Trying again!

I've fallen behind on blogging once again... Life happened! It's funny how you can feel like you have a grip on everything, make time for extra things even, and then something happens and it all crumbles down. The reality of my life is that there's no control over EVERYthing, no matter how hard you try! But alas, I will keep on trying!

I enjoy writing and feel like blogging is a good way to share things easily. But often I don't have time to sit down and type something up. I thought there should be an app for blogspot, and sure enough! I checked and there was one! So hopefully using the app will be a little more handy. (I've already tried to post this once and it all went away... It'd better work this time!!)

So here I am, sitting in my favorite spot in our house, drinking my favorite hot drink, and trying to get back into the swing of writing again!

It's a good day to be happy! ❤️

Summer Time!

I keep feeling like I've fallen off the Earth!!  This summer is busy, yet not always.  And when we're not busy, there's always something that calls me to get done!  So right now I'm ignoring the ironing and will do my bi-weekly post.  We'll see how I can continue that streak, but I'll try!

Summer has consisted of:

A week to Florida to visit my parents

Quite surprised to be going!

Legoland!

Miss Thang at a tea room in Venice

Swimming in the pool

Sunset

Adrian loving the beach

 And then my cousin's graduation!

Best pic I got of the day!

 Then on to Missouri with the Hoots family to celebrate Marguerite's 80th birthday in Sept.

All fancied up for the tea party celebration

Captain "T," Tee hat, and Teapot hat!

More swimming

Turtles on the logs of our raft ride

 Travelling is over, so we have fun at home!

Special cookies we made for Father's Day

Raining while it's sunny

Can't see it well, but she has bruises all over her face from various running intos! 

Having a busy yet fairly unstructured summer is fun... Seeing "Back to School" things makes me realize how much we need to enjoy the rest of the time because it'll soon be back the the grind with the school routine!  While I do enjoy having a routine, it's also nice to just let the kids sleep in and rest their brains when they can!  It's crazy also to realize just how FAST kids grow... it doesn't take long before they're out from under your wings and on their own!  I am very grateful to be able to provide them down time during the summer... but I'm also grateful when school starts again because they're always ready to go back!!!

The secret of being Happy is accepting where you are in life and making the most out of everyday.

Flag Day

I drove the kids through town today and we saw lots of flags flying... I realized it was Flag Day!  Our town has a lovely tradition on patriotic holidays to place flags near the roads to commemorate the occasion.  I know when the holidays are, but it is a good reminder as we drive through town to see the flags flying!

Today I had a special memory that makes me appreciate that flag once again.  Last year, this very day, I returned home from my trip to Ecuador.  I walked off the plane, into the airport toward customs, and saw the biggest flag hanging on the wall.  If you've ever flown internationally into O'Hare, you'll know what I'm talking about.  It's huge and it's beautiful.  When I saw that flag, I teared up a bit thinking of that song "God Bless America, land that I love."  I love our country and the freedoms we have!  The privileges we have!  The opportunities that can be ours!

I thoroughly enjoyed Ecuador, and I loved the chances to see and stay with the friends we visited.  It was an experience of a lifetime, although I'd love to go back!  I felt so much love there and saw many things that made me feel welcome, but it wasn't home!!  There's just something about entering your "own" country that makes you sigh a relief that you're home.  That feeling might not have been quite as strong if I'd had my family with me, but I was definitely glad to be back on American soil!

Another quick memory... When Sam was little, he loved pointing out all the "flahs" when we were driving in the car.  The flags were probably one of the few things he could see out the window, but it was fun to notice them with him.  💓

So today thinking about our flag- I don't ever want to take for granted what it means to us as American citizens.  Freedom isn't free.  So grateful for those who have served, sacrificed, and made our country what it is today.  No, we are not without issues and conflicts.  But we're still the United States of America.  Hopefully the flag can keep us united and we can figure out that we all love what our nation means to us!

"You're the emblem of the land that I love, the home of the free and the brave."

Perspective

I take my health for granted.  Yes, I have small issues here and there, but nothing super serious.  But I am very glad that I am usually able to be healthy.  I realized last week that ever since I'd started working out in mid-January, I hadn't gotten sick... which makes me slack on getting that workout done!  So nearly 4 months of consistently working out!!  Of course I thought that too soon...

Then I got whammed with what I thought was allergies.  I sneezed all day Tuesday, but by that evening my throat was sore and I could hardly breathe from my nose being so stuffed up.  Then Wednesday and Thursday I was pretty wiped out with just a big nasty cold.  Coughing, sneezing, sore throat, and just generally miserable!  It took a lot of energy out of me, which was frustrating because being a mom doesn't really allow you to get sick!  But I have persevered through it all and, although still not 100%, I am doing way better and feel much more energized.

But being sick makes me realize how much I miss out on things I typically do.  I missed 2 fellowship meetings and a gospel meeting.  Getting out to play with the kids is more of a chore when I just want to curl up on the couch.  The house cleanliness is needing attention.  I don't get as much done because In the evenings, I want to just do the minimum so I can get to bed quicker.  Not fun.

I'm definitely thankful, though, that I am typically not that way!  Yes, I skip the dusting and cleaning the bathrooms because that's not my favorite thing to do.  But I'm still capable of doing it!  I am very thankful that I am able to get to meeting to get fed and strengthened until the next time.  I can lead a normal life without much trouble or relying on others to help me do normal things.

What puts life most in perspective for me is when I have these "complications" but then I see others in much worse condition doing way more than I feel I'm doing.  It makes me appreciate their effort to just DO instead of wanting to curl up in bed and feel sorry for themselves.  I'm so grateful to know people like this and living up to this wonderful quote:


The happiest people do not have the best of everything.  They make the best of everything they have.

Special Times

I was asked last week if I wanted to go to Ecuador again!  Ahhh!!  Of course, I'd love to!  Kind of hard to plan for that when everything in our life right now is already topsy-turvy!  Maybe I'll get another chance someday!

I have been having sweet memories of my time in Ecuador recently, probably because this time last year I was making plans to go.  I had my tickets and schedule planned out, as much as possible.  I was already trying to pack (mentally) and get things lined up for me being gone from home.  I had my shots for foreign travel.  Pretty much all ready to go, except to wait in anticipation for the day to leave - May 27!

I didn't have any idea what I would experience.  There are things you can be told to expect, but nothing actually prepares you for what is to come!  My experiences were amazing and would definitely go back again!  My heart grew a lot for God's people there- the friends I met as well as the servants.  I should probably brush up on my Spanish, but I am definitely sad to be missing an opportunity to go again... Someday!!

We started in Guayaquil at the Guzman's.  They were wonderful hosts!  (Maria told me right before I left to come back, bring my family, and stay with them... and not to cry!  It was hard to leave after being there for 2 weeks!!)  They drove us to El Cristal where we stayed for a week for preps.  Then we got a bus back to Guayaquil, stayed at the Guzman's again, had special meeting that Sunday, and then started on visits.  This part was special to be in the homes of God's people and get to know them a little!  We visited around for 4 days and then went to Las Mercedes convention grounds.  We helped get a little ready there and then we were there for the meetings- super special!!  Then that Sunday I went to Manta on the bus with Lester and Kiara, spent the night with them, and then got a taxi to the airport to come home!  That day coming home was the longest ever - my mind flooded with an extraordinary experience, but I was SO ready to get home!  My taxi arrived at 6 that morning and I didn't get to Chicago until midnight or so.... And then to drive home!  So Quite a long day!

Map of Guayaquil

Kamela!

Fantastic travel partners- all of us squished in the backseat!

El Cristal

Cleaning in the kitchen

More cleaning

A special crew!

Dish washing

Marsha and Kamela

Silly sisters

Squashed in the backseat of a taxi

Who says you can't fit 3 people in 2 seats?!?

Looking over Guayaquil at night

Special group!

Another special group! 

Kamela and Damaris!

Doing origami with some of the kiddos we met

Why not brush your teeth while waiting for the bus?!

One of the many hysterical laughs 

Riding in the back of the truck 

Special kiddos!

They loved their Kamela!

Another hilarious adventure!

The hilarious washing machine adventure

Las Mercedes

Sorting rice

Richard bagging up fresh squeezed juice

Juan squeezing juice

And then I broke my camera!  But I was glad for the memories I captured!  If you want more of the pictures and explanations of our time there, you can check Kamela's blog (This and That from Here and There) and look around July 2016.  Here's the link to start where we arrived!

I am so grateful for the experience!  It opened my eyes to many different things, but mostly comforted me to see God's work being done in other places!  It also made me want to do my part in encouraging those in God's work... in any way I can, even if it's just sending a card or text to let them know that I think about them a lot.  There's a lot we can physically do, but it's even more important to let them know we appreciate them and pray for them.


Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.

House plans

Lately we've been getting more and more interest on our house.  And I might as well tell you about this house we are struggling to sell.  Struggling as in no one is buying it AND as in we really don't want to sell it!!

We started building in 2013.  Most of the house was completed by move-in time November 2013.  But there was still a lot to be done.  Little by little things got completed- sidewalks/other concrete projects poured, a shed built for woodworking/garden stuff, landscaping, inside house projects, etc.  The list went on and on. Last summer it was finally feeling like it had all come together and the project list was dwindling.  We could finally ENJOY our home and feel like we were settled into the home we built to live in for many years.

Then Caterpillar started slowing down on projects they allowed to get done.  Pretty soon a lot of Dave's projects were cancelled, and then late August they did some major layoffs.  Fortunately, Dave made it through those safely.  However, they put him on a project that was not engineering at all.  It was a very frustrating and stressful time to try to figure out how to move forward from there.  Do we try to find another job elsewhere?  Do we hope he can just tough it out and hope he doesn't completely go crazy?  When does it end?  SUCH a hard thing we've never had to face before... which is fortunate that we've not dealt with permanent layoffs, losing jobs, etc.  But here we are- only been in our "long(ish) term" home for only 3 years.  Do we uproot our family from what's familiar and put ourselves in something else that might work out the exact same??

Dave and I had long, deliberate talks about what to do and our ultimate decision was that until we sell our house, we aren't going to be able to make any changes.  (Besides Cat offering Dave another local job... which who knows how long that could be.)  We knew some friends that got laid off, found another job in another location, but then the wife and kids are still living in their home until their house sells.  Hours away from each other until the weekend.  That stinks.  I'm sure people can do that and survive as a couple, but it didn't sound like a good idea for us.  So I asked the realtor lady I babysit for lots of questions about selling a house, what we should do to get it ready for selling, etc.  We couldn't quite pull the trigger getting the house listed with her.  It seemed too permanent, definite, so CRAZY!

We talked it over and over and over- what do we do?  Dave talked with a neighbor that had sold several homes on his own.  That sounded a lot easier.  And more on our own terms than with a realtor.   And less likely that it would really get sold. So we started looking into fsbo.com, forsalebyowner.com, and others.  It took even more to talk ourselves into this action... more deliberating, more tearful discussions.  One night we thought we were going to just get it over with.  And that night we said "Maybe just one more night."  So we prayed and thought it over some more and pushed the button the next night.  I won't go into the frustrating details about what all happened with getting it listed in the "local" MLS, but DON'T EVER USE FORSALEBYOWNER.COM!!!!!  If you need details or are contemplating selling a home on your own, I can tell you why to find another website to use!

Luckily (I think!) we are not getting this house sold.  We have had several people come through, many more at our open houses, but no one has made any offers.  Yet.  Thankfully.  If someone really wants to buy it, there will be a lot of tears shed.  This was our home we built for our family.  We worked countless hours on everything inside and out.  It's hard to just let that go.  However, if we do end up selling it, we know for the next house(s) that you can't count on being in it forever.  Life is a temporary thing, and everything about it is temporary, too.  It could all be gone in an instant... who knows what tomorrow will bring.

But for now- we're going to live in our home sweet home!  And try not to spazz out if someone wants to come again for a showing!!😝  And as far as a job for Dave, he's still looking... Anyone know of a good company to work for and do mechanical engineering/design??  There are more jobs becoming available within Caterpillar, so we're hoping for a local one that is appealing soon!!  Before someone snatches our house!

"A house is made of wood and stone, but only love can make a home"

Happy times!

Life hit us again, so my goal of a weekly blog post has gone by the wayside.  But fear not!  I've got pictures to prove it!! 😊

This past week we had Spring Break.  It was later than everyone else's around here, but it was nice "springy" weather, so we'll take it!  And then we only have one more month until we're out for the summer!  Wahoo!

The first part of our break started with normal hanging out at home.  Which includes Legos, Nerf wars, art/drawing, etc.  Here's a couple examples:

"Give her big hair."  (Doesn't say more than one, does it?!?!?)

Using his trainer (that brings the ball back to you), Sam had a few mishaps with the basketball hoop...

Then the kids and I were able to visit our good friends in Michigan for a couple days while Dave held down the fort.  A whole lot of fun was had by all and we were all sad the time ended so soon. 

Super fun park time, to hanging out at home together... SO much fun!!  We miss you, but we're looking forward to the next time!!

True friends are never apart- maybe in distance, but never in heart