Camp Days and earthquakes

The girls are still at camp and as far as I can tell by the pictures are having fun. I know they will come home tired and stinky tomorrow, but I'm sure they will be filled with lots of stories. Can't wait to hear them!

Meanwhile, we've been holding down the fort. I've got lots of little tasks done around the house. Teddy and I have enjoyed some down time. What has he not enjoyed? Earthquakes. We've had over 30 since the beginning of the year. No joke. Lots you can't feel and mostly at night so sometimes we even miss them. But the ones this past week have been wild! First, there was one just last weekend that made Anna and Patrick wake up. Paige heard a boom in her dream so I know she experienced it to some level. I did not wake at all. Then yesterday we had two during the day that were the biggest ones yet! Teddy was not happy about it and barked and ran around like something was descending on our house. To be fair that's what it sounded and felt like.  While we were at dinner with the Galloways last night, we also felt another large one. Even Patrick felt the earthquake all the way downtown at work which is pretty impressive as it's much closer to the house than the city. All that to say, things are getting weird around here!

Saturday Surprise

Over the weekend, I thought I would check on our youth pastor's wife to see how she was preparing for the week ahead with three small kiddos and no husband. They are also in the middle of transitioning to a new position and home in Birmingham, AL so there's lots of chaos in their lives right now. Turns out it was a good text to send, because the response back made me think about asking her if we could watch her kids on Saturday while she had some alone time. 

So we got all of our chores and packing done early that morning and then went to pick up Haddie (4), Ella Kate (2) and Caleb (11 months). I'm sure glad we had all four of us and it made me think two things: how does their mom, Anna, do this every day and wow, have I forgotten what it takes to take care of young children. Somehow I must have had more energy back when my people were littles. We've come a long way! 

I switched cars and drove the mom van full of children straight to Chick-fil-A drive thru for lunch. We brought it back to the house to eat and there were great cheers of joy! Teddy meanwhile was both apprehensive of jumpy little people and thrilled by their messy crumb dropping. 

We greased everybody up with sunscreen and grabbed some pool time at the Soongs. The kids loved it! Even Caleb warmed up to being in the water and the little sun tanning shelf area in the pool was a huge hit. We wore those kiddos out! In fact, Caleb when straight down for a nap at my house without a fuss and proceeded to sleep for over an hour. Winning!

The girls watched some Spidey Friends show while the rest of us rested for a minute. Whew! Then I did craft, we had snacks, played outside, did sidewalk chalk, picked garden veggies, read books and about a million other things. Oh Haddie sure does remind me of the never ending energy of Anna at that age. Meanwhile Ella Kate managed to grab a cat nap during book time. So cute!

We entertained them until it was time to go to the youth cookout where they were happily reunited with mom and dad. It was such a joy to watch these sweet kiddos and I sure will miss them when they move in just a few weeks. 

Big things! (Youth Camp and Atlanta)

Well, it's been an eventful few days! Patrick and I left for Atlanta on Sunday. He was attending a conference on assessment (yawn!) in Atlanta, so I decided to tag along and spend some time with him solo. It was a fun few days together!

First stop was the hotel which didn't have our room ready by 4 and had a 45 minute check in process. We ended up not getting a room until 9:30, but we actually got a room and some people didn't so I'm not complaining! It was only the first of many things that didn't go well at the hotel, but I chalk that up to a really depleted service industry which is struggling right now. No worries, we dropped off our luggage and went to a Braves game, which was a blast! They have a great downtown area outside the stadium called The Battery and it had lots of eating options. We grabbed a burger at a bar and enjoyed the game.

On Saturday, Patrick headed off to the conference where he had to give a 5 minute presentation to 850 people and knocked it out of the park. There were lots of compliments. I guess if you can make something like assessment sound interesting, it's a win! Meanwhile, I brough a bike and decided to head out to some interest points as well as hit up some urban greenways. My first stop was the Martin Luther King Jr. National Park. I learned some great things in their exhibit and then saw his grave and birth home. It was really inspiring. 

Navigating a few city streets more, I was able to find the Atlanta Beltline which is a 30 mile greenway all the way around the city with affordable housing and businesses along the way. There were lots of runners, bikers and walkers. I loved it! I biked all the way up through Piedmont Park and then to the Botanical Gardens which I wanted to see, but were closed on Mondays. Bummer. I did manage to snag a lemonade at Shake Shack and then text Patrick a picture so he would be jealous. 

It was a beautiful stretch of park in the middle of a large city. However, I was struck by the large homeless population and those suffering from severe mental health issues. It really made me think. I could not even put a dent in this problem, but I did smile and say hello to everybody I passed because I feel like this population often feels unseen. I also was able to pass out a snack to one man who was looking for work. 

After biking and the conference, Patrick and I watched a storm roll in from our 32nd floor hotel room. The elevators are glass so that was a little trippy at first, but the view was really nice. Next we headed out to dinner with some of his colleagues who only had great things to say about him. They were a fun bunch and I love tacos so it was a great evening. 

On Tuesday, Patrick finished up with the conference and I hit the streets again on my bike. This time I went on the Freedom Trail and stopped by the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library. I didn't go inside, but the grounds were nice. The trail was also great, although this one was much more hilly than the day before so I tackled a lot of elevation even with a sore backside and tired legs. All in all, I biked around 14 miles which doesn't sound like much, but on urban streets is pretty good. 

We made it home by the late afternoon and spent much of our three hour car ride whipping up the vote for State Superintendent of Education. There's a runoff today and we really want Patrick's boss to win. These things never have a good turnout, but I'm hoping our efforts managed to get several more votes. Of course, Teddy was happy to see us when we got home. He stayed with the Powells for one night and was loved on by Jonathan and Ms. Ashley. Apparently, he and Cici were much calmer this time. whew!

Meanwhile...where are Anna and Paige?! Well, they headed off to Longridge, a 5 day overnight, youth camp! How are my girls both old enough to be at youth camp? Whah!! The girls youth leader, Katie, who we happened to bring up in the youth group, stayed at the house Monday night and then drove Anna, Paige, Caroline and Madison to camp on Monday. We had everything packed and ready to go so it wasn't tough to send them off. With no cell phones allowed and limited service, we are only getting a few picture updates online. It looks like they are having a blast and no doubt there will be lots of stories to tell on Friday when I pick them up. It's quiet around here for sure. I'm so glad they are off making memories, growing in self-confidence and learning about the Lord, but I sure so miss them!

 

Forts and campaigning

I was tempted this week to pack in lots of adventures, but the girls will be going to camp next week and then we have 4th of July followed by Anna's running camp. So, I decided to let this be a slow week filled with lazy days. The girls have played lots of Legos, read their books, done a bit of schoolwork and even built a huge fort in the living room. It was pretty epic.

Anna has managed to get together with her friends to create a business this summer called Walks for Woofs, a dog walking business. They had a brunch business meeting by (in?) the pool to discuss plans for starting this thing up in our neighborhood. I'm impressed by their work so far, but we'll see how far it really goes. Maybe I'll be surprised!

Both girls went to youth group on Wednesday night. I found it hilarious that stealth Paige has now been dubbed the silent assassin. Apparently, she's pretty quick and fearless out there, two things that do not surprise me in the least. I'm glad to know she had a good time and is feeling more comfortable at youth, which is a good sign for camp next week. Meanwhile, Anna came home with a bit of heat exhaustion considering it was 100 degrees outside. Great reminder to hydrate, don't die-drate!

I did manage to get the girls to help at the campaign office for Kathy Maness who is Patrick's boss running for State Superintendent of Education. We put together about 50 signs and took 20 of them home. Patrick and I put those out later in the day. We also went and voted in the run-off election. Here's hoping she wins as the Republican candidate!

With Patrick home on Thursday and Friday, it was easier for me to do some me things. I managed to run some fun errands and even meet a friend for lunch yesterday. Then I met up with Ashley and Megan to finish up our book we've been working through together called Love Her Well. It's about raising teenage daughters and was so good! It might have taken us a while to find time to get together but I sure enjoyed it. Now I'm off to take some headshots and get things ready for camp!

Father's Day and doing the summer things

The last few days have been both productive and relaxing. I sure do love these slower paced days! We've done various things around the house like closet cleaning, reading, playing games, math and other school work, reading, Legos, etc. We've also managed to squeeze in some pool time while we watched a friend's dog. Sweet Sadie is easy to care for and the Soongs are so generous with the use of their pool. Anna and Patrick are still doing conditioning in the morning for cross country. Since they are up, I've convinced my friend Megan to join me for some walking in the early mornings and that's been nice. 

We loved celebrating our guy this weekend for Father's Day. Patrick is a devoted dad who knows how to play hard and be available for the girl stuff too. He doesn't shy away from the female things, but I also love that he adds his own guy take on things. 

Father's Day was filled with yummy food, church, presents, a nap, sports viewing, a run and some family games. Patrick and I helped with part of the church service so that was fun. All in all, it was a good day. 

And finally, today Anna headed to the movies with her friends. I picked a few of them up and we joined them at lunch, although Paige and I sat at another table with one of her friends. Then we walked them to the movies and left them there for a fun time on their own. That felt a little strange, but good! Meanwhile, Paige played with Juliette, allowing me to get a few things done around the house. Gosh, I need to take some more pictures because I have almost none from the last few days.

Poor Teddy playing (mandatory) dress up

Yay summer!

Time in TN

We were so excited to be in TN for the past week. This was a much anticipated trip to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa as well as catch up with Jessi, John and their crew, who just moved back to NC from the UK. 

We decided to arrive a day early (Thursday) so I could do some prep for the brunch that Jessi and I were throwing on Saturday. Part of our trip was dedicated to a memorial service for Patrick's beloved aunt, MaryAnn. Lots of family and friends from all over the country came into town to remember her life on Saturday. More on that later.  

We hung around on Friday and did some fun things on the farm. Gary loves to take the kids to the creek to get fish. The girls rode go-karts and we all read books on their back porch. It was a nice relaxing day before the rest of the crew arrived late into the early hours of the morning. We loved waking up to greet them and seeing how big the kids gave grown. Teddy, who had to come with us due to lack of care at home, did a great job the entire time with all the young kids around. I'm so proud of him!

Saturday afternoon we attended the memorial service which was a sweet tribute to MaryAnn. The music and stories people shared were beautiful. I was proud of Patrick for reading another family member's tribute and then also speaking eloquently about MA. We sure do miss her-her smile, laugh, great sense of humor, intelligent commentary, book recommendations and thoughtful little "happy gifts." One of the most special moments of the service for me was hearing at the end from a friend and colleague who prayed for her and talked with her about a saving faith in Jesus. We prayed for so long for her salvation and the end did not know if she had come to know the Lord. But he confirmed for us that one day we will see her again and then prayed for the people in the room. What a great relief and comfort! We enjoyed the reception afterward where we could visit with many familiar faces whom we hadn't seen in a long time. 

The following day we hosted the brunch for out of town family out at the farm. I had worked on the menu with Jessi a long time ago so it was just a matter of getting things together. A trip to Sams before we arrived in TN meant I already had some things on hand. Everybody pitched in to help. The kids and Grandpa went to pick flowers. Anna prepared the space outside. Patrick cleaned inside for me. Jessi and I prepped food. It was a great menu with several of MA's favorite foods. We had almost 30 people total and all the family lingered to catch up. It really was a sweet time and I'm glad we could do it. 

The next couple of days were much slower. We did stuff on the farm, visited Grandma Kelly, ate Big Ed's pizza, took some hot walks, caught fireflies and played with the new water slide that I made Kathy buy-ha! It was a huge hit and a lifesaver considering it was really hot while we were there. Anna and Patrick also managed to get some running in during the cooler mornings. I adored my time with each of my nieces and nephews, enjoying how much they have grown and changed. It was also a special treat to catch up with me sister-in-law who I have missed dearly during their time aboard. Thankfully they are now only three hours away!

My only bad part of the trip was when I managed to drop a hot bowl of oatmeal which then splattered up my legs and created some burns. I managed to wipe it off quickly and then start cleaning up the oatmeal. I think was just so shocked and mad that I dropped it that I didn't manage to get upset until a few minutes later when I was alone on the back porch. It hurt! I was more concerned that I did not cry or make the kids concerned. In any event, the burns are healing and no longer hurt. 

We headed home on Wednesday as Patrick had to work on Thursday. It was nice to sleep in our own beds and I'm pretty sure Teddy is dead tired. We've got a down week with some fun sprinkled in before the girls head off to youth sleep away camp. With temps in the 100s next week, I'm thinking we'll find cool things to do.