We Have Grown Up

I remember the discussions that came from our

young and naive selves.

It was our idea of "family planning".

(Remember the '90's?

It was what you did.)

We decided that we should have more than one child,

they should be close together in age, 

we would raise them.

Then we would enjoy our couple time

for years to come after they grew up and 

were not our responsibility anymore.

Ha!

Those of you who have already walked the 

road we are walking are laughing

with me right now, aren't you?

It all seemed so cut and dried.

Kind of like when I was pregnant for the first time

and made plans to allow the teenagers at church

to babysit my then unborn child.

Ummm, no!

That didn't happen.

I was super protective of my baby and he 

only got to stay with family members for the longest time.

But, it seemed like a great idea

as long as he was safely tucked in my womb.

The Lord is in the process of prying 

my fingers off the daily lives of our offspring.

This is not easy or fun.

We couldn't be more proud of the three

young people that call us their parents.

They are all pursuing new and exciting adventures.

They are all "leaning in" for more 

family time before they take the big leaps

in their futures.

It warms my heart that we are a close family.

It also defies that plan we came up with so long

ago that was so emotionless and cold.

Raise them

and cut them loose.

Ahem.

What was I thinking?

Why didn't I watch how our parents didn't 

stop worrying about and caring for us?

Good grief.

For my many friends with young children

it doesn't necessarily get easier.

I know, 

people told me that and it didn't sink in.

It really can't until you are here.

But, 

I would encourage you to do everything in 

your power to capture those young hearts.

One of the best things we did was to work hard 

to see our children as individuals.

We sought out their strengths.

We came to a realization as they got older that 

they were amazing people in their own right 

and we made a real effort to treat them with 

respect and consideration.

We are not perfect parents.

No one is.

But taking opportunity to talk late into the night

if necessary,

or planning road trips not as much for the destination

but for that time in the car so you can 

chatter away about all sorts of things. 

Sometimes just sitting side by side

with tears streaming when one of them hurts.

Laughing together at family dinners

and welcoming their friends into our home.

Staying connected.....

in this world of electronic disconnect.

These are some of the things that 

have strengthened our relationships.

The Bible speaks about parents not 

exasperating their children.

Its a fine line.

Parenting doesn't stop as they get older but 

the role definitely changes.

You still have your rules and expectations 

but they get fewer and less specific.

At some point you just have to let go and trust.

So having said all that

here I sit waiting for the clock to tick to 8:00 am

and for Jonathan to make his first solo drive home 

from his overnight shift in a vehicle that is new to him.

Am I worried?

Not really.

Am I concerned?

Definitely.

Praying that he stays awake and aware.

They say that driving tired is a lot like 

driving drunk.

So....I'm praying.

My clinging fingers are loosed a bit more

and I will breathe easier when he is home

and sound asleep for the day in preparation

to do it again tonight/tomorrow.

As you know

Chelsea and Mikey will begin their big 

adventures over the next months

and we see the beginnings of our nest emptying.

(I pictured the nest emptying because they 

married and moved into a house nearby not 

going to the other side of the world for school, 

missions and the army.)

It is good.

It is as it should be.

But if one has done their job

it also comes with some much pain.

For our little charges have grown 

into likable adults.

We will miss having them with us.

However, we will cheer them on

as they take these new and exciting steps 

without us.

You know it was kind of nice for 

Warren and I to go to Tennessee

as a couple. 

Perhaps this won't be so bad........

P.s.   For the record, I don't think we would have kept to
our original plan to stop having children if my body hadn't
given out.  We love being parents!

Guest Blogging at The Blessing of Verity

Today is the day to find the Katie Candle 

launched at Susanna's blog.

I just love this photo of Katie and hope that 

these candles find their way into many homes

to inspire through her story and as prayer reminders.

This is also the day that Chelsea gets or

finds out where to get her vaccinations for 

Australia and Thailand.

From there we are off to take a friend to 

an appointment

and then I must pick up more candle making 

supplies from my local supplier.

Sigh....

All of this makes me tired already.

But its all good.

Monday was supposed to be the day that 

both Michael and Chelsea were relieved of their 

wisdom teeth. 

However, now it will just be Michael.

We will wait on Chelsea's until she returns.

Money and possible complications 

have changed our minds

on that front.

Hope you are all well.

I saw this morning that our friend, 

Theresa, has a prayer need.

Her daughter has a shattered elbow from

a dog walking accident.

If you'd please pray that surgery would go well

for her today I know Theresa would 

really appreciate it.

Also, if you would pray for a friend

named Amy.

She is going through some very hard things

right now and the "tunnel" seems 

very long ahead of her.

God knows and your prayers will surely 

make a difference!

Alright...I must be off!

With the sounds of Mikey teasing Chelsea 

in the background it is a good time 

in our home right now.

Too soon it will be very quiet.

I need to think of happy things about that time.

Praising God for what He is doing in 

all of our lives through this process.

Light Lunch....Tasty and Quick

I had a hearty breakfast at Cafe 18 this morning.

It was a sausage, egg and cheese burrito with refried beans

and salsa.

My initial thought was to just skip lunch altogether

but with my recent efforts to keep 

by blood sugars level

I decided to go with something

fresh and light instead.

Some good crackers.

A wedge of some light creamy swiss cheese.

As a recovering cheese-a-holic 

this is perfect.

And a handful of cherries.

Juicy and full of flavor!

Honestly, 

I could eat that whole plate again.

But....

with some teriyaki chicken, roasted cauliflower and rice for dinner

in just about four hours I think I'll hold 

off and enjoy some yogurt for 

a mid afternoon snack.

This does not come naturally to me.

Usually lunch is leftovers or a sandwich....

when or if it happens.

However, 

I've got candle orders to make this afternoon 

so I had to get it done and was 

so happy it was so enjoyable.

What are some of your favorite 

lunch foods?

How about snacks that keep you 

steady through the day?

More Photos From Tennessee

 From Downtown Gatlinburg....

We never walked this particular street.

It was simply too crowded and we were being 

cautious to keep my walking to a minimum

since I didn't want to end up in a hospital in 

Tennessee.

That's the only problem with going on vacation

with a cautious cardiologist at home.

He scared me pretty good.

Lots of Moonshine to be had.

We didn't have any of that either.

Surprise, surprise.

 Lots of opportunities for zipping.

 Many people rent jeeps and buggies to ride around in the mountains.

This seemed to be a very popular choice judging by all of the people carrying

doggy bags with the Bubba Gump logo.

 I loved when the entire group sang together.

Mostly because I got to sing along.....

with many of my favorite artists.

 See the girls in green and the young man beside them?

They are college students who sang.

I was so pleased that they were included with the others in the 

group singing.

What a wonderful experience for them.

Kevin Williams was like the star of the entire show.

He is hysterically funny, plays an amazing guitar, 

seems to do a lot administratively

and makes a wonderful spokesperson.

Here are a series of photos of him 

as he took over a story Bill was telling

and making the crowd die of laughter.

 "Walked through the snow, uphill for miles both ways"

 The following picture had something to do with a cow bawling.

 We would definitely go to see Kevin if he was doing 

a concert on his own.

He is truly talented.....

and we love acoustic guitar.

 The golden tickets.

Had to be shown every time you returned to the hall.

I kept forgetting and had to dig in my purse every time.

Grr.....

On our final morning we returned to The Old Mill

for breakfast.

The beautiful view from our table.

 There were lots of birds in the trees just outside the window 

and ducks kept swimming by sometimes in groups of 

two, three and four.

I became amused when there were four and 

three continued on while the fourth went

in the opposite direction with some

unknown purpose.

It doesn't take much sometimes.

LOL

 And then...it was over.

And we headed home.

It took us a couple of hours to get out of the 

Pigeon Forge area, though. 

Traffic was crazy.

That's what we get for leaving on 

Memorial Day, I guess.

So we ended up stopping for the night in 

Harrisonburg, VA rather than driving straight through.

It was a good thing too.

The next morning as we drove we saw so very many 

dead deer along the highway.

Apparently it was a very busy night for them

and I'm thankful that we weren't dodging them in the darkness.

It is good to be home.

Crazy busy already....but good.

Jonathan got his driver's license yesterday

while Michael passed his ASVAB which is the next 

step in getting into the Army.

Warren and I are adjusting to Michael's decision.

It is not easy...that's for sure.

However, he is determined and he is an adult.

So......we support him.

Chelsea's list of things to be done before she 

leaves for Australia and Thailand is getting shorter.

Much shorter.

Next up.....

Wisdom teeth removal for both Chelsea and Michael.

Same day.

We figured they got tubes in their ears together

they should have oral surgery together too.

Perhaps a miracle will happen and the doctor will 

decide they don't need to have them removed.

Ha.

Well, I can hope, right?

Home Sweet Home.....Photos of our Time Away

 We went shopping.

I bought two graters and a blouse.

Big spenders we are!

Haha.

One grater is for the kitchen....

the other for making laundry detergent.

Warren questions the need for two different ones.

I'm afraid I would always think I tasted soap in my 

grated cheese.

 Buddy Greene often led the opening songs.

 Mark Lowry may be recovering from a severely broken leg

but he is still funny and one of my favorite people.

 On his life's bucket list was to make an album of love songs.

He sang one of them to us.

Everyone loved it.

 When God gave out powerful and pitch perfect voices

He included David Phelps.

Wow!

 I'm a huge fan of the tight harmonies of the Booth Brothers.

I also love that they are bringing back the old hymns of the church.

Such rich words.....

 The Collingsworth Sisters.

This family is amazing on so many levels.

Mrs. Collingsworth brought down the house with 

a patriotic piece on the piano.

It was shared that she has a brother with a brain injury

from serving in the military.

It made her passionate performance very meaningful.

 Warren's favorite group...

The Isaac's.

 They have such a special sound and we loved all of the instruments they play.

 I may share more artist photos later if you want to see them.

For now, though, I'll move on to some of the beautiful

mountainside we enjoyed on Sunday afternoon.

 The weather was so perfect for our time in Tennessee.

We are thankful.

Our hearts were moved by the things we saw and heard.

Ken Davis preached a message about Jesus and Lazarus that 

smacked me right in the face.

I'm still working over that message.

So good!

Of course there were many songs to make me think of my Daddy.

I'm pretty sure he would have approved of our being there.

I'm also pretty sure that he's singing on Heaven's shores.

Not much could stop him.