more from saturday at the beach...

day 1, friday, and day 2, saturday.

i had the car packed and ready to go by 2 pm, which is when i wanted to leave.
but steve didn't get home until then... work is never done.
so we pulled out of muscatine at 2:45 pm central time.
and we arrived at the burback's favorite beach, in siesta key, florida, at 1:30 pm eastern time.
22 hours of driving.
and it wasn't all that bad.

and much like labor and delivery, once you are on the beach,
the drive is completely forgotten.


i was so glad that cassie had her camera, i was a bit frazzled, and my photos were not nearly as good as hers.

how amazing really.
an afternoon on the beach with good friends.
22 hours from home.
we are blessed indeed.

home.

which is where we are.
we had such an incredible time...

one that can really only be described with images.

so i will attempt to put some up.

but i have a lot.

so it will most likely be an ongoing process.

do you think if i post photos of 80 degree days, every day, that it will make those days come quicker here?

it's doubtful, but worth a shot.

for real.

i just decided about a minute ago
that i am not going to bring my laptop
on our trip.

i need a break.

and so, i am officially taking one.

see you next saturday.

spring break...

Spring break officially begins tomorrow,
and we will be taking full advantage.

We have been wavering back and forth on whether we should pack up and go somewhere for a while. So late last week we decided we would drive down to the Gulf Coast, to Orange Beach, Alabama for a couple of nights. That way we could show the kids around the area we lived in when Emily was only a baby, and Steve was getting his Master's Degree.

We figured we would drive straight down, (16.5hrs) and spend Monday and Tuesday nights there, then head over to New Orleans for the day on Wednesday, make the turn north, spend Wednesday night in Jackson, MS. then Thursday night in St. Louis, and home on Friday.

Well, yesterday Steve and I saw that the weather doesn't look the best for Monday and Tuesday, thunderstorms likely. What fun is the beach if you get struck by lightning? But we couldn't change our hotels because we went the cheap route with Priceline.

So after about five minutes deliberation, we decided to leave Friday afternoon and drive straight to Tampa (20hrs) and spend Saturday and Sunday night there, before heading over to Alabama on Monday.

The weather in Tampa is supposed to be in the mid 80's.
And we leave tomorrow.
For a 20 hr. car ride, with 7 people.

And I can't wait. :)

Happy Birthday Steve!

Today is Steve's birthday.
(yesterday was my mom's, but she's out of town.)
The kids are so excited to spend the evening with him,
as last year he was in India.

I'm not going to say how old he is...
But all of these pictures were taken the summer after we met, 15 years ago.
We met two days after Steve's 22nd birthday, during spring break at The Master's College.
The next birthday his 23rd, we had already been married 2 months. :)
I love living life with you Steve.
Have a great birthday.

Brody.

hey mom,
this spoon is from when i was born in africa.

*maybe we should start talking a bit about seattle.

Bugsy Malone The Muscial

Emily has spent months at rehearsals.
This weekend was the real deal.
They had two daytime performances on Thursday, and performed at night, on Friday and Saturday.

The kids did great. At times, it was easy to forget they are just sixth, seventh, and eighth graders.

Emily didn't have a big roll, but she was happy to be a part.
I think the theatre is definitely her niche.

We took all of our kids on Saturday night, and they loved it. Sat thru the whole thing, and didn't ask once when it would be over!

Tonight, is Isaiah's band concert...
Let's hope the outcome is the same.

and also important...

spongebob pyramid.

big news

there is a lot of things going on in these parts.
most importantly, as you will see in the sidebar,
we have a new and improved official image and website for
water 4 christmas.
you will find every thing you need there, in a streamlined,
all inclusive site.
if you want to donate, purchase t-shirts, join 300 voices, or just learn a little more about the water 4 christmas campaign, you can do it all there.
jody and kari spent a crazy amount of time putting it together, and they did an amazing job.
go check it out.

and next, the thank you bags (if you signed up to be a 300 voice donor) are in the mail! so exciting! they are adorable, and big, and i take mine everywhere!


oh, and be sure to get a t-shirt over on the wfc site, i had mine on this weekend, at emily's musical, bugsy malone, and someone said, "Oh, i wanted to see those shirts in person before i ordered one... love them."
Go.
Buy.
Wear.
Show your support, and commitment to bringing fresh water to the people of Liberia.

seventy three.

as in, finally a warm day.
we took full advantage and headed to the park.

lots of room to run, and run he did.
it was so nice to be outside.
fresh air.
and more importantly, no snow.

i do believe we even came home with sun pinked cheeks!

stickers.

water.

 

it's march.
don't forget to give..
there are lives at stake.
you can click the link in the sidebar.

and today...

thunder and lightning...
rattling the windows
throwing the pictures on the wall off skew

and once again,
so thankful to be here.
love this.

spring is near.

today.

today was one of those days.
not the bad kind...
it was beautiful.

a warm, no wind, t-shirt kind of day.
a play outside,
hunt for cool rocks kind of day.

it was the kind of day
that makes you remember
why you live in the middle of nowhere.

a take a deep breath
and let it out kind of day.

stunning.

so thankful to live here
in this house, with these people.

especially on days like this.

We've come, to the worst place on earth to raise a child...

Sierra Leone.

i am sure you have heard it before.
it takes 7 cents for a tetanus vaccine.

go.

listen.

and be changed.

watch here.

amy needs...

got this from cassie, who got it from her sister...
go to google.com and type in your name, followed by the word needs.
post the first eight things that come up.

1. amy needs some help drinking apparently..
2. amy needs a LOT, Evidently.
3. amy needs gloves to touch herself
4. amy needs a Dentist Picture
5. amy needs prayer
6. amy needs to know
7. amy needs help
8. amy needs her prince!!

i was a bit afraid to even type number 3, but i figured i had to play honestly.
most of them are pretty funny...

chocolate fudge cake.

isaiah called my mom last week, and asked her if she could make her famous chocolate fudge cake for his birthday.
she and hannah spent the better part of sunday afternoon making it.
and let it be known, it did not disappoint.

love this photo.
he looks so old.
because he is.
hard to believe.

and something about the little baseball guys all lit up,
makes me think of The Field Of Dreams.

and, she was there...

emily was there. i promise.
it's just that, well, she is in 7th grade.
and can't be bothered with brothers.

Dinner.

There aren't many choices here where we live.
So, you can pretty much guarantee, that if a place offers a free birthday sundae, an 11 year old boy is going to pick that place.

Gifts.

This was before the gifts... Nana was trying to keep the boys entertained with a book.

He knew he was getting a rip stick. He has had it planned for about 6 months.
Pretty sure he already knows what he wants next year too.
That is just how he is.

AND, he has been begging for a product red shirt forever.

Nana came thru with a gift certificate to the local sporting goods store, and a really cool collectors book about Yankee Stadium.
He was in heaven.

He's 11.

Today, Isaiah is eleven.
He had a couple of his best buddies over to spend the night on Saturday, to help him celebrate...



I will write more later, when I have a chance to reflect on this day, on that day, eleven years ago, when my world changed.

Hooray for Seattle...

Griffey is back. :)

he's got me figured out.

steve pretty much has me figured out.
if he wants to see this...

then somewhere along they way, these are usually involved.

i love chocolate.
that is just the way it is.
and he knows that.
so, i'll keep him. :)

randomness....

brody likes to tell us how old he is... often.

little boys and daddy.
all of whom can't wait until summer.

Happy Valentine's Day

This year we elected to get a family gift that keeps on giving, for Valentine's Day... as the children would say, a "Hotel Waffle Maker"


And keep giving it did...

because i don't have words...

Unbloggy.

i have been feeling unbloggy lately.
it is not that there aren't things going on,
things that i could talk about.
it's just that i haven't even begun to process thoughts these days.

i don't know why.
it just seems like
sometimes, i don't want to think about stuff.

a friend sticking up for her daughter,
another friend's 25 year old son has cancer,
friends without jobs,
friends dealing with racial slurs being flung at their family.

sometimes it's just too much.
and makes me not want to think.
not process.
be, unbloggy.

A gift for Voices!

We are sending out this great shopping bag to all who have signed up for 300 Voices, as a thank you, as a reminder, as a tool.
This is also the new logo we will be using on everything water related!
Isn't it the best?

We had a very generous donor cover all the expenses for the bags, and we are so very thankful!
So, if you are a voice, be expecting your bag in the next month!
AND, we still need more voices!
Tell all your friends, and your family...
300voices.blogspot.com

it is monday indeed.

steve and i got away for the night on friday.
got home just about ten minutes before church on saturday.
sunday was rushed as well.
lots going on.
school today.
laundry.
dishes.
and my e-mail isn't working.
seriously.
it is monday indeed.

Micah on lifeguards...

Lifeguards are very important.
They save people's lives...
and clean puke out of the water.

i am so blessed.

 

thinking today about other moms
just like me
who cannot even enjoy the kiss of their little boy
because their entire existence
revolves around finding water.
water that is contaminated.
water that will kill
their little boys.

i cannot even begin to imagine
the pain in that.
the pain in not having a choice.
the pain in watching your baby boy
die in your arms.
no longer feeling his kiss.

we can change that for those moms.
and it is so easy.
be a voice.

Oh how I long for early Summer!

i wanna be like tape.

i had this revelation this morning,
while i was putting away the recently purchased new roll of tape.
the only word that was written big enough to read,
on the outside of the packaging, was:
transparent
and i thought, yah, that's what i want to be.
i want to hold things together,
my family, my marriage, my friendships,
all the while
being completely transparent.

love.

my prayer today:

Lord, do not let me be a resounding gong,
a clanging cymbal
to my world,
to my children.

may i approach everyone
with the grace
that i myself do not deserve.

Lord, allow me to glimpse
the people around me today
with the eyes You long for me to have.

give me love.
and only love.
so that i might love
those i deem unlovable,
even if "those"
includes me.