Growing Old Together

This month we celebrate our 27th wedding anniversary. 27 years? How is that possible?! As the man of the house is fond of saying lately "we're not old, we've just been young together for a long time now."

Yup, we are definitely in the Wonder Years. "I wonder how we got this old so fast", and "I wonder where I put the keys". We've got twinges in our hinges and waning energy. I'd like to think I've lived long enough to acquire a heart of gold (which would explain the recent weight gain). What I haven't lived long enough to figure out yet is why men complain that women are so hard to figure out but all the hormonal issues females deal with start with men (MENstral, MENopause, MENtal...) hmmm. And I've heard that the grandkids are God's reward for surviving parenting, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the real reason we have grandkids is to help us old folks figure out how to operate bewildering modern technology. I mean, even my 10 month old grandbaby knows how to swipe between apps on a smartphone and take selfies! But in spite of all the "joys" of growing older, there isn't anyone I'd rather grow old with.

  
With how society increasingly views marriage as an antiquated institution, staying together for the long haul is something worth celebrating.

For our anniversary get-away this year we had a hankering to revisit the area where we met and fell in love, but that wasn't fitting into the schedule all neat and tidy. Somehow I stumbled upon the fact that west of us are some sandstone bluffs comparable to those we hiked in our youth- the next best thing. We booked a hotel in the area and kept our fingers crossed it wouldn't be too cold to hike on our anniversary. (It does snow about 50% of the time on our anniversary.)

Well, lets just say clever camera angles and exaggerated advertising about 'luxury resort' resulted in a disappointment for us. The price was ridiculous for what it was. The reviews that mentioned the hotel needs updated were being kind. The lobby was beautiful (but one doesn't stay in the lobby), and the landscaping is probably lovely in the summer (it is not summer now), but the rooms... the sofa arms were so filthy we didn't get near enough to touch the sofa and it made one wonder about the possibility of bacteria lurking in the mattress. Seriously, they do manufacture something called upholstery cleaner... or slipcovers...    Definitely a romance strike-out this year! Alas, an important part of marriage is being able to laugh together at one's mistakes.

view from the room balcony... lots of potential, but needs some serious upgrades

However, the next morning the sun came out and the sharp wind settled down. So my long-suffering husband indulged my sense of adventure yet again. We went in search of the bluffs. We started out on a very nice paved [bike] trail alongside the river -note to self: go biking & kayaking here in the summer, when it's not so cold it makes your nose run and your fingers tingle- before setting off into the woods on a hiking trail...

 that wound around the trees, uphill, till we were standing across the gorge, overlooking the bluffs I so wanted to see.  

 Here's a better picture... without our heads obstructing the view.
The bluffs here are not as high as the ones in AR, and more weathered due to the more extreme changes in weather, but they still make my heart give off a happy sigh. 

After we got home, the real fun began. We got to keep our granddaughter for her first sleepover at Grammie's house. Best anniversary gift ever.  This little munchkin has added so much joy to our lives.

Young love has its merits, but give me mature, comfortable love. The connection that comes with years of togetherness... being able to predict what your spouse is thinking, and to communicate without saying a word, simultaneously craving the same snack, and knowing which way to hang the toilet paper... is something that only happens when you put in the time and work to your marriage.
We're lovin' this stage of life. It's the best stage yet. If the old adage is true- time flies when you're having fun- then we're having fun! 

Of Birthdays

My mom used to say the secret to staying forever young is to marry someone who is 4 years older than yourself. I didn't set out intending to do that, but history does have a way of repeating itself. And I can vouch for that working... When I hit 40, the man of the house was already 44. Now that he's past 50, 47 doesn't sound so old.

I did have a good day and felt well celebrated. My family took me to a local vineyard that specializes in wood-fired pizza. My first time there, and the pizza was every bit as good as I was told. Margarita pizza is my favorite.

 The Brunch pizza was good too. (And the BBQ chicken.) 

 Entertaining my grandbaby while we waited for our pizza... 

 Then my family showered me with gifts. "These are a few of my favorite things" 

Among other things, they got me a ticket for a Michael W Smith concert!

Super excited for that later this year.  

Our annual school fundraiser auction was Saturday, which made for a busy weekend, but I still love working auctions. Afterward we finished out the celebration with cake & ice cream.  

I'm thankful for my family & many friends. You make my life so rich.

Celebrations

Last week was super busy, but there wasn't one thing we would've cut out. We wanted to do everything, and had fun doing it, but it would have to all come at once. When it rains, it pours!
Here is a glimpse at just some of the things we did-

First of all, we celebrated Arianna's birthday. Because we were planning a surprise birthday party for her, I tampered with her work schedule, and she ended up having to work on Tuesday, her birthday. She wasn't thrilled about that, so Ang & I picked up KFC & doughnuts to surprise her at work on her birthday at lunchtime.

 

All the Miller ladies... (with lil Miss Avery looking annoyed)

Wednesday Ang & I took Arianna shopping & out to eat. When we arrived at the restaurant, there was another surprise- a dozen friends waiting to celebrate with her. 

 

 She got the free dessert, but she had to endure us singing for her first. 

Happy birthday, Arianna! We are proud of the young lady you have become and we look forward to seeing what God has in store for you in the coming year, your last teen year. 

A couple weeks ago my brother posted on FB looking for a place to go primitive camping, fishing and I don't remember what all. I replied that we have all that and he knows where we live. I didn't expect him to take me serious, but he did. He made plans to come out for the weekend and camp in our back 30. He planned the menu for the whole weekend, which helped me out. (To me, half the work of hosting guests is deciding what to feed them.)

When my parents, brother & SIL arrived Friday evening, we had the camper set up and a fire blazing to make mountain pies. A thunderstorm chased us inside until it blew over, then most of the crowd went back out and got the fire going again to finish eating. 

 Avery wanted to help Jeremy play guitar 🙂

 The rain drove out the humidity and we needed jackets Saturday morning. Perfect for cooking a big breakfast over a fire!

We've never camped on the Back 30 before- this was a first, but probably not the last.

A license isn't needed for fishing at a private pond so the men fished at the Miller pond. 

(The Mennonite mantra- free is good!)

 Josh & Gerald with the catch. We have so much fish in the freezer that we really didn't need these for supper, but living off the land and all...

 Avery loved the 4-wheeler ride with uncle Jeremy! 

Meanwhile we ladies took mom for her 1st latte. 

 The men did some target shooting. I don't know how many boxes of clays they went through, but they were having fun. Poor Tessa had to be tied up because she just wanted to retrieve!

 

It wasn't until it got too dark to shoot that the men came in to grill the steaks & fry the fish for us. Josh really knows how to prepare fish! He never measures ingredients- he just dumps, but it's delicious.

 On Sunday Arianna was baptized. For the rest of the parents of this class, it was their first time having a son/daughter baptized, but for us this was our last one. We are so happy she has chosen to take this step. And we were glad for family that was able to be there to support her.

These lyrics are my desire for Arianna as she lives for the Lord...

Live Like That

-Sidewalk Prophets

Sometimes I think

What will people say of me

When I'm only just a memory

When I'm home where my soul belongs

Was I love

When no one else would show up

Was I Jesus to the least of those

Was my worship more than just a song

I want to live like that

And give it all I have

So that everything I say and do

Points to You

If love is who I am

Then this is where I'll stand

Recklessly abandoned

Never holding back

I want to live like that

I want to live like that

Am I proof

That You are who you say You are

That grace can really change a heart

Do I live like Your love is true

People pass

And even if they don't know my name

Is there evidence that I've been changed

When they see me, do they see You

I want to live like that

And give it all I have

So that everything I say and do

Points to You

If love is who I am

Then this is where I'll stand

Recklessly abandoned

Never holding back

I want to live like that

I want to live like that

I want to show the world the love You gave for me

I'm longing for the world to know the glory of the King

I want to live like that

And give it all I have

So that everything I say and do

Points to You

If love is who I am

Then this is where I'll stand

Recklessly abandoned

Never holding back

I want to live like that

I want to live like that

My New Job

I have had part time jobs over the years since I got married, but they were all work-at-home jobs. For the first time, I "work away". I was hired this summer to work at a produce auction. I'm doing it for the fun of it, not because I need a paycheck. Truth be told, I'd do it for free, but 'someone' told me I'm not allowed. 😆

I love, love, love working auctions, so it was a tough decision when I was offered this job ...because for years & years I didn't know how to say no and our home life was out of control. We reached a point about 2 years ago where we agreed something has to change -namely I have to learn to say no and be a 'keeper at home'. It took some doing to break the habit of saying yes to everything I was asked to do, but we all reap the benefits of a more calm home life. So I questioned my sanity to accept this job and upset the apple cart again.

The auction is twice a week, but I only work one day a week, Mondays. I would love to work both days, but I just can't find the time. Even though my children are quite capable of fixing themselves something to eat Monday nights, I still feel a little guilty about not being there when they get home from work. On the other hand, I often walk through the door with fresh produce ...and homemade doughnut balls that are pretty popular around here. 

It's kind of funny how I got the job. My name was given as a reference to the auctioneer, unknown to me. We kept getting these calls from ------ Auction Service, but we screen our calls heavily so I wasn't answering. I did look up the location of the area code, but we don't know anyone from that area so we figured it's probably not a legit call. R said "You should answer it sometime. Maybe they're calling to offer you a job." We both laughed, we really didn't think that was the case. The poor auctioneer finally tracked down our landline number and left a message on the answering machine. Lo and behold, it really was an auctioneer offering me a job! It's a wonder he didn't give up on me.

The produce auction is sourced and run largely by the Amish. They do not have/allow electricity in the building. Our office equipment is run by generator and is restricted to the office -they do not allow computers on the sale floor. Instead you will see Amish men with clipboards writing down everything by hand, then the clerking sheets are brought to the office and I enter everything into the computer. It can be educational & entertaining to decipher handwriting (anyone want to guess what "orbs" is? I was stumped for awhile on that one!) And the real pressure of the job is speed. Many people are used to auctions where clerking is done electronically, so your purchase is instantly in the system and you can walk up to the cashier & pay immediately after a successful bid... not so at an Amish auction. I am in the office frantically entering data because people come to the window wanting to check out and leave, expecting their buys to be in the system instantly.
Another interesting aspect of working in an Amish establishment is the lack of a/c. On warm days I think I'm going to melt into a puddle before the last "Sold!" is uttered. 

Being an introvert, I like the obscurity of clerking better than cashiering. It takes more people skills to cashier. But I do jump in and cashier when needed. I'm learning a lot about the auction software. And produce. And then, of course, one of my favorite parts of the job is counting stacks of cash at the end of the day. 😊 

Yesterday 3 special ladies came to visit me at work. Made my day! 

If you are ever in my area on a Monday, drop by and get yourself some farm fresh produce.

Camping

This past weekend we went camping. It's something we enjoy and don't get done often enough.

Here's the thing about camping- I used to think it would get easier as our children got older. 🤣 While it is easier to pack with older children, it's much, much harder to get them all rounded up simultaneously -when everyone has a job and their own social calendar.
Every year we say "ok, now this year we're going to go camping more often. No sense in having a camper [taking up space in the shop] if we don't use it." But it wasn't happening. Last year we didn't go camping at all. We kept waiting for a weekend it suited all of us, which never happened. So this summer I decided we are going to camp when it suits "mom & dad" and the kids can kinda show up if/when it works out for them.
This time we went to a local campground, to make it more do-able for the kids to come & go since they were both scheduled to work. Because the sites get booked up in advance, the only way to snag a site on short notice is to do a walk-in reservation prior to the weekend (the park keeps about 20 sites as walk-in only, first come first serve, not available online for advance reservations) -I managed to get one of the last sites on Thursday afternoon.


Can we talk about camping food for a minute? We LOVE camping food! Mountain pies [BBQ chicken, Philly cheese steak, chocolate-peanut butter-marshmallow, or breakfast ones are our favorites] tin foils, dutch oven recipes, s'mores... YUM! Almost anything cooked over a fire. I think we'd go camping for the food alone!

 Tinfoils cooked to perfection- 20 minutes on the bottom, 7 minutes on the top. 

And no cabbage leaf on the bottom, thank you very much. 

 Jeremy took his kayak out on the lake

 There is a cave at the park that I had never hiked to, so that was on my bucket list this weekend. 

About 15 years ago a girl fell to her death from above this cave so there are many warnings posted and the trail ends here (a distance from the entrance)...

 but you can hike on back into the cave, at your own risk. 

 Walking for a mile in Crocs is ill-advised. May cause blisters the size of a quarter on one's heels. 

But a foot spa -especially with Lemongrass Spa products- is prescribed.

We had a friendly butterfly visiting our camp site all afternoon & evening Saturday. 

My camera shutter speed and the wing movement of said butterfly were not compatible. 

 Madam Butterfly was especially attracted to Josh 

 Our favorite little person came for a visit 👏

 She likes foot spas, too!

 Having the whole family together makes this mama a happy camper! 

    I'm of the opinion that it's the people who profess to hate camping that should be the ones to own the campers. It makes camping infinitely easier. Our camper contains all the bedding, towels, paper supplies & assorted camping paraphernalia we need; so all we need to gather up is some clothes & food. We can camp spur-of-the-moment if we want, with minimal fuss. We started out with a tent when we were newlyweds, then moved up to a pop-up camper for about 10 years, and currently have a 22' travel trailer for almost as long. Each upgrade made camping a little more convenient. We didn't spend much on any of our campers -just doesn't seem justified for something you use a couple times per year. This one was resurrected from a field and took considerable elbow grease to clean up [and removal of a snake skin under one of the beds! 😦], but for all it's redneck qualities, it has a great a/c unit. We're not yuppie campers with the latest & greatest gear, but considering we have a knack for camping on the hottest weekends of the year, that is our one creature comfort we're shameless about using when we're "roughin' it".

It's a good thing we weren't far from home, because the pickup brakes gave out just when it was time to pull the camper home. The man of the house made it safely home, but we won't be camping again until we get the pickup fixed. This wasn't exactly traveling, but remember we are drama-magnets when we go away, so the weekend wouldn't have been complete without a little excitement like that. 😄 

Successful Parenting

When I was raising my boys, it was part of my parenting philosophy that I was raising future husbands. There were manners I tried to teach them precisely because I believed some day it would come in handy as a husband. Key word there being “tried”. Not always successful. Things like lowering the toilet seat and tidying up the bathroom when you’re through, writing an item on the grocery list when you use up the last one, holding the door for a lady, and letting your mother know where you are going when you leave so she doesn’t worry (and knows where to start looking if you don’t make it home). 

   And then there are the things you let slide because frankly it’s not worth the battle. Or it’s just not something that bothers you. Every mom has ‘that thing’ she will do for her kids, it’s not part of her job description, and her kids take it for granted, but she does it anyway because she loves them. I think it might be referred to as 'spoiling'. I can’t tell you the number of times I stood in my laundry room turning socks right side out for my kids and saying to myself “Some day my daughter-in-law is going to hate me for this.”

   Ironically enough, the 1 DIL I have so far has never complained about having to turn socks right side out. Apparently that isn’t something that pushes her buttons. But the one thing that never once entered my mind to teach my sons is the one I should’ve taught. Oops!   

   So the moral of the story is this- it doesn’t matter how carefully you train your sons to be future husbands, there is going to be a pet peeve you don’t think of. In a nutshell- different things bug different people. It's just a fact of life. That’s not an excuse to give up and not even try to teach manners to that 12 year old that couldn’t care less about showering or changing his underwear. We do our best as moms because some day we hope our kids [or their spouses] will rise up and called us blessed. And where we get it wrong? God grant us the serenity to accept our mistakes. And if there is any justice in the world, some day the DILs who have to finish training our sons will be a MIL herself who missed one or two essential manners.

   

And now, can we talk about the real reward of being a mother? Grandbabies!

**We were privileged to attend the baby dedication of our granddaughter this morning. The pastor had an excellent message. On being a successful parent. From Judges 13, the story of Samson’s parents. I love when a sermon text comes from an unusual passage and you discover gems hidden in God's word you never noticed before.  

Successful parents:

1. Recognize their priorities

2. Recognize their privilege [v. 3]

3. Recognize their responsibility [v.7]

4. Recognize their dependency, [v.8] and

5. Recognize their limitations. [v.25]

A new thought to me was Samson’s parents did everything right, but they still had to accept their limitations when Samson was making poor choices. Sometimes children make choices that embarrass us and don’t make us look good [temper tantrum in the grocery store, for example] but we have the promise in Scripture if we train children up in the ways of God, it will follow them all their lives. In a crucial moment, Samson remembered the teaching of his parents.  

   At my stage of life, I can’t help but think that it’s good we embark into parenthood when we’re “young & dumb”. If we knew what all those 5 things entailed before we started, we’d be too terrified to have children. By the time we really understand what all the pastor was talking about, it’s too late -we are beyond the greatest opportunity for influence. It is an awesome responsibility and privilege to parent. We’re so very happy the next generation has ‘picked up the torch’ –not only giving us a wonderful grandbaby, but more importantly committing to teach & train her in the ways of God.

**On Mother’s Day my mind always goes to those who are not as blessed as I am. Those who no longer have their mother. Those who have not had a chance to be a mother. Or for whatever reason Mother’s Day is not a happy day for them. If this is you, just know you are loved and thought of today.

Observations on Kitchen Cleaning

I’m working on spring cleaning our kitchen this week. Can anyone explain to me WHY we always end up hosting company right before I deep clean my kitchen, when it’s filthy? Keeps me humble.

Here are some observations that come from sticking my head in the back corners of the fridge…

·         Evaporated milk will spoil in roughly 4 months.

·         A half of a lime that is 6 months old will turn yellow-ish, but won’t dry out if properly wrapped in plastic.

·         Greek yogurt left to itself will grow a healthy dose of penicillin [or something equally fuzzy]. Unfortunately the man of the house & I are both allergic to penicillin.

·         Old carrots have something in common with old men- sprouting hair from body orifices. Equally unattractive, but doesn’t render either useless, to be discarded for the younger.

·         Cleaning-Fridge-Day yields interesting cuisine for the neighborhood cats and neighbor’s dog that show up to pick through our discarded garbage, looking for chicken bones and other edible morsels. Fuzzy chocolate frosting topped with habanero salsa, anyone? Past-their-prime oranges ala sweet mustard? Spoiled rice & beans topped with a dab of ancient cinnamon roll pancake topping? It’s enough to gag a maggot!

Come on, tell me I’m not the only one. I’ve heard an estimated 40% of the food grown and produced in the USA ends up getting tossed. I’m positive I’m too thrifty to be throwing out 40% of our groceries, but our percentage is higher than I think it should be. My biggest handicap is staying organized. Stuff gets pushed to the back of the fridge or pantry… I don’t menu plan as much as I should… and it’s harder when you have more than one cook in the kitchen- somehow we end up with more than 1 container of sour cream opened, etc. more often than when I was the only one cooking. And there are certain people living under our roof who won't eat the last dregs out of a salsa jar or the last serving from the bottom of the chip bag. Why, I do not know. Depending what it is, the mister & I long-sufferingly clean it up, but when it's something we don't care for it's an impasse. It’s the stuff with a short shelf life- bread and produce especially- that are really my undoing. I’d love to hear your tips for staying organized and using up food that is headed downhill.  

In the process of cleaning my stove, I discovered the self-clean oven feature no longer works. So I resurrected the can of oven cleaner from the back of the cleaning supply cupboard, and did it the old fashioned way. This brought back memories- when I was a kid we loved when mom cleaned the oven because the spray cleaner that was used back then made the floor in front of the stove slippery. Slipping & sliding around in socks was grand fun! Anyone else ever do that? Simpler times, but much too hazardous for today’s kids. Lol.   

Random Sunday Evening Events

I read somewhere that it's no longer enough to fail epically, it now gets shared with the world on social media. But I thought this was too funny not to share.
Jeremy invited Josh & Ang over for soft pretzels and jamocha shakes last evening. I've been making soft pretzels for years and all was well until I was salting the 2nd tray of pretzels and it registered in my consciousness that something is slightly odd about the texture of the pretzel salt. A simple taste test revealed I was not salting the pretzels with pretzel salt. I checked the label- it was alum!!
The first tray was in the oven already, but I hastily rinse off the 2nd tray of pretzels. When the first tray was baked, I brushed the alum off and hoped for the best. But one bite was all it took to confirm it was an epic fail. Take my word for it- alum will totally permeated pretzels and they will be completely inedible. Nasty! Choke! Sputter! Cough! Even a lot of water couldn't wash the taste out of my mouth. 
It all comes from buying spices from the bulk food store, in identical containers. Next time I will double check the label before I sprinkle. Sometimes all you can do is laugh at yourself and move on.

We played a round of Compatibility. I'm not a big fan of playing table games, but for some odd reason I love this game. It's copyrighted 1996 and when it went through a brief fad around that time it was hard to find in stores so I bought it on eBay. Richard & I are really, really bad at this game; we almost always come in last when we play.
If you are not familiar with the game, each player has a deck of identical cards. You roll the dice to select a topic from the topic cards, then you & your partner try to select the same cards which you think best describe the topic. You get points for selecting the same cards and more points if you have them in the same order, which advances you around the board.
Ironically, Jeremy & Arianna won last night. Josh & Ang came in next, and like usual, Richard & I were lagging behind. Despite having shared the most years together of anyone around the table. But what I love about the game is hearing why the other players chose the cards they did. It's fascinating. For example, last night one topic was "male" and almost everyone laid out their card of the male lion, but that never ever entered my mind. Another topic was "age" and someone laid the beach card. Why?! Because when you are aged, you can afford beach vacations or a move to the sunny south. Hmm. Interesting. Maybe I'm weird but I love watching how other people think. I can learn so much from others. It would sure simplify life if everyone thought like me, but it would also make for a narrow-minded population, wouldn't it? 
The subtitle on the game box says "Do great minds really think alike?" Richard & I just laugh. According to this game we're completely incompatible, but we have more than 25 years under our belt, as well as 3 great kids and the world's most amazing granddaughter together. We say we're compatible even if we think wildly different.
Come over sometime and we'll play Compatibility with you. You're almost guaranteed to win. 😄 
                 

Blogging

   Reportedly one of the signs of getting older is not being able to get a full night of sleep. I’m not sure at what point one officially classifies as “getting older” because the last time I checked, we’re all doing that from the moment we’re born. However, I will admit to being closely acquainted with insomnia at this time in my life. You could say we’re on a first name basis. The point is- what does one do with those hours of one’s life when we can’t sleep but are not ambitious enough to be upright & productive?

   I tend to entertain myself by writing elaborate blog posts in my head. They sound brilliant and funny and fascinating at 3am, but in broad daylight all brilliance vanishes. That’s why you haven’t read any of them here. I keep talking myself out of writing them down. No one wants to read that junk, no one cares what you think, I tell myself the morning after.

   Here’s the thing I wrestle with- other writers have a point to their blog. They write step-by-step directions for wonderful recipes we might want to try… they write deep theological stuff that inspires us… they write adorable things their children do and say to preserve it… I am none of those things. The only point to my blog is giving my out-of-state family a chance to see photos of our latest trip (and read what all went wrong this time around!) or whatever major event is going on in our lives. For roughly half my family that actually read blogs. And about a dozen other non-relatives that drop by once in a while to see what we’re up to, presumably. 400 hits is about as viral as it ever gets around here.  

   And that other thing that nags at me- there is the idea floating around out there that if one blogs, one should write with some sort of regularity. The only thing I write with regularity is my journal, checks, and a grocery list. None of which would interest the general public. I've been counseled to write what you know about. (Don't even get me start on Amish fiction authors! Puh-lease!) Case in point- my last blog post, which practically wrote itself. Bottom line- we just aren't that interesting of people, don't have that much to write about regularly.   

   I’ve discovered the one way to increase my readership is to put a link to my blog on FaceBook. If you make it handy, they will come. (Very “Field of Dreams”-ish.) But it always seems a little pretentious to me. I have a love/hate relationship with self-promotion. Liking that someone, anyone, bothers to read what I took the time to write vs. feeling foolish and uncomfortable with promoting myself. And of course, the unfortunate fact that the more one puts one’s self out there, the more chances there are of being misunderstood and criticized. I’ve been on a receiving end of writer’s backlash a couple times and I don’t care for it. I’m not on friendly terms with drama and conflict. So it becomes the ultimate dilemma for us introverts who are so much more comfortable with the written word vs. the spoken word –to write or not to write. That is the question. (Very Shakespearean.) 

   So there you have it. I was raised on the conventional wisdom “if you don’t have anything worthwhile to say, don’t say anything”. So I argue with myself regularly whether what I have to say is worthwhile or not. For now, ‘not worthwhile’ is coming out on top. And the things that crop up with alarming regularity -like laundry, cooking, cleaning, bookwork and the nearly hopeless job of catching up on 12 years’ worth of scrapbooking fill my daylight hours -ahead of blogging.   

   But I am rolling around some thoughts on the controversial subjects of finances and some of my religious beliefs… maybe if they percolate awhile longer they will brew into something of interest. But don't hold your breath.   

7 Things That Might Surprise You About Growing Up With An Author

   1. It’s not glamorous. We are very normal people. If you meet my mom and exude hero worship because “this is a real, live author!” [flutter, flutter], I will roll my eyes. Do you know why? Guess who got to do mundane, real-life things like cooking, laundry and cleaning so mom could peck away at a typewriter, honing her craft? Who made it possible for her to write? Yup, yours truly. Know what else? It’s a thankless job. No one thanks the writer’s assistant aka kid. (Well, ok, I do have a book dedicated to me. That’s something.)   

   2.  I hated being asked “So is your mom working on any new books right now?” I [still] hate this question because there is a high probability that A. she is, B. I know what it is, and C. I’m not allowed to say. Why can’t I say? Primarily because the general public has no idea how long it takes to write a book. If mom says she is writing one, people expect to see it on the shelf in roughly 6 months. Not gonna happen. News flash, folks, it can take up to 10 years to write a [well-written] book. No one wants to be pestered while they work. So it’s our family’s policy to not say what the latest project is until it is almost ready to be sent to the printer. So do me a favor and don’t ask. Even if you are my BFF, I’m probably not going to tell you. Seriously, it’s not my news to tell.  

*And while we’re on the subject of how long it takes to write a book… you know those bestselling authors that crank out a book every year? I hate to break it to you but either they have a ghost writer doing some of their writing for them, or the quality of their work goes down in direct proportion to their increasing production. I could start naming names but I won’t. Trust me, it’s just not humanly possible to manufacture that volume of pages in that short amount of time. Authors are not robots, and publishers shouldn’t treat their success like a cash cow.  

   3. Just because I am the offspring of an author does not make me genetically predisposed to be an author, too. Thanks for asking, but I don’t have any plans of writing a novel. Ever. Some of my siblings & I have been told we inherited mom’s way with words, but frankly, I’m happier about inheriting my dad’s metabolism.    

   4. You were subjected to startling announcements at the dinner table at times. Your totally nonresistant Mennonite mom might randomly announce “I killed someone today.” True story. A character in the latest fiction project was no longer relevant to the story, so he gets tragically killed in an accident. Problem solved. (Bonus points for you if you know which book this is.)

   5. Writing books does not make an author rich. Fact is, if you tally up the time invested and divide it by the profit that trickles down to the author, he/she is “working for peanuts”. (Yes, if they self-publish they keep more of the profit, but then they also have to pay for their own advertising and marketing. They have cases & cases of books stashed in the basement they are responsible to either sell or lose money on.) Either way, they do it because they love working with words, not for the money. So we didn’t grow up with any luxuries because mom was a writer.  

  6. I don’t memorize the titles of all my mom’s books, so don’t ask me to name them off.  I’ve read every single one, but I don’t like to be put on the spot naming them. Just google it. (Refer back to #1) 

    7.  No one ever reads you your Miranda rights, but anything you say or do can be used against you. Not in a court of law, but in a story. About that… You know the PKs that cringe about being used for sermon illustrations? They don’t have anything on AKs! The published word reaches a much, much wider audience than a single congregation. Just saying.   

Why My Life Is Akin To "The Black Stallion"

   Remember those great classics we all read growing up? Little Women, Little House on the Prairie, Anne of Green Gables, Pollyanna, Cheaper By the Dozen, Where the Red Fern Grows, Gone With The Wind, and All Creatures Great & Small to name a few. Then there is Walter Farley’s The Black Stallion. The story of a horse & a boy. “The Black” is stronger, faster, and smarter than all the other horses, but because of his unruly personality is unable to compete in races. Alec can see the stallion’s potential. He knows if all that power could be harnessed, the horse could be a champion. With love and firmness, Alec trains the stallion, and the horse learns to accept the reins and the commands of his master to utilize his amazing speed and wins an important race.

   

   I know someone who is a lot like The Black. He is strong and smart and “marches to a different drummer”, which gets him in trouble sometimes. Just like the black stallion had to learn to accept reins and the commands of a master, my someone had to learn discipline and accept training to harness his quirks into something useful -in order to become a winner, too. We all have this deep need to fit in, so it's not an easy thing to feel constantly out-of-step with everyone else. 

   And like Alec had to keep believing in the stallion’s potential, even when it wasn’t going so well, as a mom I’ve had to ‘believe it forward’ through the ups and down of this roller coaster ride of life. 

   April is Autism Awareness Month. I’ve written quite a bit about our journey in the past, so there really isn’t anything new to say this year. Currently I am reading “Different: The Story of an Outside-the-Box Kid and the Mom Who Loved Him” by Sally & Nathan Clarkson. Even though Autism/Aspergers is not part of Nathan’s diagnosis, this book is an encouragement to me on so many levels. There are chapters about Wrestling God, Different Drumming, and Beyond “Why Me?” among others. I highly recommend it if you are dealing with a challenging child in your life.

   Here’s to the brave kids who are ‘different’, and the parents who are believing a loving Creator has an intentional plan for their life. (Especially when they can't see it yet.)  

   

“God is out there in the dark right past the spotlight, watching me perform this song called life.

 I don’t think He’s waiting for mistakes or counting the mess-ups.

I think He’s waiting to jump to His feet in applause.”

–Nathan Clarkson

Our Latest Travels

What a interesting, fun, crazy ending to March we've had! When we travel, things NEVER go as planned. Read on...

First some background. When my in-laws purchased a house in Florida back in 2002 and became "snow birds", 'Grandma' missed the grandchildren during the winter months so we dutifully started making the trek to Pinecraft every other winter for her sake. At first our children were small and could easily sleep on sofas and/or the floor, but now they are adults and living with Grandpa's is much too cramped. For the in-laws sake, as much as ours, we said "enough" and determined to rent a house instead when we vacation in FL. (Somehow we've become hooked on going to FL, so it's not really an option to just stop going.) We hardly even knew where to start looking for a rental, but then our DIL got us connected with her uncle's new rental house. We hit the jackpot, but more about that later.
 We reserved the house for mid-January 2018, but then came the news of a grandbaby due right at that time. We just knew we wouldn't be able to tear ourselves away when it was time for baby Miller to make an appearance, especially considering that babies tend to be unreliable about observing due dates. So we rescheduled -the next available dates were for the last week of March. (With dreams of newborns dancing in our heads, we failed to take into consideration that this was also the infamous spring break for college kids, and Easter weekend, and other assorted scheduling conflicts.) 
   Late March is a bit of a gamble- one never quite knows what the weather will be like. It seems frivolous to spend hard-earned cash on a vacation down south when we are getting an early spring at home. But lucky us, this year did not produce an early spring and the cost of soaking up sun feels justified. Everyone kept telling us we're going to love it in FL after the peak tourist season. This was the first winter we had the option of choosing anything other than Christmas vacation or winter break from school.
   A couple months ago we discovered we are booked to go to FL the same weekend as the Truck Show in KY, which we always attend. To make a long story short, we decided Richard & I would attend the truck show Thursday & Friday, then drive down to Florida from there. Jeremy & Arianna would fly down on Saturday and we'd pick them (and my parents) up at the airport. This would solve the rental car problem, the limit on luggage, and eliminate buying as many plane tickets during the [spring break] price spike.   

The next chapter of my adventure revolves around my group of former Hillcresters. We ladies get together at least once a year, sometimes more. These are still my people. If you would've told me 30 years ago that the staff girls I worked with then would still be my 'besties' today, I probably would've thought "yeah right". But I guess friendships forged through blood, sweat & tears of an overworked, underpaid V.S. unit tend to go the distance. 😊 They are the kind of friend that you can pick up right where you left off no matter how long it's been since you've connected. When the spring reunion was being planned and the dates didn't really work for me this time -being just prior to the aforementioned trip to the Truck Show & Florida- they begged and brainstormed with me how to make it work.
   You know how you hear about those incredibly cheap plane tickets that other people seem to find, but when you check into flights the great deals are never where or when you want to travel? Well, I got to thinking about how awesome it would be if Jeremy already had his pilot's license and could just fly me back & forth... and I decided to check tickets -just in case. Well, knock me over with a feather! I discovered there is a tiny airline that runs 3 flights per day from the little regional airport near the destination of said reunion to my closest international airport for $29 or $49 (depending on a few variables). One cannot drive the same route for that price, due to tolls alone (not to mention the highest gas tax in the nation)! I could not believe my good fortune. Not only does that price buy you a seat on the plane, it also includes 50# luggage. Who knew?! I missed the $29 ticket but snagged the last seat on my preferred flight for $49. I could hardly believe I was doing this... jetting across country by myself like a sophisticated businesswoman or something. The plan was to carpool to the reunion, then fly home a day ahead of everyone else so I would have a full day at home packing for vacation in a sane manner.         

The plot thickens...

So I made it to the reunion and we had a fantastic time catching up and hanging out together at an AirBnB in Lancaster. But then this happened...

Winter Storm Toby hit the east coast.

My flight for Tuesday evening got delayed, then cancelled. I rescheduled for Wednesday morning. It got delayed to afternoon, then cancelled again. No one was going anywhere and we were truly snowed in. Fortunately for us there was a cafe just down the street, in walking distance, that generously allowed us to buy both breakfast and take-out for another meal before they closed. I never in a hundred years thought snow would interfere with my travel plans when I bought the ticket. It's the end of March, for crying out loud! But 'snowed in' we were. 

   Meanwhile back home, it was raining. If I could just get off the east coast... Each step of the way I calculated the new itinerary. If I can get home by ------, I can do this and this to salvage the schedule.  But there was nothing I could do except watch the fat white flakes fall and wait for the storm to pass. So much for being sure that I can't stay till Wednesday and carpool home with the rest of the group! 

Hey, it could be worse. Much worse. No one died. The party simply got extended. 😊 

Thursday morning the airport was plowing out from under the 18" of snow, so it was 7:30 till a runway was open and we were cleared for take-off. 

 A relief to be in the air and homeward bound 

I do have a history of getting airsick, especially in small planes. So the proof of the pudding [about how awesome of a deal this was] was going to be in whether I could fly without getting sick. The plane did have airsick bags in the seat pocket- I checked. The co-pilot also served as the flight attendant and cheerfully informed us that in the unlikely event of a cabin fire she would pass the single fire extinguisher on board back to us passengers. 😁 While we were taxi-ing on the runway, the plane was scootching around on the ice and I wasn't too sure what I was getting myself into, but as soon as we got up to flying altitude we had a smooth ride and I was fine. As a matter of fact, I almost fell asleep. If you know me, that's really saying something because I'm not one of those lucky people that can fall asleep almost anywhere. Overall, I was rather impressed and will keep this airline in mind for future travel. 

So now that I was finally back home, I had to "hit the ground running". A big shout-out to the love of my life for dedicating his day to helping me get home, packed and back out the door again. There was a bookwork snafu that had to be untangled waiting on my desk at home, there were school teachers waiting on their paychecks, there was laundry to be done, there was food and clothes to be packed... he made a trip to the bank & library for me so I could keep working at home. I thought it would be a miracle if we are on the road by 5pm, but we actually pulled out of our driveway at 4:15! I was back on the road before the last ones driving from PA made it home. I had been home less than 6 hours and was packed for the next 10 days. And ...drum roll please... we didn't forget anything. 

We drove to Louisville for the night because the hotel room we had booked was non-refundable. The bottom line is- even though I was stranded in PA for 40 hours longer than intended, we were only 8 hours behind schedule. Winter Storm Toby cheated us out of a couple hours at the show, but we "came out on top" in the end. Afterwards we found out we really didn't miss anything because the [outdoor portion of the] show was covered in 6" of snow on Thursday. In almost 20 years of attending the Mid-America Trucking Show, we have never seen snow there. It's usually greener than at home and the redbuds are blooming. Not this year! I took this picture as proof.  

But I have to tell you, I was so tired Thursday night that I was sleeping almost before my head hit the pillow. Friday was show day and we managed to cover everything we wanted to see in 8 hours. Then  we hit the road again. Traffic was heavy, probably spring break travelers. We planned to stop just below Nashville somewhere, but for some reason every hotel for miles around was booked full and we had to drive to Chattanooga before we found room at the inn. It wasn't anything fancy but it sufficed for a couple hours. 

Saturday morning we were back on the road before daylight. Take my word for it, Krispy Kreme is worth driving 2 miles out of route when the hot light is lit. Just to be sure though, we ate 3. Each. 

 We drove all day Saturday. More heavy traffic. I have never seen the likes of standing in line at a rest area. Crazy! Remind me not to travel over spring break again. Meanwhile my parents and our kids texted us their progress southward. Ironically they both had a layover in Charlotte, but my parents left minutes before the kids landed there. My parents got to Tampa around 4, but we were stuck in traffic and couldn't pick them up till 5. Thanks to cell phones, we could warn them to take their time collecting their luggage so they didn't have to wait too long. Next we made our way to the Sarasota airport and collected the kids. Again timed well- we were circling the airport when they landed and we rearranged luggage to make room for them while they de-planed. We called ahead to order pizza and picked it up on our way to the rental house. It couldn't have worked any better if we had tried.     

Like I mentioned before, we hit the jackpot with this house. Not only is it a nice house in a great location (walking distance of Der Dutchmans 😊), it is fully stocked with just about anything you need for a FL vacation. From beach gear to bicycles to gas grill to high efficiency washer and fully stocked kitchen. And not just mismatched yard sale furniture and dishes either. There was even a coffee bar,  and condiments in the fridge. At first we just walked around opening cupboards and closets, marveling at everything. Ok, so we don't get out much, but we were in awe. I'm afraid we're spoiled; if we can't get this house next time, we're going to think anything else is subpar. I packed so much stuff from home that I didn't need because it was provided.       

And did we ever hit gorgeous weather! It was in the 80* range and sunny every day. 

Sunday we attended the Tourist Church. We discovered the man we were sitting behind was a commercial pilot; he gave Jeremy some advice. The couple who did our wedding portraits were also there. You just never know who you are going to see at Tourist! My parents started on their list of folks they wanted to visit that evening. They haven't been in Pinecraft since I was 1 year old, so do the math. 

Some highlights of our week were: 

grilling steaks

 going to the beach for sunset

going to Jungle Gardens 

 eating ice cream at Big Olaf's -a 'must' every trip!

 eating outside (grilled chicken this time)

 soaking up sun at South Lido

 ...and watching dolphins swim near shore there 

catching up on our loafing

 My mom -the genealogy buff- can't go anywhere without tramping through a graveyard. 

So we took my folks to the cemetery where the best man at their wedding is buried.

 going to the Lipizzan Stallion show

...and meeting the new foal on the farm

 

buying macaroons from the french bakery on St Armands Circle

 trying out KaCey's Seafood 

 living large with fresh produce 

 We are very blessed to still have all 4 of our parents -in relatively good health.

We invited Richard's parents over for a cookout one evening 

 We made our rounds to all the ice cream shops- Orange Leaf, Sweet Berries... 

yes, it was in the budget! 😀

(We completed the Financial Peace University classes while we were in FL)

We checked out of the rental Saturday morning and hit the road, heading north. Dreading the long drive doesn't make it any shorter. But we had 4 capable drivers to take turns this time. Traffic was very heavy again and it took 2 hours longer to drive out of FL than usual. The farther north we got the more traffic thinned out. We arrived home at 4:30am Sunday morning. It sure didn't feel like Easter to us! We slept several hours, then Josh & Ang brought Avery over -we missed this precious little munchkin so much while we were gone! She's not a big fan of FaceTiming yet.  

We tried to bring the lovely weather home in our suitcases, but obviously it didn't work. That 1" of snow on the ground this morning? Boooo!