All of the above.
And this post won't be my best or most profound or most eloquent, but I finally decided that I have to start SOMEWHERE. So here goes... maybe this will get the juices flowing...
And this post won't be my best or most profound or most eloquent, but I finally decided that I have to start SOMEWHERE. So here goes... maybe this will get the juices flowing...
Right now I'm in the mountains... yep. Can you feel the relaxation seeping through the screen? Matthew and Maddie are at band camp, and a friend of Jeff's was generous enough to let us use his lake house near Chattanooga for the week. It.is.amazing. We've walked over 3 miles every day, we've read and done school work, we've cooked dinner together (discovered Dale's seasoning -- made the leftover steak and chicken we brought DELICIOUS!). Fresh veggies, fruit... our delicious granola, fruit and yogurt for breakfast. YUM. We've also played lots of ping pong, which was going GREAT until Jeff got his kill shot perfected... then my bad side came out. :-) :-) We've tried some fishing with no great success, but today on our walk, God had us in the right place at the right time -- we actually helped this couple find their dog that had been missing for 2 days!! And to think we could've easily talked ourselves out of walking! This place is beautiful, and we're having a blast being away together. I miss the kiddos, though! It will be good to see them on Saturday! It's funny, because when we got here Sunday, a few hours later a van pulled up -- apparently the cabin was double booked for the week! This poor couple (with a 3 year old) showed up to find us here! It was CRAZY! Apparently they are friends of the son, and he told them they could use the house for the week, but he didn't put it on the family calendar. We got clearance from the dad, and even met the sister her for a walk through, but I still felt bad for them. AWKWARD!!!
I'm excited that they are in marching band together this year. I hope camp is going well... Maddie still gets nervous for Matthew in social situations. I keep reminding her that his friends (and even his acquaintances) at Wesleyan "get" him, and the appreciate him for who he is. She wants to help, and I know that, but it makes HER a nervous wreck. She loves him dearly and just wants others to do the same I guess.
She has had an AMAZING summer... NYC with Jeff, the beach with all of us, COP with Grace Bowling, Woodlands Camp with Siobhan, and now band camp! We've had some awesome conversations from her experiences at COP and Woodlands... I need to blog about that soon, too. She is a wise soul and God is doing so much in her and through her! She has also had a significant "trial" with an old friend, and her responses were so very mature! I'm proud of her, and I continue to pray that she seeks God and His will for her - in the big AND the small things. She amazes me!
Matthew has had a great summer, too - Writers Workshop at Rhodes College, the beach, ICAN Summit in Orlando, marching band leadership retreat, pre-camp and now official band camp! He's really doing well, but he's definitely in the selfish teenager "It's all about me" and "I really do know everything so I'm not sure I value your perspective or advice" stage. But on the flip side of that, as soon as we have a heart-to-heart -- and we've had some long ones in the past few months -- he'll tell me things like, "I've really been thinking a lot about what we talked about. Thank you SO much for taking the time to talk with me." or "thank you SO much... no one will ever care for me like you do and have." Heartfelt gratitude. Twice we sat together and he prayed the most beautiful, heartfelt prayers. The big things have been time management, both in his work and when showering/getting ready for bed, humility, and time with technology. It's so hard! And sometimes I'm so tired of so many things being so hard or so "unnatural" for him. Then I have to look at how far he has come and how great he is doing. God has this, and I want him to use me -- I have to remember it's not up to me.
So, pretty soon I'll blog more specifics about Maddie and Matthew... but I thought I'd at least make a start!!
