Gnome Tuesday

One day I had an unfortunate run of verbosity and accidentally promised the children that I would hide a little gnome figurine somewhere in our house every Tuesday, "just like Trader Joe's" for them to find when they got home from school. As a reward for finding it, also just like Trader Joe's, I would procure a prize, preferably in the form of fruit leather.

Today, being the serendipitous alignment of Gnome Tuesday, Spring Break and Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's, we took hiding the Gnome to new extremes, and ventured out on a grand quest to hit up all the B & J's we could stomach, dragging our little bearded friend with us.


The first stop was special because Daddy met us there between jobs. He even saved us a parking spot right next to the door so we could go in shifts and let Noble sleep in the car. And since we were hanging out at the car, I think we even forgot to pay for parking, so that was free, too!

Taylor found the Gnome!

Next we parked up by the library so we could take the MAX to the next scoop shop. We debated over which to do first: library or ice cream? We were way too excited; the answer was a resounding "ICE CREAM!!"

Can you find the Gnome?

Oh the sights to see downtown! I love taking the kids downtown; they are so astounded and amused by the crazies in this world. Take, for instance, the guy telling Noble, "no screaming! We don't need that. We don't need that. No screaming..." over and over, and then pretending to shoot him with his fingers. Woah!

And then we ran into the Statue Man, and he was actually doing stuff!

Micah was completely enthralled.

I personally like to pretend he's not there. Something about gawking at statues that may or may not be looking back at me kinda creeps me out. What amuses me about this photo is that just a few years ago, Morgen wouldn't let any dog get near her, and I'm pretty sure she doesn't even know this big one is standing right next to her.

Then we went to the Library and let Noble stretch his legs a little. He was very excited about that (or on a sugar high, it's hard to tell)... and looky! Noble found the Gnome! He likes the library, too.

"My rope is getting too tight. Can we stop now?"

Noble was in love with this little guy for one whole wait in line. And then the inevitable happened...

...which must be bad luck, because then I locked my keys in the car!

And while we waited for the locksmith, the kids burned off some energy running up and down some stairs, wherein Micah bit it hard, Taylor bruised his foot and Noble got filthy dirty. I found some free "Stress Relief" tea sample to sip while I kept my eye on the whole ordeal.

Now, we don't go out for adventures like this very often (on purpose), but when we do, these little snafus are just par for the course. This is life, and we roll with it!

After that we ate lunch, and some of us took naps.... Last stop, and we're getting a little loopy!

I told them, "OK, nobody close your eyes!" So Micah closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. Ahh, these kids make me giddy!

A little dairy, a little gluten, perhaps a little corn? Mmm!

Everyone: "I FOUND THE GNOME!"

I love that bumper sticker on the cone: IF IT'S NOT FUN, WHY DO IT? That pretty much sums up our day!!

Elizabeth

When I am alone, and it's quiet,
My heart is heavy--again--with Elizabeth.

I met her once;
She probably never remembered me
But I thought of her
Every time I'd hear about Elisabeth Elliot
Or Quito, or being a woman
Who brought glory to God with her obedience, her life.

Elizabeth introduced me to Elisabeth
And she was that kind of woman herself.
I knew this because of how deeply
She was loved
And esteemed
By my friend, who would be her husband.

We've lost touch
And I've never known them together, but
I'd want him to know that of the handful of women
Who have made the biggest impact on my life
His wife was one of those women.
And we only met once.

It is so sad to think of knowing
a reason to understand the Psalms:

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

It seems absurd, almost laughable
To think of Liz--truly knowing now--the rest:

I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
for he has been good to me!*

My tears are such an odd mix
Flavored with pity, sorrow, praise,
gratefulness, sadness, hope
and love

For a Savior
Who has a new friend by his side
Who still loves us and watches us
Who still knows and cares for us
Who has promised salvation and singing!

And again
She shows me our Savior, our Daddy
And I see Him a little bit clearer.

The emptiness she leaves behind is gaping
But because of her obedience, her life
HE is able to fill it.

And to think
I only met her once.


*Taken from Psalm 13, NIV

Book Review: Beneath a Southern Sky and Secrets

This month Waterbrook Multnomah sent me two books to review from a selection of "Spring Break Specials" they are offering....

The first book I read was Beneath a Southern Sky, by Deborah Raney. This book was easy to get into and breeze through to the end. The language is simple, the characters are well-defined, and the plot, although a little bit choppy, is easy to follow. You find yourself wondering what you would do in the difficult situations these characters have gotten themselves into. Although the story held my attention and came to a satisfying resolve, I struggled with really disliking these characters. It seems as though only Nate had a faith that put God before himself. All of the other main characters were so emotional and selfish! They all touted a faith in God, but only sought to follow Him as far as their own comfort and firm grasp on their futures allowed. I was not impressed with the level of respect Daria had for either of her husbands, or for the love and support they showed her. I felt like, save for a few brief exceptions, everyone was falling short in their roles, which made the story less believable and meaningful to me. I appreciate that Daria came to realize her wrongs and hone her listening-to-God skills; when she started to put God first it was the first time I had hope for her marriage, even though that was the most tumultuous time for the couple. But the lack of love and respect between husbands and wives during the hard times of marriage left me wanting more spiritual depth and resolution, and I wondered if they had only been attracted to each other because of their outward appearances.

The second book was Secrets, by Robin Jones Gunn. I thought the story flowed well from one day to the next and was entertaining throughout. Robin Jones Gunn has a smart, witty sense of humor that I enjoy. The main character is fleeing her past, changing her name, and gets in a car accident on the way. In the middle of all this crisis, she falls in love with the first guy she sees, even attempting to flirt a little despite her bloody condition. I found this hard to believe; are people looking for love in a crisis? I would think the survival instinct would be greater. There also seems to be a lot of name-dropping in this style of literature (in both novels), such as Wal-Mart and Diet Coke and Eddie Bauer clothing. Does the author get paid for product placement? I think this might unfortunately date a story that could otherwise be timeless, and possibly sour the taste for the readers depending on their opinion of the brand. There are a few sappy moments near the end of Secrets that are difficult for me to relate to, but overall the characters have an authentic depth. I love the personal touch in the end, where Robin talks about her daughter Rachel and shares some recipes from the book. Especially after visiting her website, you really get the feeling that Robin, who is full of joy, wants to connect with her readers on a personal level. I appreciate that.

Here is a press release on the event:

Colorado Springs, CO— Fiction lovers don’t need to budget to travel this spring break with Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group’s six full-length novels by beloved Christian authors (WaterBrook, February 16, 2010). At the low cost of only $5.99, these well-read “get-aways” provide quality entertainment at a price that any reader can afford.

Full-length novels offered include:

Secrets by Robin Jones Gunn - Jessica has moved to a new town to start a new life. But a friendly fire-fighter and a suspicious boss both want to know what she’s hiding.

Beneath a Southern Sky by Deborah Raney – Daria Camfield is expecting her first child when her husband Nate is reported dead on the mission field. Devastated, she returns to the States and soon marries again. But two years later Nate is found alive in the jungle. How can Daria possibly choose between he two men who love her?

The Golden Cross by Angela Elwell Hunt – Aidan O’Connor may be a poor barmaid but she’s also a gifted artists. When a famous cartographer takes her on as a student, Aidan is swept into an adventure that will bring her back to her heavenly Father, and into marriage with the love of her life.

Deep Harbor by Lisa Tawn Bergren – Tora, Elsa, Kaatje, and Karl face trouble, tragedy, and treachery across the Wast, Hawaii, Japan, and the high seas. These four immigrants from Bergen, Norway, each grow closer to God and learn afresh the value of faith, family, and coming alongside each other in times of need.

Faithful Heart by Al and Joanna Lacy – The adventures of certified medical nurse and dedicated Christian Breanna Baylor continue as she travels by wagon train to visit her sister, Dottie, in California. Little does she know that her most dangerous encounter might be with Jerrod, her brother-in-law, who’s suffering from dementia caused by combat fatigue.

Yesterday’s Promise by Linda Lee Chaikin – Rogan Chantry faces danger from tribesmen, ruthless politicians, and his own family as he searches for gold in South Africa. In England, his beloved Evy is injured by a mysterious assailant. The greed and intrigue surrounding the diamond mines could very well drive them irrevocably apart.

These books were provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing.

Ash Wednesday and The Purge Report

This last week held Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent. I found the following commentary on Ash Wednesday at the very informative Catholic Online website:

"Ashes are an ancient symbol of repentance (sackcloth and ashes). They also remind us of our mortality ("remember that you are dust") and thus of the day when we will stand before God and be judged. This can be linked easily to the death and resurrection motif of Baptism. To prepare well for the day we die, we must die now to sin and rise to new life in Christ. Being marked with ashes at the beginning of Lent indicates our recognition of the need for deeper conversion of our lives during this season of renewal."

Who doesn't need a deeper conversion, right? Even when I'm at the top of my game I'm fully aware of how flawed and broken I am. Ironically though, this last Wednesday I was far from the top of my game, swimming around in ashy reminders of my mortality. One bad choice after another, double-booking myself, forgetting to feed my kids (psh--like I could really get away with that one)... I can't think of what else. There was an overall dizziness to this last week that really threw me for a loop. I have to partly blame it on (how do I say this, I don't usually talk about these things on the blog...plumbing? lady issues? "that time of the month?")... well, let's just say that after birthing five kids, it hits me like a Tsunami; hardly a warning sign, only seconds to prepare, complete devastation and disorientation, casualties. (Sorry, but when I go through something traumatic, the whole world is going to know about it; it's how I cope.) It's usually too late that I realize a few iron supplements and some extra water would've saved me from a slew of mistakes made.

This Ash Wednesday was a particular low point and I thought a lot about Lent. What a perfect way to start off, sackcloth and ashes! I thought a lot about the purging I plan to do, and why. I didn't let it overwhelm me; I don't have to make a plan, it doesn't have to be some Extreme Home Makeover. I have a lot of regular chores that keep me busy (I know, "duh" right?), as much as I'd like to dive full into purging the junk from my house. But to make "purging goals" and fret about meeting deadlines would be to miss the point. The point, I am reminding myself, is to see God more clearly without distractions, to make room for God's plan, and to allow for His providence. What's that verse... Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21 I'm trying to focus less on making plans, but rather on looking harder, listening more intently so that I might clue into the Lord's purpose, and be present with what He's put on my heart during Lent.

And to take an iron supplement when the tsunami hits and my head gets all spinny and stupid.

The Purge Report:

• I sold some books at Powells, and gained a gift card! This is awesome because I love to give people presents, but we can't really put that in the budget right now.
• I took some stuff to the thrift store. A lot of stuff. Stuff I won't miss.
• The recycling was taken away. Good riddance!
• Korah and I returned some earrings that had been a re-gift from my mom (I know she will love this) and with the money, bought a great gift for Korah's best friend's birthday, some sunglasses for me, and a pretty candle that matches our house perfectly. We traded in a burden that had been sitting on the counter for a year for things that are totally making us happy! I love it!
• And this after we labored over how best to spend her gift card at Claire's. I had to throw that in there; I love opportunities to teach my kids about money, delayed gratification and making good choices. She was really proud of her purchase in the end!
• I tackled the 5-drawer monster filing cabinet, weeding out Kid Art and homework from the last 5 years (saving the best in a special art box), two drawers of obsolete computer games and manuals and such, framed awards and plaques from long ago employers, 3 years of consumer reports magazines, 4 binders (two of which were How to Have a Baby manuals from the hospital--whatever!), and many other useless pieces of paper.
• I put a semi-working vacuum on the corner and someone took it (sorry, someone! I hope you can fix/use it!)
• Korah and I tackled her desk...woo-wee! Lotsa stuff in there! She even had a Box o' Junk (that's what she called it) she's collected. Little treasures that would give you tetanus. You know. (Thank goodness she's over that collecting phase!) When we were done we had a whole bag of recycling, a whole bag of trash, and a few things to add to her special art box (see above). She has a special place to store her homework when she's not working on it, and best of all, "her own space" has been reclaimed! There's a desk to work at, an empty drawer to store her purse in... it's wonderful. She feels lighter and happier, and so do I.

Unfortunately I don't have pictures of all this. I still don't have a working camera, and most of this stuff was squirreled away, and it's going to be a while before a big visual difference is seen. But for me, finally being proactive is priceless.

Purging, Lent, and Donald Miller on Farming

I had a miraculous thing happen to me the other day. But first I need to introduce you to my friend, Joy:

Joy is a breath of fresh air, a voice of truth and beauty, that kind of friend who speaks life into yours. I can only hope I give some of that back to her, but I'm afraid I mostly just stand there with my mouth agape, randomly assenting with a nice, "yeahh!" Joy is an amazing mother of five kiddos and we have had the privilege of trading babysitting favors with their family on a few occasions. So I know she is not intimidated or frightened by our family. She keeps it real, she's direct, and doesn't waste time with insecurities... and that is something important when you are trying to have a friendship around 10 kids. I have really been loving getting to know Joy better this year and I will miss her much after their forthcoming move to Whidbey Island to run Island Framery.

So she's standing around in my kitchen with nothing to do while I try to whip up some wanna-be Asian food for our big "Chinese New Year/Valentines" party with the kids (I'm not good at letting people help in the kitchen), and she starts going through the junk on top of my microwave. She's like "what's this? do you still need this?" And I'm like, "no, yes, no, and no..." And that was it. It just snowballed from there. And I'm talking the kind of snowballs you roll in Portland when they call a Snow Day: all picking up leaves and mud and dog poop because it was barely enough snow to turn the ground white (and shut down the school system). We had a lot of conversations that sounded like this:

"What's this for? Do you use this?"
"I don't remember. I don't know where that came from." (Toss.)

"Why do you have this (and this, and this)?"
"I hate that thing! I never use that!" (Toss.)

"What about this?"
"Ok, that's just gross. Throw it away."

It was embarrassing to have someone else pulling off all the rubble I was buried underneath, but I knew it was saving my life, so I had to let it happen. We ended up with five bags of stuff, two appliances, and a huge stack of books to get rid of, not to mention the stuff that went directly into the trash. I also filled up the glass recycling with stupid stuff I don't even want to talk about, but my husband has never been so happy to take the bins to the curb.

I'm having a total Oprah moment. I've been recounting to David all the axiomatic things Joy said, like "if you hate it, don't keep it!" and "you spend most of your time in this kitchen, this is YOUR space". I feel like proselytizing about the joys of getting rid of junk! I'm liberated! I'm free! I'm validated! Thank you, Joy!

Fast-forward a couple of days to Lent. Lent is the forty days before Easter, intended for preparation and anticipation of the Resurrection. What it means to prepare for the Resurrection is different for everyone inclined. I've just been figuring it out over the past few years, and my best understanding is that it is a letting go of what's holding you back from worshiping God and following Jesus. So at dinner I'm explaining Lent to the kids, and I tell them, "see, you guys probably can't even see the little marble I put on the table because of all the stuff (plates, glasses, dishes of food, napkins, a candle)." I motion to the center of the table and they all start looking for this marble. I let them look for a minute, to realize how hard it is. Then I tell them there's really no marble (sorry kids, I didn't plan this speech)...but imagine! What if there was a marble? If we cleared everything off the table, well, you'd see that marble plain as day! And by the time Easter rolls around, we don't want to be taking it all for granted. We want to be all cleaned off and ready to see God. And not just for Easter, but for every day!

So: our family plan for Lent, inspired by the Miracle of Joy and My Kitchen's Redemption, is to get rid of all our junk. Or as much of it as we can in 40 days, although I doubt it will stop there. You've gotta understand how much junk we have. I mean, there are 7 of us, and we've been living here for almost 7 years, we have an open attic and garage/shop area and it's all just been piling up! Somewhere deep inside me is an artist who swears she will "do a project with that someday", and our house needs so much work we are definitely going to "someday need all that wood on the side of the house and in the garage." But the thing is, that's not where God has us right now. He's got us pretty busy with other projects, except it's super hard to hear His directions in the middle of all this "noise".

We want to see God more clearly, without distractions. Unburden our minds and hearts with all the projects and chores we've created for ourselves. Free up our schedules, so to speak.

We want to make room for God's plan. By getting rid of all our projects-in-waiting, we are giving up our plans and are ready for His. I think God will be stoked by this act of submission.

We want to allow for His providence. We want to show God that we trust Him to provide the resources we need if He calls us to build another fence or remodel a room or whatever. He always does.

This same day, Donald Miller posted something on his blog that just drove this whole thing home for us. I highly recommend reading it. He asks,

"So my question to you is, what’s your field, and are you plowing it? Are you plowing too little? Are you plowing too much? What’s your sweet spot, and in ten years, will you have a small orchard that can feed your family and some of your friends? What’s your land to toil?"

We are already going through some major weeding and soil amending in our personal lives. But we've got so much baggage and clutter complicating our home that we haven't even been able to get close to our sweet spot.

Roll up the dumpster. I'm ready to get purging.

Book Review: Love & War

Love & War.

Let me tell you about love and war.
In a few weeks it will be our thirteenth anniversary.
Luck 13. Yessiree.
We are amused by the irony that the ominous "13" teases us with. After all we've been through in the last thirteen years, a bit of ill luck would be nuthin'.

I look at our wedding photos and chuckle (smirk?) at what campy goofballs we were. We lived in a world of church youth groups, the endless summer that is Santa Barbara, and living at our parents' houses; a couple of camp counselors is what we were. In fact, we had almost 300 people at our wedding and I'm guessing at least half of them were under 18. It was a lot of fun. But we, the bride and groom, we were kids! We had no idea what we'd signed up for.

And then, when the honeymoon was over (literally speaking...of course?) we moved up to the Great Northwest for college and got busy with jobs and and babies and moving and other jobs and buying a house and more babies...this whole time dragging our pre-wedding baggage around with us. This baggage weighing heavy on our lives, changing us, infecting our relationship until we became people that the youth group kids might not even recognize anymore. And that was only about three years into it! For a while, things only got worse as selfishness and idolatry tightened the noose around our marriage.

Boy, could I tell you stories of what not to do in a marriage! And you might shake your head and think it all sounds obvious. But wait until I tell you what I've learned (by nothing short of a miracle) about what to do in a marriage, and you'll think I'm off my rocker! It will all sound subversive. Counter-culture. Ka-razy! But I'm getting used to that. Everything in the Kingdom of God is upside-down to the world, His intention for marriage very different from the world's impression.

So here in the middle of the story, we are battling our baggage and counteracting the cancer it has spread through our relationship over the years. We are battling a culture that says to give up because "this sucks, and my happiness is what it's all about!" It is a BATTLE. Sometimes, it feels like full-out WAR.
And you know what?
It is worth it.

That is my experience, and that is why I am so drawn to this book Love & War by John and Stasi Eldredge. They have learned what I am learning: You go to war to stay in marriage and make it thrive. And the battle...is worth it.

Here is a summary from the publisher about the book:

With refreshing openness that will grab readers from the first page, the Eldredges candidly discuss their own marriage and the insights they've gained from the challenges they faced. Each talks independently to the reader about what they've learned, giving their guidance personal immediacy and a balance between the male and female perspectives that has been absent from all previous books on this topic. They begin Love & War with an obvious but necessary acknowledgment: Marriage is Fabulously Hard. They advise that the sooner we get the shame and confusion off our backs the sooner we'll find our way through. Love & War shows couples how to fight for their love and happiness, calling men and women to step into the great adventure God has waiting for them together. Walking alongside John and Stasi Eldredge, every couple can discover how their individual journeys are growing into a story of meaning much greater than anything they could do or be on their own.

This book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing.

You can pick up a copy here.

Blogging for Books

A while ago, I noticed that my friend Emily, who is a wellspring of good ideas, had began blogging reviews for WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers. Wanting to someday be writing for bacon, or at the very least for an audience I consider larger than just my mom, I thought this might be a good idea for me, too.

Well, I got the first book to read and review: a devotional. I'm not sure I should even write about it; the review was supposed to be posted back in December and I'm so embarrassed that I flaked out on my first gig! But I did not like this book. I might go so far as to say it was torture to try and get through it. Not only did I have a huge stack of more pressing and inviting books and novels on my nightstand, but I am not a big fan of devotionals. My impression of devotionals is that they are some person's brief summation of an idea or passage from the Bible...and I am highly suspicious of people interpreting the Bible for me. In fact, God does that for me just fine, thanks to the Holy Spirit, the breath of the Almighty. (Haha! Is that irony that I should link to a verse there, or is that just the Truth?)

So I chickened out. I couldn't let my first review be "I hated it. It was torture." Even now, I keep deleting sentences because my judgment is so harsh. I guess I could go on and on about christian puns and why I don't think the stories were told well, but this isn't a review.

Now that I've finally got that crazy green button in the sidebar, and I've got a book to review that I enjoy and can relate to, I think I'm good to go. It's supposed to be posted this week, but since I only turn into a blogger at the stroke of midnight and I'm spent from all that [deleted] ranting, I'll have to come back later.

If you are interested in reviewing books for Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group (you get a free book and a little air-time out of it, sa-weet!), click here.

PS: If you love devotionals, I now have two to give away. Email me if you're interested!

Cup O' Kids, and Other Thoughts...

Ode to the Coffee Maven of the NoPoMoCo, who generously keeps the brew flowin' week after week, opening up her home so we can compare sleep-deprivation stories over the din of our sweet little linoleum lizards. Thanks, Lisa!


Sometimes I try to paint for fun (or, let's keep it real here, for money) and I suddenly draw a blank; nothing I can force into my noggin can be communicated to my hand. I think this might be because my actual gifting is appreciation and encouragement, with any artistic talent being merely fortuitous. Or perhaps, because I am too cheap to buy cards in the store, and too busy to search for just the right one... necessity will reign as the mother of invention.

Unfortunately, money has never been a huge motivator for me. Hmm. Unless I'm drawing money. Maybe I'll do that. Would you buy a card with a money illustration on it?

And I'll have to work on visualizing general situations worthy of appreciation and encouragement. It's so easy when a specific person and my experiences with that person are inspiring me.

What about you? What do you want a card to convey that you have never seen in a store? What memory is tucked away in your hippocampus that you'd like to remind your best friend about? What do you love most about your kid/teacher/boss/mom?

Make a Bubble

Certain relatives have tsk-tsked at me for letting the kids use the family point-n-shoot, since they managed to break it the day before Christmas, thereby depriving us of filming the frenzy of Christmas morning. But I repudiate their reproach with the proof that sometimes you have to take a risk with your stuff to encourage imaginations to blossom, brains to flourish and hearts to become confident and alive! After watching this video (and the dozen or so takes that preceded it) I conclude that it was worth the risk.


The Bubble-Pop Kids written, choreographed and performed by Addy, Korah and Taylor, with special (bubble) effects by Morgen and Micah

I am so proud of these kids!!

Theme Park Answers

When I think of roller coasters, this is the first one that comes to mind. And looking at that picture, I can even hear it; feel it vibrating through my body. Being raise in California, I've been to Disneyland more times than I can count on 2 hands, and the excitement of finally unloading from the car and being greeted by the roar of the Colossus is fused into my DNA (except that I know that it's not because none of my kids are diggin' the 'coasters so far! I blame the horrid carnie coasters for that atrocity. Hopefully a good dose of Disney or Six Flags will someday remedy that). When I googled roller coaster images, I almost had an anxiety attack looking at all the amazing, twisty rides I've never tried! I must find a way to ride again!!

Anyway, CONGRATULATIONS MEANBEAN for putting forth the effort and getting a whopping TWO correct! Hooray! You win!

Now for the CONTEST answers:

1. Anaheim : Disneyland, where my favorite ride has always been Space Mountain...until 1996 when they started blasting music into the back of your head, which covered up the scary roar of the roller coaster, the screams of the person sitting next to you, and the distant sound of another train whose path you might collide with in the dark since you couldn't see where you were going! I miss that.
   
2. Blackpool : Blackpool Pleasure Beach, England. Shout-out to my friend Nigel Fletcher who hitch-hiked there with me from Capernwray. I'm proud to have some international rails under my belt in the wooden Big Dipper and the sketchy-looking bobsled ride Avalanche!
   
3. Buena Park : Knotts Berry Farm. One of my favorite things about Knotts as a kid was the Berry Bear ride, which was a slow cart through animatronic Bear Country (including Brer Fox and Rabbit!), and the whole ride smelled like JAM. Ahhhhh.... As I kid I would've loved for my whole world to smell like that. Later they replaced it with some Dinosaur thing that didn't smell like anything. Knott's has the best water rides though, and we loved to ride the Timber Mountain Log Ride as a family.
   
4. Denver : Six Flags Elitch Gardens. When Korah was still an only child, our friend Tom flew us out to Denver for some hiking across tundra, croquet in fancy hats, and an awesome day of riding the rails at Elitch Gardens. This still goes down in our books as one of the biggest and most-needed blessings of our married life. Thanks, Tommy!
   
5. Portland : Oaks Park. It's not Six Flags, but it has it's charm. A word to the wise at night: you will fly through a large cloud of gnats that are swarming around the spotlights at the bottom of the loopty-loop, so better to close your eyes and mouth for the picture they take and get your protein from a corndog. If you stay late at the adjoining roller rink (hullo--yes, please!), it's fun to tell your kids the park is haunted at night as you walk back to your car-- (it certainly looks creepy when it's all closed down!)
   
6. Santa Clara : Paramount's Great America. I think I only went on one ride here because we were there for a Spin Doctor's concert, and when it was over the park was closed! Rip off!! But I can't complain-- I had a friend who worked there and got us in for free :)
   
7. Santa Cruz : Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. I worked there for a summer and had a full-access pass. Although it's kinda sad to be standing in line for a roller coaster by yourself, it wasn't something I could pass up! California’s oldest amusement park and a State Historic Landmark, the Boardwalk is also home of the 1911 Looff Carousel and one of the only brass-ring dispensers in the country. Check it out!
   
8. Valencia : Six Flags Magic Mountain. So many memories, so little time! I always preferred this to Disneyland: it was cheaper, you didn't have to wade through all the souvenier shops and drama to get to the thrill rides, and of course, the Hallelujah Jubilee (where I first saw Russ Taff and The Choir in nineteen-eighty-something). It's just pure, unadulterated roller-coastering.

Alright, now say I'm planning my next roller coaster adventure... What's your favorite roller coaster or theme park experience?

Christmas Cards for Teachers

For the Teacher's Aids, may your days be...

If you didn't get one, I'm sorry. You'll have to send some more peer pressure my way.

Give Me a Sign

I'm going to start off this post with a tangent.
I love roller coasters. LOVE them. I've been on roller coasters in...

Wait... let's play a game! I will name the city, and you tell me the name of the theme park. Now don't get all serious and google it...it's not like I'm The Pioneer Woman, giving out cool prizes. Although, if I were to give out a prize, it would be a photo of me: 7 years old, wearing a high-necked, short-sleeved, striped shirt and army green Toughskins, standing next to Goofy, in one of those neato little slide viewer key chains:

I spent about an hour looking for these and this is about all I could find! Unbelievable! Are these awesome little things just not on the planet anymore? And someday, that link is going to be useless because somebody's going to snatch those suckers up!

Anyhoo, I digress.

Guess what Theme Parks I've ridden roller coasters in, based on these cities:

1. Anaheim
2. Blackpool
3. Buena Park
4. Denver
5. Portland
6. Santa Clara
7. Santa Cruz
8. Valencia

Basically, I've ridden a lot of roller coasters, for an average Joe. They come in all different flavors: scary-fun, scary-unsafe, boring, fast, loopty-loop, free-fall, smooth and modern, old and rickety and what I like to call Neck-n-Back: the ones that give you a migraine and send you straight to the chiropractor. Then there's the ridiculous, portable Carnie Coasters, but I'm not even counting those.

And here ends the campy tangent.

By far, the most unpredictable ride I've been on yet, encompassing all of the above listed flavors, is the Vondercoaster. Being married, having children and becoming an adult (in that order, I'm sure) has been loopy, rickety, fun, unsafe, thrilling, noisy and suspenseful. My stomach has dropped to my toes on numerous occasions and I have consumed more soda and corndogs than I ever would have otherwise. Some people are on wilder rides than the Vondercoaster, I know. But sometimes the dips and turns seem really deep and sharp, and it's all I can do to keep from loosing my cookies.

The other day David came home between jobs (that's right: "jobs" --there's a sign of the times for ya), and we were discussing why the thermostat is set to, oh, 90 degrees or so and yet the house won't get above 56? Sure it's an old house and it's below freezing, but this isn't normal. We later learned that we just needed to clean out the filters. But that day I was so discouraged. After picking up the kids I was driving to the grocery store, allowing my thoughts to spiral down, down... I mulled over how hard things are, how just when we can't afford it both our cars are having problems, the roof is leaky, outlets keep failing and my mom is afraid we're going to have an electrical fire and the house will burn down. The furnace needs work, our poor little children are freezing to death...I'm thinking about the Hispanic family I delivered a meal to one Christmas, 15 people huddled under blankets without heat. They probably had food stamps...but no heat...was our food patronizing to them? I started to think (like I sometimes do) that things were getting too hard for us to handle.

And usually, when I get like this and things seems too dark and too desperate, I can manage to push and lift and heave-ho this heavy burden into the Lord's open, waiting hands, because for all our human efforts, it would take a miracle to keep us from unraveling completely. But today I doubted. I wondered if it was all too much, too fast. Too much unraveling to keep up restoration. Too many miracles to ask for... is that possible? Where does God draw the line at grace and provision and pull out the tough-love? (I'm sure there's a good lesson we need to learn somewhere here.) Have we already received too much?

And then at the intersection of a neighborhood full of construction, I look over at the stop sign-- the temporary kind on the ground in the middle of the street.


Do you see that? It has been graffitied with "everything will be okay". Of course, I started bawling right then and there in that intersection! "Okay, God. Okay," I said out loud. And that was all I could say as I spiraled back up in a fog of humility and relief.

That day, I got home to this email from David:

"I know it's very cold (26.2 F in Portland) right now, but please be thankful for that God is faithful. He is with us, and providing for our needs. Praise Him!... in a sweatshirt and jacket, as we figure out how we can make it warmer in the house."

Sometimes God speaks through my husband at just the right time, confirming...confirming.

-------

I just got off the phone with David as I write this, discussing our van's leaky transmission and the Christmas tree on our front porch (as in, not in the house, decorated) and he reminded me that we are moving forward. It may be slow, but we are making progress.
And that is the definition of success to us.

"Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail."

Lamentations 3.21-22

A Box From Dad

Oooo, a surprise box from Dad in Santa Barbara!

WHAT'S IN THE BOX?

...ORANGES!

These are from my parents' backyard. The backyard where I grew up, pretty much taking for granted the Eden of fruit at my disposal. And these oranges...you can't get them in Oregon. These aren't the same hard, tasteless, crap-shoot in the grocery store produce section. These-- ohh-- the meat is soft and juicy and sweet and tangy! It's almost like you are the lucky destination of the sun's long journey, which began with the sweetening of the tiny blossoms, exciting bees and filling the air with its perfume. Then burgeoning forth into a vessel of juicy sunshine and now those warm rays are gushing out of all that pulp and pith, down your chin, down your arm, dousing your tastebuds with childhood memories!!

My sweet and funny daddy sent a note, "NO MORE SCURVY!" He doesn't like to hear that we get colds every winter here, and wants us to power up. And as David said between mmmmm's, "it tastes like there's more Vitamin C in these oranges!"

What a blessing for us. Thank you, Dad! And for my hometown local peeps, these are just a small sampling; my parents would probably love to give you some oranges...and peaches...and apples; they can't keep up with all the fruit!

**Just a side-note: notice how the oranges are packaged so perfectly in that bubble wrap. My dad did that. That's just how he is. And I'd be willing to bet he even found satisfaction in knowing all that bubble wrap would be just as thrilling (to some of us) as those tasty oranges!

The Big Deal About Hair

The other afternoon the principal emailed all the parents to inform them that a large number of students in the school have been diagnosed with lice, and in order to prevent the further spread of lice --in addition to the normal precautions of staying home if you have the little buggers-- she's "requesting that all children come to school with a fitted head covering that remains on their head all day." Sounds reasonable, although I have to admit that, being the Baptist-bred girl that I am I had a little giggle at the term "head covering" and wondered if it was in fact April 1st. No, it is not, so stop giggling.

The quibble began that night, as soon as I told my very long-haired daughter of the orders from the higher-ups. Without a pause she proclaimed, "everybody's going to be wearing their hair down, mama!" Oh. So apparently that email from the principal was a joke? Dubious.
The next morning I proposed a cute idea for putting her hair up, and if she didn't like it she could change it, as long as it was ok'd by the teacher. But she still had to have her hair up. Up is the point. No dangling hair swishing around, picking up lice. So I do her hair in the cutest little low-pigtail-braids-looped-under thing and send her off to school.
She looked worried.
She nervously fondled her braids.
She schemed.
I took Morgen into her class, and then out of curiosity, went to Korah's classroom to check out how other kids were creatively carrying out the principal's orders. These were the teacher's words: "I saw Korah come in with the super-cute braids, then she ran to the bathroom and came back with her hair down."
My heart sunk. There she was, long hair swishing around, with a brown knit beenie, rockin' the "hipster or homeless" fad. Gone were her American Girl looped braids I'd worked so hard on, as if they'd never existed, her hair still damp from her morning shower.

I am angry. I can't believe she just wasted my time, totally went behind my back, purposefully waited until I wasn't looking to take those braids out...!
Now, something that I'm discovering about myself is that anger is my go-to cover-up for pain. Anger comes easy for me as a learned and rehearsed response. Anger makes me scary and then I can control people, muahahaha! It works great with kids. Of course, the problem with anger is that it sabotages every other parenting goal I have, like communicating unconditional love to my kids. So now the question is, what hurts? Is it that she didn't like my hair-do? That she is risking putting us through Lice, a.k.a. Hell On Earth? That she didn't ask the teacher like I'd suggested, she just changed? That she was kinda sneaky about it? And then I realize what is hurting me the most.

I am a control freak. For 10 years give or take I have been in control --and rightly so-- of what my kids eat, drink, watch, wear, who they hang out with, where they play, what they play with... it's my job. And I love how being responsible for these little lives has caused me to think twice about everything I do, why I should make certain choices and how I need to grow as a person. My own faith has been strengthened as I am challenged to figure out what I believe and to live out the Gospel in front of my kids so that it's not just a fairytale cliche to them. But kids grow up and become adults, obviously. Adults who need to decide for themselves what to wear, how to do their hair, who to play with and what to eat! I have had this goal in mind for my children all along, but if I am really honest about myself I would have to admit...(gulp)...that I am hurt that I have to let up some control over Korah's life. If she gets lice, she will have some consequences to be sure (we all will). But if I make her hair into a big, huge My-Way-Or-The-Highway deal, of course she's not going to trust me with her opinion, her heart. She'll just wait until I'm not looking and change it.

I'm stepping into a new role. Well, not new entirely. I believe that if you're paying attention, God eases you into these new stages. But in this new era of fighting over stupid things like hair-do's, skinny jeans and attempts to consume candy en mass, the bottom line for me is to love my kids no matter what. If you haven't yet walked through puberty with your kids, you will think that is a no-brainer. Of course I'm going to love my kids no matter what! But this particular morning I struggled with that. I struggled with forgiving my kid for having her own opinion about hair for Pete's sake, and for not needing or wanting my help.

And this is where I deepen my understanding of... a whole lotta things. If I love my daughter, I will let her make choices and take appropriate risks. I will leave room for failure or disappointing consequences. I will be prepared to be on her team, win or lose, cheering her on, being her biggest fan. I always used to think that would be easy for me, seeing as how I intensely want that same respect from my parents. Well, that and how I love my kids so much and they are so amazing and how could our family not be that anomaly of perfect relationships? But in real life, your kids grow up faster than you ever expected, and your role warps and changes before your very eyes and is quite a malleable thing (you are now realizing), and no matter who you are, this is largely a train-on-the-job experience. But that's where unconditional love can be learned. Right now, marriage is teaching me the same thing: how to love like Jesus. And every time I take a step toward giving up the idea that my relationships aren't solely about me and my own happiness, my heart opens up and I see how deeply God loves me, giving His Son to live, struggle and then die selflessly on my behalf. And geez...that Love is so huge, it's way bigger than any hurt I could ever receive from my husband or my kids.

I want to end with a little excerpt from Sacred Parenting (Gary L. Thomas). I haven't read the whole thing, but I'm glad to know that this book is based on an idea that God is already in the process of teaching me: that marriage and parenting can change my character, make me more human, more dependent on and like Him if I let it...

"When a child disobeys, God calls us to respond in love. Anger may become a servant of love, but it must never define it. Children need to see our total commitment to them, so they realize that our angry response does not reflect self-seeking (as though the greatest offense is the embarrassment brought on us) but rather shows a fierce and passionate concern for their well-being. Anger that mirrors God's own anger is thus a selfless anger. One element of self-interest remains -- grief that a relationship has been betrayed and that trust has been broken -- but the grief tilts toward what the offender has lost and toward our hope for their welfare." Sacred Parenting, Gary L. Thomas; chapter 7: Burning Love

That is what I hope to look like as a mom...

**PS- do you like my Donald Miller-esque bold paragraph headings? For some reason I hated that he was doing that and now, for some reason, I'm feeling compelled to try it out! What is that all about?!

Micah's 5th

More pictures, stories and, as can be expected with all things Micah, silliness and laughter to come. For now, this:

Field Trips

After scurrying around dropping kids off for school, I hopped the MAX just in time to join Taylor's 3rd grade class on their field trip downtown to the PSU farmer's market.

Abe was there.

My favorite thing on field trips is to take pictures of the class as they're listening to the host or a tour guide, and later checking out their expressions. I'll take several pictures and it's amusing to see who is consistantly not paying attention at all, who is nerdily answering all the "who knows..." questions, who is completely bored, distracted, surprised, contemplative. Kids just let it all hang out; I love it.

This was the Chinook dude who had been fishing in Hood River since the wee hours of the morning until it was time to drive up here to sell his catch. They were unloading his van as we arrived.

Lord have mercy, cut me a piece of that and I'll eat it right here and now. Mmmmm...

Taylor brought a few dollars of his own that he carefully spent on: this delicious white peach...

...and the ever-coveted honey stick.

What is it with the honey sticks? They are crazy about them. Crazy, I tell you. As if eight-year-old boys aren't crazy enough.

And then there was this chubby ball of fleece, my little tag-a-long.

Carving Out Some Time.....

.....to make some cards. Or a card. My aspirations are still far higher than I can breathe without an oxygen tank...

The metal part of the knife is aluminum foil! Tee-hee...dangerous!

Birthday Cards

Some more spontaneous card love for some lovely ladies that I love. Birthday love.


...and another one, which I did while babysitting and couldn't photograph, is given a very sweet review here. I might just branch out from the Chinese Lantern thing soon, I can feel it...