, last Tuesday to be exact, as I had an anxiety ridden day and felt like life was falling apart around me, although admittedly that's a bit dramatic. I realized that I like being a stay at home mom. I like being a "domestic engineer" (the more modern, politically correct name for a homemaker).     March was a month of change, change I was excited for and put lots of planning and preparation into. I started taking classes online, jumping into a year program for holistic nutrition. Simultaneously I started personal training and teaching some classes at the gym a couple of nights a week. I dove into both of these things with great ambition and expectation. Expectation of being able to do it/have it all! It was simple: I would just work hard during nap time provided all three kids would nap long and at the same time, and get up much earlier everyday. Then I could continue doing everything I normally do, plus take classes and work a few hours a week.   After a few weeks of this, something unsettling began creeping in, keeping me awake and sitting in the pit of my stomach during the day. The program wasn't what I expected, first of all. But the unsettling feeling was more than being worried about taking classes that weren't all I had dreamed. My house was a mess. Not just toys, but clutter. Papers and mail and bills I hadn't had time to deal with. Dishes undone everyday. Laundry forgotten about in the washer. I was spending twice as much at the grocery store because I didn't put time into meal planning and creating an organized shopping list. Meal time was stressing me out (do these people have to eat 3 meals a day?!?!) I was snappy with my girls and neglected to do preschool with them for three weeks straight. I neglected friends. And I was nervous all the time. Somehow, things weren't going as planned. Working three hours at the gym was actually 13 due to the preparation I put into each class/training session. Last Tuesday as I struggled to deal with all I was behind on at home, I realized how much I love my job at home. My job of raising our three daughters, of being a supportive loving wife, of taking care of the house and feeding all of these hungry mouths. I love it and was doing a crappy job at it, not necessarily putting it on the back burner, but trying to put too many things on the front burner.   I want to do the best I can possibly do with the primary responsibilities God has given me. That doesn't mean not leaving the house or not taking on other responsibilities, it just means not sharing the front burner. Giving that one my full attention, and tending to the things on the other burners as I have time. I do have some spare time here and there, and I tried to fill that time with work and school, and quickly realized what got pushed out: planning our trips to visit the nursing home, calling a friend going through a hard time, writing, praying. When I have a margin in my life, it allows room for serving others and teaching my girls to serve. I want us to live the gospel we say we believe. I truly believe that the things we do every day, whether it's pausing our errands to go through a drive through to get a meal for a hungry person on the side of the road, visiting lonely old souls in need of a child's laughter, or taking daddy a special lunch at school when he's sick...these are what make little disciples. Going to church is great, but it's how we live Monday through Saturday that show them Jesus. And that's what's important to me. I sometimes struggle with feeling unimportant and unrecognized; that I'm just a stay at home mom. That I have to justify this to others. And when I really think about this, I know it's that ugly thing called pride. That in all actuality, motherhood is a high calling, regardless of what others may think.   Now I'm not looking down on working moms! I have many friends who seem to be able to juggle it all. Different personality types, kids older than mine and in school, and differing circumstances that allow them to be wonderful, successful working moms. This is just how I feel at this time in my life. I want to savor this time. Izzie is one, and now that I have an almost five year old, I know just how fast the years go. I want to give my all to this, right here, right now. It took a bit of floundering about for a month or so to realize how green the grass is right where I sit. Do I have goals? Absolutely! I have a journal full of ideas and dreams that I hope to fulfill someday. But today? Today I'll happily give my time to raising up my sweet girls. (And by the way, I'm still doing the gym thing very, very part time. Hey, might as well get paid to exercise, right?)