Just Another Day

Holy Moly! How has it already been a month since I last updated?

Life has been moving crazy fast. Today I am taking the  day to relax and catch up around the house. (And by catch up, I mean sit on the couch and not clean.) Right now, Bill and I are listening to “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me” on NPR. It makes me feel old that I have radio shows that I like to listen to.

So, what have we been up to? Well…

Of course the start of school takes a lot of our focus. It’s strange… this is our 9th year in the field, but with (relatively) new positions for both Bill and I, this start up has felt a little chaotic. The time we actually spend doing what we do, however, has been great.

Our days have been full with visitors and visiting as well. Bill’s folks are staying at their cabin this fall. It’s nice to close the 3000 mile gap for a few months. We’ve taken two weekends to head over to the cabin, and Barb made her way up to our place for a couple of nights as well. We also had our friend, Inkari, staying with us for a couple of weeks. She and another teacher brought over 15 students from Germany. We played on the lake and got out in the woods. We are so glad that we agreed to host Inkari two years ago before we’d ever met. We look forward to the next chance we get to see her and Peter, too!

Sawyer and Laurin have been out to play a few times. I think that Miss Kate’s social schedule has been booked up. That little girl is always on the go.  I did get to stop and see “Lukesie” who is starting to bulk up a little bit. All of the little ones are growing, growing, growing.

I think I’ve spent more time in the boat lately than I did all summer. We’ve had unseasonably warm weather this fall. It’s been wonderful.

So, life is good. I feel like I’ve been able to catch up a little bit this weekend. Perhaps this feeling will be gone come 6 a.m. tomorrow, but I’m soaking it in for this moment. I hope each of you has a minute for yourself this coming week.

Every year I get that annoying song from Billy Madison stuck in my head… “Back to school. Back to school…” Aside from trying to shake that nonsense away, things are going pretty smoothly. I’ve got the night before school jitters – one of those things that I’m sure will happen for the next 100 years that I’m a teacher. I’m anxious and nervous to have my kiddos in our classroom. I’ve got a million activities planned, but I’m convinced that I’ll run out of things to do. This first week is about learning the schedule and routine (myself as much as the kids), and I know I’ll be exhausted every single night. The weekend will arrive, though, in just 4 short days. Then I can spend a little time really wrapping my head around the school year, and soon it will feel like I’ve been doing this all my life. In a way, I kind of have. 🙂

Happy back to school season – whether you’re a teacher, student, parent, or just another Target shopper that’s been bombarded with the seasonal sales since July!

We have had a very busy summer. And somehow, as it seems to happen every year, we are nearing the end of our vacation and wondering where it went.

Not long ago, I used a phrase that I often do, “Well, when we win the jackpot…” It’s one of those things people just say – especially me when I’m feeling like I deserve more. This time, however, my dad responded with, “I think we’ve already hit the jackpot.” And you know, he is so, so right.

When I stop to count my blessings, I can hardly believe how good life is. This especially hits me when I think about the many variations of difficult situations that many families face every single day. So, while I’ll probably never know what it feels like to cash million dollar checks, I already know how lucky I’ve been to:

spend the hottest week of the summer in the BWCA

celebrate the big and small things in life with a DQ ice cream cake

have a great neighbor

spend evenings laughing ’til our stomachs hurt

share in a friend’s wedding day

get a visit in with my mom

share our 4th of July traditions with the next generation

be a part of a family work project – even if my only contribution is some tasty treats

chase these adorable little monkeys around

share all of this with my best friend

Yes, we’ve hit the jackpot.

Bill and I were fortunate to be able to head out to the Johnson’s for a few days after a busy week of work. We were so happy to be greeted at the airport and whisked away to enjoy the sunshine by their pool. Though we try to keep up with each other throughout the busy school year, there is always so much to talk about when we get together. No matter how much time has passed, we’re always able to pick up right where we left off.

I loved meeting all of James’s pets – he has all kinds of exotic creatures that he loves to share. He’s full of information and eager to answer any question I could come up with. What a bright little boy! We were also fortunate to get some time with Abbie, who has turned into a full fledged teen! During our short 3 day visit she had babysitting obligations, volleyball try-outs, and lots of friends to text and talk to. I just have to say, though, that she is still sweet as ever!

We took advantage of our second day of sunshine as well. Stacie and I got ambitious and headed out for a jog that morning. What fun to have a partner to help keep my mind off the pain of exercise. 😉 We continued our day with the crew out to Mt. Hood, an adventure park along the way, and Multnomah Falls. It was gorgeous!

On Monday morning, Stacie took me to her Zumba class. It was SO MUCH FUN! I was seriously concerned about looking like a total idiot, but I quickly realized that the class moved so quickly no one has time to notice what anyone else is doing! It was a blast. I also got a chance to meet Stacie’s friend, Carrie, at the class. It’s always nice to meet the people who fill your friends’ lives – so, another bonus to the class!

Josh was at work, so after a morning of dancing, we hung out at the house – eagerly awaiting news of Abbie’s first day of try-outs. Stephanie and the girls came over, and we gabbed, sat in the hot tub, and shared a tasty dinner. It was hard to make the decision to head to bed that night. We’d spent hours laughing (at times so hard I was crying) and trying to pretend that it won’t be another year before we see each other.

The best part of the visit, I think, is knowing that even if another year passes – and perhaps another after that… whenever we are back together a million things will have changed for each of us, but our time together will be the same: easy and perfect. That’s just how it is with family.

I have an incredible love for all things summer. I love sleeping in. I love being lazy. I love… floating in the lake, spending time with people I don’t see often, doing whatever I feel like. This summer we have been blessed with amazing weather as well. I am feeling quite lucky!

I’ve also decided that I’m going to coordinate all of my outfits with my nieces and nephews. (Isn’t that guy so sweet!)

Probably the most exciting part of this week around here was the conclusion of Bill’s master’s program. He has officially completed his Masters of Educational Technology, and I am SO PROUD of him.

This week we will focus on enjoying some days without any real plans. I’ve got 2 books I’d like to read before vacation ends. (I’ve started The Help and am loving it.) I’m also looking forward to some more time with friends that will have to head back home soon. There are definitely some chores I need to tackle this week – and, well, I believe there will be some floating in the lake to do as well. 🙂

A couple of days ago I popped in on a friend and we both had the idea of heading to a strawberry farm. So, we looked up the details and headed out yesterday morning. It was perfect for picking, and I left with three buckets of beautiful, sweet strawberries.

I promptly washed and stemmed the berries before eating a bunch, freezing some, eating some more, and making jam!

This is my first attempt at jam, and really I should admit that it’s freezer jam – no canning necessary. But it looks awfully pretty, and it smells awesome. I think this will be a perfect match for my scones!

I couldn’t have wished for a better birthday surprise! My newest nephew, Luke Michael Thomas, was born exactly 31 years after me. 🙂

He is adorable. TINY!

Laura is doing well, and Luke’s big sister has been keeping me busy since her little brother arrived.

Oh yes, doesn’t Laura look great? If you remember back in February, April hardly looked as though she’d just had a baby. My sisters are amazing!

Our days have been busy since we’ve been back. There’s been a wedding, a birthday party, out-of-state family visiting, a re-roofing project at my dad’s, the 4th of July, meeting with my college roomie, and beautiful weather to take in. It’s all been just wonderful!

It amazes me that my mom was born in Germany –  that my grandma lived her whole childhood there – that we have wonderful family that still lives there. I was so happy to be able to go and spend time with my mom’s uncle, aunts, and cousins.

Schwadderer Garden Party

Since we’ve been back from our trip, I’ve been asked which place I liked the best. It’s kind of an impossible question to answer, because I love seeing ALL new places – near and far. There is just so much beauty in the world… and so much amazement to be had in discovering new things.

Grapes in the Vineyard

So I can’t pick a favorite place. I can tell you, though, that being with my relatives, who I barely knew, was one of the most special traveling experiences I’ve ever had.

Ensingen

Spending time with my grandma’s family was a little like sharing a piece of her. I saw her smile in my great uncle, Rolf’s, eyes; I heard her thick accent all around me.

Uncle Rolf and Auntie Hulda

The House My Grandma Grew Up In

It came as a surprise that I would end up in tears over having to leave people I’d not even known only 72 hours earlier. And now I know that I must make another trip – hopefully with my mom, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins- to learn more about our history and our family.

Lucerne was beautiful. We spent a whole day just walking by the lake, sitting on park benches watching people, and taking in the view of Mt. Pilatus. We stayed three nights here – spending one full day on a tour of the mountain.