Eliminating Hurry
Had a great time last night! Dave got home from work early, mom took Ben to karate and hung out with Mollie & Andrew at her house while we were out enjoying the evening. It made for a more pleasurable night for me....no guilt for leaving the kids!
We had our usual: Dave, prime rib; me baked scallops. And then of course we had to have dessert...New York style cheesecake with raspberry sauce compliemented by a delicious cup of coffee. Very relaxing and the best service one could ask for.
After dinner, we went for a drive along Palm Beach, being nostalgic and all. That's what anniversaries are for, to reflect, right? Well, that we did.
We then decided to drive by my brother and sister-in-law's old house in
Flamingo Park to see what the new owners have done to the place. To our surprise, they were sitting outside drinking a glass of wine, enjoying the cool ocean breeze. We pulled up and starting chatting and before we knew it we were in the house taking a tour! We stayed for about thirty minutes sharing stories of days gone, when West Palm was a different place. When it was slower, quieter and simpler.
I guess change comes with the territory....that territory is time. It never stops, always pushing us forward into places we're unfamiliar with, but can hold great joy if we just relax and go with it. Busyness is what often times robs us of the joy we could have. John Ortberg, in his book,
"The Life You've Always Wanted" says one of the disciplines we need in our lives in order to acheive "life we've always wanted", is that of "furiously eliminating hurry from our lives." I couldn't agree more. It's scriptural: "Be still and know that I am God," Psalm 46:10. How can we know God when we're so busy we don't have time to get to know Him? If God wants us to be still, He must have a very good reason. So that's the challenge I'm giving myself this next year, to "furiously eliminate hurry from my life" - why don't you join me?
Labels: ponderings
18 Years!
This past Sunday, August 26th, Dave and I hit the 18 year mark of our marriage. Tonight we're going out to celebrate this great achievement at our most loved restaraunt,
The Raindancer. It's a local favorite steakhouse comparable to Ruth's Chris, but they've been around for over 30 years. Growing up it's actually the place my parents celebrated a few of their own anniversaries and now the tradition has spread to another generation!
Here's a bit of trivia for you....18 years is considered the "porcelain" anniversary. I guess that's the gift you're supposed to give. Or maybe it just means you should be eating off of it in the form of a dinner plate as opposed to the paper plate you started off with on your 1st year of marriage (which is considered the "paper" anniversary). Who knows?
Clipart from:
Clipartheaven.comLabels: family
Last Saturday, Andrew took this picture of a spider taking up residence under the eaves of our house. We were having a family work day in the yard when he ran in and grabbed one of my cameras to capture an image of this creepy little arachnid. Any idea what kind it is?
Labels: fun pict's
Surprise Visit!
Saturday morning at 8:15 I received an unexpected phone call. Our dear friends were in the area after recently moving away and wanted to spend Saturday night and Sunday with us. That was a no-brainer! Of course they would stay with us! They arrived around 10 p.m. and we stayed up drinking coffee and chatting until 2 a.m. The kids actually put themselves to bed while the four adults continued catching up until we couldn't hold our eyes open any longer.
8 a.m. and we were sipping on coffee again, enjoying biscuits & gravy and scrambled eggs. We had so much catching up to do after two months of only a handful of quick phone calls and emails.
What a gift it is when you meet up with a family that shares so many of the same life goals, priorities and interests. Our hearts have been knit together by the Holy Spirit and forever bonded by the blood of Christ. What a joy it is to have kindred spirits to reveal the reflections of our hearts and encourage one another in our walk with the Lord.
The day progressed quickly and before we knew it we were facing good-byes once again. However, three of their children are staying with us for a couple of nights and then we'll meet up before they have to head north. That's the good-bye that will be difficult, as we don't know when our next face to face will be. God is good, though, and He gave us this little gift of their company at the last minute, so I know He has more surprises ahead!
Labels: friends
Countdown to New Hampshire
In less than two weeks Mollie and I will be flying to New Hampshire with my parents for my aunt and uncle's 50th wedding anniversary. It's a big surprise for them and a big treat for us, me especially as it was 12 years ago since my last visit.
My family moved to Nottingham, N.H. my freshman year of high school and lived there until '89. It was a big change for us as the climate is obviously quite different than the Florida climate we were used to. I never fully adapted to the cold temperatures and similarly cold reception of the locals. I do, however, have many fond memories of the area and look forward to showing my daughter the beautiful landscape of the new england coastal area where I spent my adolescent years.
We'll only be in town from Thursday to Sunday, Saturday being the day of the anniversary party, so our time is limited. Some of the places that won't be missed, though, will be -
Nubble Light in York, Maine (the BEST salt water taffy ever!); University of New Hampshire campus and the
Durham Dairy Bar (a very old train station in which the terminal was turned into a "Dairy Bar" with the most amazing ice cream on the planet);
The Weathervane restaurant (incredibly delicious seafood). Funny how all of my must-see spots involve food!
Labels: family
Definitely Mac!
Some time ago I shared with you a dilemma we were facing as a homeschool family regarding our computer situation. We were in the midst of deciding which direction to go...add a third Mac or cave to a PC. We'll, waiting on the Lord sure pays off! Here's where we landed:
The friends I mentioned in my previous post gave us their old eMac due to some serious issues they were having with it freezing up. My husband did some online research on this dinosaur of a machine and discovered an interesting bit of information. There was still a warranty attached to our new beast...one that included free replacement of the mother board. All we had to do was prove to the "Geniuses" at the Apple store that our computer had mother board issues. This was no easy task. We got the feeling they would have rather seen us throw the relic into a dumpster and have us purchase a brand-stinking new gMac. After putting in a new hard drive to rule that out as the cause of our problems, we finally made a little headway. But they still pushed back....well, they obviously didn't know who they were dealing with! That Russian blood my husband carries through his veins has a stubborn streak in it not to be reckoned with!
After three trips to the Genius Bar and not a little vexation, they finally agreed that it was the motherboard and sent it off for repair. About a week later, we received the long anticipated phone call...she was ready for us to come pick her up. We eagerly made our final trip to the Apple store to retrieve her. Once through the doors of our home, we plugged her in and...she worked! And beautifully at that!
To quickly finish my story, my "computer guy," aka Super Dave, aka my husband, installed "Virtual PC" last night and we can now run Windows on our Mac, very weird! Benjamin and Mollie can now begin using the home school software we purchased! I'm very happy about that; I'm not sure if they are! In the end the total cost of pulling it all together: $60 for the hard drive, a few dollars in gas driving back and forth to the Apple store, $120 for Virtual PC. Not bad!
Labels: gadgets
First Day of School!
Today was our first day of school! Andrew is officially in 10th grade, Mollie in 8th and Benjamin in 4th.
We are a family of many traditions and getting ready for a new school year is no exception to our long list of rituals. Every year we take a day with my mom and head out with the kids to buy school supplies and a new first-day-of school outfit. This year the boys picked "The Punisher" t-shirts. They look a little creepy, but they were very excited about them, and knowing that he's a comic book hero makes it easier for me to swallow. Last year Andrew picked a Monty Python and the Holy grail shirt that said "I fart in your general direction". I'll take The Punisher over that one!
So our first day back after a long summer went pretty well. We are easing into our classes. Andrew started one of his four
Florida Virtual School classes, Geometry. Mollie started two of her FLVS classes, Science and Reading. Next Monday they will start their remaining online classes~Andrew - Chemistry, English II & American Government; Mollie - Language III & Science, as well as "Teaching Textbooks" Pre-Algebra. It's a heavy load, but it's also their third year doing the online classes, so they're semi-pro at it by now!
Benjamin is doing math and language with the "Switched on School House" computer program. It's my first year using something like this with him. I'm sure I'll have something to say about it in a future post. Besides that program, I'll be doing reading and history with him by reading historical novels (two birds with one stone--thank you SonLight!)
Most of the morning was spent organizing and scheduling. We also laid some ground rules for "The Devi'ls Triangle" (credit to Deb). This led into some negotiating as the boys have different preferences than Mollie when it comes to the technological threesome. Andrew and Benjamin decided on 1/2 hour in the afternoon and 1 hour in the evening of television; 1 hour in the afternoon and 1/2 hour in the evening of computer time. Mollie opted for 1 hour in the afternoon and 1 1/2 hours in the evening of TV, 15 minutes in the afternoon and 15 minutes in the evening of computer time. All three of them receive ZERO playstation time during the week. They do, however, have 3 hours of PS2 over the weekend which starts Friday at 4 p.m. and ends Sunday evening at 7 p.m.
Our last two components to this years program will be Rosetta Stone Russian (Andrew) and 4-H study of Florida history with our home school co-op. I feel fairly comfortable with the direction we're headed this year (key word "fairly"). I have my shakey moments of anxiety and doubt, but that's when my home-school mentor and dearest friend, Stacy comes in handy! She's a priceless resource and all home-school mom's should have one of her! Oh, wait, they can't, there's only one and she's mine!
Labels: home schooling
I just found a website called
Cool Running. If you click on the "Training" tab at the top you'll find several articles on training for those getting ready for a race or even if you just want to improve your workout. No matter what kind of runner you are, novice or competitive, you'll find useful information on this website. They even have a "Cool Running Virtual Trainer" to get you started!
Labels: running
Hurricane Dean
This season's first
hurricane is making it's way west toward the Antilles. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that it never makes it to Florida!
Labels: weather
Geography Lesson
I love geography. The way God made our world so extremely different geographically from region to region just amazes me.
I've lived in Florida most of my life so it's home to me. Home is comfortable, mostly unchanging and sometimes boring (in a good way!). When you get used to living somewhere you take for granted the beauty that may be surrounding you. Take for instance the beach. For those of you who are land locked, the beach is more than likely a novelty. As much as I love the sand and surf, I really don't spend much time there, I think because it's so familiar I just pass it by without much thought. I forget that I have, just a few miles up the road, the warm waters of the gulf stream flowing by. I instead, look at the hatchling tree frogs (a reptile I really have much disdain for!) climbing all over my windows and feel like I'm living in a swamp (we actually do border the Everglades!!)! In my mind, I consider all of Florida as a swamp and presume that in order to see real beauty I must travel by car the 6 hours it takes just to cross the border into another state.
This vacation I realized that I don't have to leave my giant peninsula to enjoy the diversity of God's creation. There are many places here that people from all over the world come to explore. The photos above is one of those places. I knew springs like this existed, but didn't think they would be as stunning as they actually are.
Alexander Springs is located in the Ocala National Forrest. The spring basin is about 300 feet wide and 30 feet deep with the surrounding area being a white sand floor of about 2-4 feet deep. The water temperature is a constant 72º year round (cold to us Floridians, but warm to the Europeans and Northerners!) It costs $4 per person to enter but is well worth the small fee, especially in the summer when the heat index is well over 100º! It has a beautiful picnic area blanketed with enormous oak trees covered with hanging moss. There are also clean restrooms and a conscession area. A word of warning....weekends bring large crowds to the point of turning people away. You'd be wise to go on a weekday!
Labels: fun facts
Music for Your Enjoyment!
Well, I'm trying something I think is cool....a little music for my readers! If you scroll down to the bottom of my blog you'll see a "jukebox". From what I can tell YOU can pick a song from the playlist. Let me know what you think and how it works on your end. If ya'll like it I can start taking requests!
Labels: blogging
7 Habits
Some time ago I read a book you may well be familiar with, as it's a popular best-seller in the book stores...
7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It has turned out to be a new favorite of mine and has had a tremendous impact on my life from the area of ministry, to my family relationships, as well as my friendships. Below I've listed the seven habits Stephen Covey discusses in his best seller:
1. Be Proactive (Personal Vision)
2. Begin with the End in Mind (Personal Leadership)
3. Put First Things First (Personal Management)
4. Think Win/Win (Interpersonal Leadership)
5. Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood (Empathic Communication
6. Synergize (Creative Cooperation)
7. Sharpen the Saw (Balanced Self-Renewal)
Each habit is pertinent and compliments the others, but I have an individual favorite that helps me keep things in perspective in my day to day dealings with people.
Habit 5 - Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood, is not instinctive in our human nature. We tend to handle people in the opposite manner, as least I know I have in the past. We're always wanting to be heard, understood or validated in some way, never interested in how the other person feels or where they may be coming from. Due to our sin nature, it's unnatural for us to put others ahead of ourselves. Thus it's an area in which we need to discipline ourselves.
On this subject, Mr. Covey says, "Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply. They're either speaking or preparing to speak...We're filled with our own rightness, our own autobiography. We want to be understood....thus we never really understand what's going on inside another human being." He shares the five levels of "listening". Ignoring, pretending, selective, attentive or empathic. When someone is speaking to us we are listening on one of these five levels and it's usually never to the point of level 5. "Empathic listening is listening with intent to understand...In empathic listening, you listen with your ears, but you also, and more importantly, listen with your eyes and with your heart. You listen for feeling, for meaning."
Is that as convicting to you as it is to me? How often do you listen in this manner? I challenge you to pick up this book and give it a read. These excerpts are just the tip of the iceberg and I promise, you will not be sorry for the investment, as these principles, if applied, have the power to change YOU, thus changing those around you, making your relationships sweeter and stronger.
Labels: books
My family is without fail very generous when it comes to birthday gifts....the celebrations are always a very BIG DEAL! This year for my birthday the gift theme was photography & working out. From my parents I was given a
Tamrac Pro Sling Pack pictured above. I've been looking at these bags for some time and now that I have one I couldn't be more pleased. They thought of everything with these packs, including a "patented Memory and Battery management system that uses red flags to identify available memory cards and batteries." I'm a bit of a freak when it comes to organization so this little bag makes me very happy!
Another sweet gift was from my husband. I spend a lot of time managing the photos I take with the iPhoto program on our Mac, but it's really not sufficient for more than cropping, adjusting the color a bit, and converting to black and white. I've yet to download the program onto my computer, but I'm very excited to get started with
Adobe Photoshop Elements - a scaled down version of the big daddy...Photoshop. Maybe once I hit the limits with this program I'll move up with what the pro's use!
Anyway, I'm very excited about my photography gifts, and I'll be sure to share my thoughts on Elements once I figure the program out!
Labels: family
Silly or Serious??
Every year at the end of our family vacation, we always take a family photo. Last year we decided to have a little fun and do a serious shot and a goofy one. We actually used the silly pose for Christmas cards last year. Who knows? Maybe it will become a new tradition and stick around for years to come...
Here's this years set. Which one is your favorite?
Labels: family
Last Night at Oklawaha
Our last night at Lake Weir was spent dining at one of the only local eateries...Gator Joes. The kids got their traditional vacation t-shirts and the ladies didn't have to cook...a win for all! We played a little Yahtzee and then started gathering up our stuff & packing for the trip home tomorrow. It's always sad when our family vacations end, but we try to focus on the blessings we have. How many families can spend a whole week together without driving one another crazy, never mind actually loving every minute of the day we have on our getaways? It's amazing to me how God loves us so much to give us the joy we have in doing life with our quirky, loving & crazy kin!
Labels: vacation
Happy Birthday to Me!
August 9, 1968, 6:18 a.m. I arrived and lived my next hours at Methodist Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky!
People who share my birthday:
Jillian Anderson (X-Files), Whitney Houston, Deion Sanders, Melanie Griffith & Eric Bana (Hulk).
Interesting Facts:
1945 - US drops 2nd bomb Japan, destroying Nagasaki
1969 - Manson family commits Tate-LaBianca murders
1974 - Richard Nixon resigns, Gerald Ford takes office
1981 - Gary Carter receives All-Star MVP (he goes to our church!)
Labels: family, fun pict's, ponderings
Lake Weir Day 4
Chris, Andrew and Dave literally pulled up a chair in the lake to stay cool while waiting for the big one to bite. All in all day four in Oklawaha brought us two shiney bass and not a little frustration after bass #3 & 4 swam away...shucks! Maybe tomorrow we'll have more luck!
Labels: vacation
Lake Weir Day 3
My day three post comes with a fish tale worthy of gaining a place in the land of blog-lore...
A lake as large as Weir beckons fishermen from far and wide. Some come fully loaded down with a decked out fishing boat and all the gear, others with just a canoe and some choice tackle. The latter is for the adventureous, "wild-at-heart" type and from which our story begins.
At the crack of dawn, when the lake is empty of waverunner's, water- skier's, and speedboaters, the water like glass, a sky blue Wenonah canoe makes its way out onto the warm waters of Weir. Having pieced together the perfect bait & rod along with a map of the lakes topography and peak fishing times, the conditions are perfect for pulling in the longed-for large mouth. All is quiet, still, and the anticipation is mounting as the line pulls here and there.
When suddenly, from out of nowhere, a bulge in the still waters makes its way toward the motorless watercraft. Without warning the vessel begins to roll and its only passenger is helpless to avoid meeting the water. One half mile from shore, fishing is no longer on the mind of this mariner. Finding his life vest and gathering his rod & tackle box is his first priority, then righting his boat while treading water. After 15 minutes of trying to turn the craft to its upright position, the fisherman-turned-swimmer, decides getting to shore is now the greater priority. No help on the horizon, he begins to tackle the distance ahead of him, canoe in tow.
After 45 minutes, relief fills his being as, headed towards his position is a large boat ready to rescue. The locals pull him aboard, checking him for injuries and rushing him to shore where the sheriff is waiting in response to the 911 call that came in for a vessel in distress. In the end all that was lost was the big red cooler, ready for the catch, and the large mouth bass that was expected for dinner. All because my husband, the city-slicker got "powned" by Lake Weir Wake!
Labels: vacation
Lake Weir Day 2
Day 2 started with a beautiful run through tree lined back roads listening to my worship play list...amazing! A few of us later jumped on our bikes for a ride through the same shaded back roads and enjoyed a walk through an old cemetary, reading headstones dated back into the 1800's (that's old for Florida!). We then strolled down to the lake and enjoyed some skiing on the glass-like water. The night ended with fried wings and birthday cake for Mamaw's 82nd. She opened her gifts and then we played a few games, crashing into our cozy beds and cool sheets...a fulfilling end to another day!
Labels: vacation
Lake Weir Day 1
Our first day of vacation started at 3:45 a.m...Grampy's schedule begins much earlier than most! We had breakfast at Cracker Barrel and then made our way to Oklawaha and started the unloading process for our family of 10. We finally were able to enjoy the lake and it's infamous sunset. Beautiful!
Labels: vacation
Vacation Countdown...
36 hours from now our family will be fumbling in the dark toward our overstuffed SUV's (yes that's plural, we're taking three of them!) which will transport all ten of us (my parents, grandmother, brother, sister-in-law and the Kush's) to the middle of our state for our annual family vacation. This year the destination is Lake Weir in Oklawaha, Florida. Yes, it's another one of those funny names you find on signs all over the peninsula! Never heard of it? Well here's my chance, as a home school mom, to give you all a little history lesson!
During the Depression years when people were reeling from the disastrous stock market crash, gangs erupted. Not gangs like we know them today. I'm referring to the bank robbers and kidnappers of the "Bonnie & Clyde" era. One infamous gang in particular was the Barker-Karpis gang, headed up by Kate "Ma" Barker. She and her four sons terrorized the midwest up until the time when the FBI started clamping down and caught up with one of the sons, imprisoning him and scaring the rest of them into hiding. In 1934 Ma and her son Fred, as well as some of the other gang members, found a quaint little town in Florida that was an ideal place to disappear - or so they thought.
They rented a retreat in Oklawaha on Lake Weir, pretending to be vacationers enjoying a getaway. The FBI finally caught up with them and on January 16, 1935 when Ma Barker answered the tap on their front door, she was faced with an agent looking for Fred. She slammed the door and the struggle ensued!
Mother and son were home alone, but had an arsenal at their fingertips and were able to hold their own for hours. Eventually the large number of lawmen and no small amout of tear gas finally prevailed.
Upon entering the home, agents found Ma and Fred dead from "massive gunshot wounds" still holding their guns.
So the legend of "Ma Barker" is still strong in Oklawaha, and the house we're renting, just a stone's throw from the fugitives' famed hideaway!
Labels: vacation
Favorite Breakfast Food
Being a creature of habit, I find something I like and I stick with it. Why venture out into the unknown if you don't have to? I have a top three for breakfast foods, which isn't one of my preferred meals, but I need something to fuel me for the day on occasion. Number 3 is two hard-boiled eggs, mashed with a tablespoon of olive oil margarine, salt & pepper; number 2 is a toasted whole wheat english muffin spread generously with a layer of smooth peanut butter & glass of orange juice in crushed ice, yum! However, my #1 favorite for breakfast is Cascadian Farms' Oats & Honey cereal. I fill a bowl with vanilla yogurt and top it off with a scoop of this delicious granola. Can't beat it after a good run!
Labels: ponderings
It's In the Rib!
Anyone out there ever do a "Strengths Finder" test? I love these tests and if you've taken one you'll understand my love for them because one of my top five strengths is "Input". That just means I love information. I need information to feel satisfied. It took many years for my husband to understand this. As a matter of fact, it took almost 17 years to be exact. That's the year we both took the test and discovered the why's behind the things we do that irritate one another.
I believe a lot of women out there must have "Input" in at least their top 10, don't you think? How many women, as soon as their husbands arrive home from a hard days' work, set to the business of "How was your day? what did you do? what did you eat? where did you go? who did you see? why are you late?" and so on and so forth. Admit it, girls, we do it!
I don't believe in broad sterotypes, but I also don't believe in coincidence. There's a perfectly good explanation for this phenomenon. After God created Adam and had him name all the animals, God said Adam did not find a suitable helper to do life with and this was not good. So he put Adam into a deep sleep and pulled a rib from his side and created woman.
What do you think was in that rib? I think "Input", along with a few other "strengths" (yes, I think of them as strengths!) was deep in the marrow of that bone that Eve was created from. So every time you think about the differences between you and your man, remember, as our dear Pastor's wife, Mrs. Donna says...."It's in the rib, dear."
(cartoon courtesty of stephenwprice.com/ _wsn/page2.html)
Labels: ponderings
