Can you feel it?

Did you feel the change? Did you?!?

I know the official first day of fall, according to the calendar, is still several weeks away. But, according to my expert opinion, the first day was earlier this week - on Tuesday.

Several years ago, I became aware of the shift in the weather that occurs as summer releases its hold and fall is allowed to creep in - and I've been able to observe it every year since. The wind blows the strongest during the spring, but it blows a little in the fall, as well. We were enjoying hot, still summer days until Tuesday. Out of the blue, it was crazy windy. Did you notice? And now, if you are still, you can feel that there's a decided change in the air. It's crisp. There's a sharpness that wasn't there before. You can especially feel it in the mornings and evenings, when the heat of the day is not quite so intense.

Aagh...fall! It's my favorite time of year. I'm praying this year it'll be a few weeks longer than normal, because it's always over far too soon.

Fae...do you think Starbucks would go ahead and make a few pumpkin spice lattes for us just a few weeks early, or will we have to wait?

SARAH - Big & Brave

Our usual Sunday morning routine goes something like this:

1) Roll out of bed as late as possible - which means about 6:45, since Owen isn't allowed out of bed until 7:00.

2) Get the boys fed, dressed and ready to leave for church.

3) Get Zach fed, dressed and ready to leave for church.

4) I throw clothes on and toss everything else I need in a bag so I can put myself together at my parents' house.

5) Drop Zach off at church so he can do music practice until it's time for services to begin.

6) While Zach is busy with that, the boys and I go to my parents' house to hang out/get ready/etc until it's time to go back to church.

Since I'm the mom and the driver, I get to choose the route the boys and I take from Edgewood to Moriarty. During the summer, I insist on Dinkle Road. Once you pass the squatty trailers and other small-town stuff, you get to the most amazing farmland. I don't know what it is, but the sight of all those sunflowers, wild grasses and tasseled corn fields sets my heart to swooning. It's beautiful! Takes me back to childhood days of exploring country roads with my brother and sister on our bicycles. We pretended to be the Dukes of Hazard--I was Daisy.

Anyways.

On our way back to church yesterday, I spotted a snake sunning itself on the other side of the road. Since we had plenty of time before church was going to start (and because I figured the boys would think it was cool), I decided we should turn around to check and see if it was a rattler. I told the boys that if it was a bull snake, we were going to leave it alone, but that if it was a rattler we'd run over it. It was a big, 'ol rattler. Darn it.

As a side note, you should probably know that I have a fairly big problem with dead things. They creep me out. Coming across a dead bird in the yard, attending a funeral, it really doesn't matter. It makes me uncomfortable - I really don't like dead things.

Being the ferocious, protective Momma Bear that I am, though, I've often thought about situations in which I'd have to kill a snake in order to keep my boys safe. I know my mom has had to do it, with a shovel, no less. She's one tough lady, but surely I could do the same. So, I felt pretty fortunate that my first run-in with a snake was going down with me behind the wheels of nearly two tons of steel.

Ha! Succumb to my rubber, vile creature!

I backed up the car, took a deep breath, and hit the gas. I was TOTALLY unprepared for actually feeling and hearing the THUMP THUMP of the tires going over the snake. Ugh! (Shudder!) The little fuzzy hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention and, when I checked my side-view mirror and saw it flip, flop and flail its way off into the grass, a huge chill ran down my spine. I forgot about that part. Ick. Did I mention that dead things bother me? Well, dead things that can still move bother me even more.

My smarty-pants Caleb insisted that since it moved off into the grass it wasn't dead.

Caleb: "Mom missed it."

Mom: "No, Caleb, we most certainly did hit it - didn't you feel the THUMP THUMP?"

I had to explain to him how some things can still move a little, even after they're dead. I think he was equally as grossed out, because he didn't accost me with his usual barrage of follow-up questions.

Anyways.

The experience probably could have been trivial, but not for me. I was super-brave driving my big, 'ol car over that yucky snake. Since it unnerved me so, I'm not feeling quite so capable if I ever have to face one without 2 feet of ground clearance and an entire SUV between us. I think I may change my strategy. No more daydreams of shovel-wielding grandeur for me. No way, Jose. I think the boys and I will just run and hide. From here on out, taking care of snakes is most definitely a daddy job.

(Thank God for daddies!)

"Nesting" with my BFF

Ever the enterprising entrepreneurs, Faerl and I are once again up to either no good or lots of good, depending on your outlook. Either way, we're having tons of fun! Faerl found a fun shop in town that is, basically, an indoor flea market. We've often dreamed of having a home decor, re-sale type shop of our own. She saw this market as a very fortuitous way for us to dip our toes into the world of shop ownership without actually taking on all of the major overhead expenses and things that complicate business. So, we've rented a 10x10 foot space, we're calling it nest and we're going to stock it on August 2nd! As usual, our vision and aspirations are far above and beyond the Average Joe's, but we wouldn't have it any other way. Hopefully, it will result in making a great and lasting impression with customers! We've been scouring garage sales, digging through bins (haven't quite resorted to dumpster diving yet, but if there's something cute down there, I can't guarantee it won't happen), shopping clearance racks, re-finishing, re-furbishing and having a great time - all in the name of building up our inventory! Our basket has, indeed, been blessed thus far and we're really praying that God will bless the fruit of our labor.

Yesterday was the first chance we've had to really set everything out in one spot to look it over and start sorting things out. My den was a disaster, but all of our things felt so cohesive, wonderful and cozy! I have a feeling this nest will be quite comfortable! We couldn't resist taking some pictures...


PS - I love you, Fae Mae! You're such an amazing friend! Thank you for being such an ever present source of strength and encouragement.

Moo?

Through trial and error, I've come to be about 90% sure that Nathan has a sensitivity to the protein in dairy products. He's got lots of the symptoms - congestion, stuffiness, constipation, gas... Poor baby! The only way to remedy these complaints is to remove all the dairy from my system. It's a surprisingly long process before he'll see the benefits (close to three weeks), but if it helps him feel better then it'll definitely be worth the effort.

But, I have one question. How in the world do you not eat any dairy? I've been on the equivalent of a see-food diet pretty much all my life: If I see it and I want it, I eat it! Besides the fact that cheese, yogurt, milk, ice cream (etc) all fall fairly high on the list of my favorites, it seems like there's dairy in just about everything!

So, seriously, how do I do this? I'm perusing the internet for ideas, but if you have any words of wisdom, I'd really appreciate your help!

Nathan's little insides thank you...

On the Run

Yippie! I'm running again! Well, maybe not this week. Besides the fact that Zach is out of town and therefore it's impossible to get out of the house sans boys, it's been 100(ish) degrees all week long. Ugh! Yes, I run, but only in fair weather. Anyways. I've been able to sneak out about 3 times so far (post baby) and I've done pretty well. It's been encouraging. My goal is to run the 5k at the Duke City Marathon in October. I know I'll be able to do it. I doubt I'll do it quickly, but whatever. Who ever said that running had to be done quickly?

Besides the heat, there have only been two real obstacles, thus far, to my running this summer:

1) SMALL EARS. That's right. If you've never noticed, it's probably because they're so small that you missed them entirely. How does this inhibit running? Well, they definitely don't catch drag, so that's a plus! But, I have a darn hard time keeping my ear buds in when I run. They're all too big. I thought I figured out a solution when I decided I'd just buy a set of kid sized ear buds. But, they don't make ear buds for kids! Darn it. (I guess it really would be a bad idea to encourage kids to shove things in their ears. More on that subject, here.) But, I did finally find a set of buds that comes with an extra small pair. It works! I still have to jam them in, which isn't super comfortable, but such is the price you pay for being born with teeny ears, I guess.

2) TIRED MUSIC. I can't run without music. It's just too stinkin' boring. I have a playlist of songs that I used all last summer (before I was pregnant) that helped push me onwards. But, I'm not sure if I can listen to any of those songs even once more. I've gotten to where I actually cringe when I hear them beginning to play. And some of them were good songs, too. I need some new music - bad! Does anyone have any good suggestions for some motivating music that'll help get me in the mood to pound some pavement? I'd really appreciate it!!!

Anna = Nurse

nurse

  /nɜrs/ Show Spelled [nurs] noun, verbnursed

As a noun...

1. a person formally educated and trained in the care of the sick or infirm.

2. any fostering agency or influence.

Yes, Anna is a nurse, but, at the same time, she's so much more. It's not just what she IS, it's what she DOES.

As a verb...

1. to tend or minister to in sickness, infirmity, etc.

2. to try to cure by taking care.

3. to look after carefully so as to promote development; foster; cherish.

But even yet, it's so much more. It goes farther, still. It's not even who she is or what she does. It's HOW she does it.

She tends to others, consistently and tirelessly putting them and their needs before her own.

She ministers to souls. Ushering them through life's most significant and memorable events - be they ones of immeasurable joy or profound sorrow.

She anticipates. She empathizes. She pours herself out. She prays.

I pray that you, Dear Anna, have at least some small idea of how far your touch of love, compassion and healing has reached. It is breathtaking.

I love you, Sister. Happy Nurses' Day!

Words (for a mom and dad) To Live By

Last night, at Caleb's end-of-the-year music performance, his chapel teacher said something that really rang true:

"Raising kids
takes lots of
really long days
and just a few
very short years."

Not so easy to remember in the middle of all those long days, but it's true. It's passing in the blink of an eye...and I don't want it to. Just a reminder to cherish every moment...