Riding in the back of our inherited 1998 Camry, our two daughters in the front. Anna is driving, and we are en route to her soon to be college...UW Eau Claire. Tomorrow is freshman orientation. She and Emily are chatting away...warms my heart.
Child number three to college. Two have graduated, one yet to go in three more years.
Although there are blurry eyed moments, I am too grateful to be sad. Anna excels at everything, and had a fun filled high school career. Number nine in her class of 230. An accomplished musician. Sweet too. How can I be anything but elated at how well she is prepared to head off on her own?
And yet...
Well, for now I am enjoying being a passenger. I am reading three books for my July seminary class, The Cultivation of the Intellectual/Spiritual Life. They are:
J. P. Moreland, The Kingdom Triangle (Zondervan, 2007)
Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart (NavPress, 2002)
Klaus Issler, J. P. Moreland, The Lost Virtue of Happiness (NavPress, 2006)
Each one is fascinating. I need to write a one page opinion paper on two of them...I will post those when they get done.
Also reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. A*M*A*Z*I*N*G book which has me listing the gifts in my life in a separate journal. When we stop to count our blessings it changes everything.
And finally I am working through Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard. This version has a devotional worked in it, so our Saturday morning study is reading it for a lighter summer read.
All of these strangely weave together perfectly. His timing of course.
Time to listen to girl talk, unfamiliar music and delve into some wondrous reading.
Showing posts with label children.... Show all posts
Showing posts with label children.... Show all posts
6.16.2011
2.13.2010
Flying V
Our youngest son, age 14, debuted on his electric guitar last night. He's been taking lessons for over three years, and he spends hours in the basement rocking the house.
Between his guitar, and his sister spending over an hour a day on piano, our house is a bit noisy. But I love it. Every time I hear them I thank God for such a HEALTHY way for teenagers to spend their time. They both have such talent, and they find pleasure in it. We are blessed.
If you'd like to see Jake in action, you can see it here.
Enjoy. And Happy Valentine's Day!
9.14.2009
My firstborn
Joey graduates this December with a degree in Molecular Biology from UW-Madison. Quite the accomplishment.
He wants to work in a lab, but lab jobs...well, ALL jobs...are hard to find. So you can imagine his excitement when he called last week to tell me he had an interview for a part time position at a lab. And then the text message: "Guess who just got hired as a lab assistant!"
YEAH. Thank you God! How VERY exciting.
Of course I called and got a few of the details. He was on the bus home, and didn't want to talk too much...
It's 16 hours a week for now, and more after graduation. They promised him full time by next summer. WOO HOO. I asked him what exactly he'd be doing.
His answer still makes me laugh. "I am going to be studying the sleep habits of flies." !!!!
That took me so off guard that I didn't even ask the obvious: WHY? I just enjoyed his excitement, and shared the moment.
I've been chuckling ever since. Joey is an extrovert with a capital E. I'm pretty sure he'll be waking those flies up on a regular basis... just for company. It will be interesting to hear how his first week went - might be time for a drive to Madison.
He wants to work in a lab, but lab jobs...well, ALL jobs...are hard to find. So you can imagine his excitement when he called last week to tell me he had an interview for a part time position at a lab. And then the text message: "Guess who just got hired as a lab assistant!"
YEAH. Thank you God! How VERY exciting.
Of course I called and got a few of the details. He was on the bus home, and didn't want to talk too much...
It's 16 hours a week for now, and more after graduation. They promised him full time by next summer. WOO HOO. I asked him what exactly he'd be doing.
His answer still makes me laugh. "I am going to be studying the sleep habits of flies." !!!!
That took me so off guard that I didn't even ask the obvious: WHY? I just enjoyed his excitement, and shared the moment.
I've been chuckling ever since. Joey is an extrovert with a capital E. I'm pretty sure he'll be waking those flies up on a regular basis... just for company. It will be interesting to hear how his first week went - might be time for a drive to Madison.
4.18.2009
Sweetness
Our 13 year old son, Jacob Gilbert, decided that he did not want to come to Grandpa's deathbed. I was so fine with that. I assured him that Grandpa knew how much he loved him, and loved him back. I told him he had a special bond that he would carry his whole life: his middle name.
Once Frank and I got to the hospital, the night we transferred Gib to comfort care, Frank's cell rang. It was Jake. He had changed his mind. And so Frank went back to get him.
Once here, Jake did not really know what to do or say. None of us do, actually. My acoustic guitar is here, so I suggested that Jake play it softly. Jacob is mega talented on the electric guitar, like not just mom-brag talented, but really rocks the house. However, I encouraged him to play nice and soft and soothing for his grandpa.
He started in, and then he lit up. "Mom," he said, "I know just what to play!"
"What?" I asked.
"Stairway to Heaven."
Whew. How appropriate is that?
So Gib got a little Led Zeppelin thrown in for good measure…
Once Frank and I got to the hospital, the night we transferred Gib to comfort care, Frank's cell rang. It was Jake. He had changed his mind. And so Frank went back to get him.
Once here, Jake did not really know what to do or say. None of us do, actually. My acoustic guitar is here, so I suggested that Jake play it softly. Jacob is mega talented on the electric guitar, like not just mom-brag talented, but really rocks the house. However, I encouraged him to play nice and soft and soothing for his grandpa.
He started in, and then he lit up. "Mom," he said, "I know just what to play!"
"What?" I asked.
"Stairway to Heaven."
Whew. How appropriate is that?
So Gib got a little Led Zeppelin thrown in for good measure…
9.07.2008
Queen
You'd probably have to know me to realize the ridiculousness of this, but this scene actually just occurred:
Jake, the 12 year old, is in his 3rd year of electric guitar, and he's pretty darn good. He plays all the time. Anyhow, he is learning some Queen songs, just to please his dear old mom and his older brother Joe. (I *loved* Queen in high school...knew every word and would sing along...Joey, our firstborn, could not believe it when he *discovered* Queen and his mom knew all the words! He was about 15...he's 21 now)
So after dinner, Jake picks up my acoustic guitar and says, "Mom...sing along!" And he starts jamming "Crazy Little Thing called Love." And so I sang, and Jake played. Anna took a photo from the foyer and could hardly breathe she was laughing so hard. "this," she said, "is my family..."
Ha. That was an unusual mother/son moment. But I loved it.
No, no world tour date has been set. I'll keep you posted...
Jake, the 12 year old, is in his 3rd year of electric guitar, and he's pretty darn good. He plays all the time. Anyhow, he is learning some Queen songs, just to please his dear old mom and his older brother Joe. (I *loved* Queen in high school...knew every word and would sing along...Joey, our firstborn, could not believe it when he *discovered* Queen and his mom knew all the words! He was about 15...he's 21 now)
So after dinner, Jake picks up my acoustic guitar and says, "Mom...sing along!" And he starts jamming "Crazy Little Thing called Love." And so I sang, and Jake played. Anna took a photo from the foyer and could hardly breathe she was laughing so hard. "this," she said, "is my family..."
Ha. That was an unusual mother/son moment. But I loved it.
No, no world tour date has been set. I'll keep you posted...
9.02.2008
Somebody's Quilting
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Well, the sewing machine has moved again. Recently I came into the family room to discover that our 21 year old had moved the couch forward - closer to the tv- for better gaming. And of course he didn't move it back when he finally went to bed in the early morning.
So...I got to thinking...hmmmm...there's three feet of open space there... my sewing machine and its custom table are now behind the couch. With the screen porch behind (the french doors are usually open) and the tv directly in front of me, I just might...sew! You just never know. In the meantime the sewing machine is swung into its table, and a lovely desktop is here for my laptop. Newfound space. You just gotta love it. I'm blogging and watching the Republican Convention news...I so rarely sit near a TV that this is quite a treat!
Our 19 year old daughter was laid off for the last two weeks of summer, so she started cutting 6 inch squares out of old t-shirts, prom dresses, skirts, and added a lot of squares from her mom's fabric stashes. Within a week she had a twin sized quilt for her dorm bed. She put batting between the pieced top and a large expanse of yellow fleece, and tied it in the corners of each squares...very old fashioned and comfy. She put together a very unconventional mixture of fabric types, polyester batting and polar fleece, but it is eclectic, full of memories and VERY warm.
There's something to be said for *not* planning the colors, the pattern and the placement. For one thing, her quilt is done, and my *planned ones* are ...just well thought plans!
2.04.2008
Back to work...
Quick update...it's past my bedtime.
After an entire week on the couch, I went back in to work today. I was mostly told that I still looked quite ill. (yes...that did make me feel so much better...I just wasn't up to eye make up, and since I'm blond that means there's no lashes, and, well...I guess I looked like I felt!)
I just did something I've been wanting to do for a long time. I wrote to my college babies and told them how I was praying for them, and gave them a verse. No, that's not earth shattering, but it has not been consistent, and I want it to be consistent. In fact, I might start a blog just for my kids to read. Do you think they'd do it? Just a mini devotional. Sentences. Quick and to the point.
An old friend dropped in tonight. She and I met when I was four months pg with Joe and her Ryan was just 4 months old. They grew up together, and now they are in college together. She shared her mom's heart with me, and I with her. She also told me of a close friend of hers' loss -- her 18 year old son committed suicide this past week end. She and I cried as we talked about our college boys...and how thankful we are to have them.
You know...there's just too much to pray about.
So...it inspired my prayer,
and my email to my college babies.
I have to keep getting healthy...there's so much work to do...on my knees.
After an entire week on the couch, I went back in to work today. I was mostly told that I still looked quite ill. (yes...that did make me feel so much better...I just wasn't up to eye make up, and since I'm blond that means there's no lashes, and, well...I guess I looked like I felt!)
I just did something I've been wanting to do for a long time. I wrote to my college babies and told them how I was praying for them, and gave them a verse. No, that's not earth shattering, but it has not been consistent, and I want it to be consistent. In fact, I might start a blog just for my kids to read. Do you think they'd do it? Just a mini devotional. Sentences. Quick and to the point.
An old friend dropped in tonight. She and I met when I was four months pg with Joe and her Ryan was just 4 months old. They grew up together, and now they are in college together. She shared her mom's heart with me, and I with her. She also told me of a close friend of hers' loss -- her 18 year old son committed suicide this past week end. She and I cried as we talked about our college boys...and how thankful we are to have them.
You know...there's just too much to pray about.
So...it inspired my prayer,
and my email to my college babies.
I have to keep getting healthy...there's so much work to do...on my knees.
1.27.2008
Anna's English Assignment -- grade 9
Anna has never read my blog. She didn't know I blogged. (Is it cool for a mom to blog?) Just now she brought me this to read. I told her it was so great that I wanted to post it, and, wonder of wonders, she sent it to my email. And so...the first Anna blog, entitled:
“I Remember…”
I remember shlopping through massive puddles and mounds of fresh mud, splishing and splashing, frigid water spraying everywhere, and looking back at the muddy trail I’d left behind.
I remember popping mountains of popcorn, drenched in melted butter and salt, and watching millions of happily ever-afters, filled with fire-breathing dragons and charming princes.
I remember when my brother and I spent countless hours scavenging the seemingly monstrous woods behind our house, in search of the wild beasts and bountiful, buried treasure we hadn’t yet found.
I remember the feeling of complete freedom I felt, propelling myself from a swing, the wind tossing and tangling my hair, and wistfully flying towards the sky, completely carefree.
I remember sprawling across the floor in my pj’s and slippers, wandering through an imaginary land overflowing with gumdrops and fairy princesses, losing terribly yet again to my sister in a game of CandyLand.
I remember scurrying up and up, the world fading further into the distance, tree limbs growing scarce and thin, and feeling accomplished and as free as a bird.
I remember standing out under the warm sun, a breeze picking up the crackling leaves, autumn colors all around, awkwardly tossing a football back and forth, and watching it just barely slip from my fingers time and time again.
I remember standing breathless and flushed under the blinding, golden sun, darting left and right attempting to avoid the ruby-red, flying kickball.
I remember searching for the perfect smooth, shiny pebble to toss across the scorching pavement, wiping off my hands on my damp shirt, leaving behind smudges of colorful chalk dust, and hopping on one foot until we couldn’t go on any longer.
I remember squishing my toes into the cool, damp grass, prancing about the yellowing lawn through sporadic streams of icy water, and throwing back my head in blissful, heartfelt laughter.
“I Remember…”
I remember shlopping through massive puddles and mounds of fresh mud, splishing and splashing, frigid water spraying everywhere, and looking back at the muddy trail I’d left behind.
I remember popping mountains of popcorn, drenched in melted butter and salt, and watching millions of happily ever-afters, filled with fire-breathing dragons and charming princes.
I remember when my brother and I spent countless hours scavenging the seemingly monstrous woods behind our house, in search of the wild beasts and bountiful, buried treasure we hadn’t yet found.
I remember the feeling of complete freedom I felt, propelling myself from a swing, the wind tossing and tangling my hair, and wistfully flying towards the sky, completely carefree.
I remember sprawling across the floor in my pj’s and slippers, wandering through an imaginary land overflowing with gumdrops and fairy princesses, losing terribly yet again to my sister in a game of CandyLand.
I remember scurrying up and up, the world fading further into the distance, tree limbs growing scarce and thin, and feeling accomplished and as free as a bird.
I remember standing out under the warm sun, a breeze picking up the crackling leaves, autumn colors all around, awkwardly tossing a football back and forth, and watching it just barely slip from my fingers time and time again.
I remember standing breathless and flushed under the blinding, golden sun, darting left and right attempting to avoid the ruby-red, flying kickball.
I remember searching for the perfect smooth, shiny pebble to toss across the scorching pavement, wiping off my hands on my damp shirt, leaving behind smudges of colorful chalk dust, and hopping on one foot until we couldn’t go on any longer.
I remember squishing my toes into the cool, damp grass, prancing about the yellowing lawn through sporadic streams of icy water, and throwing back my head in blissful, heartfelt laughter.
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