One more thing

Several, several years ago Ryan and I went to a "parenting teens" conference. I think Emily was about 11. (Always trying to be one step ahead.) Anyway, at that conference - it was one of the Tripp brothers - I always get them confused. He said something that has stuck with me all of this time that I THOUGHT would be easy to do. He said "start laying the groundwork for adulthood/independent living WAY before they needed it. You want to be able to see them happily out the door feeling confident and sure of themselves (as well as you yourself as a parent). You do not want to be chasing them as they walk out the door screaming 'one more thing..'" At the time I made a mental note, I agreed with his philosophy and have tried very hard to keep it in mind as we have grown into the teenage years. However, I have decided I have done a very poor job of it and have come the the conclusion that it is my personality. We had a test run this summer in that Emily was in and out for most of the summer but then was leaving mid July and going to be gone until the first week of August - three weeks. She was going to World View Academy in Lynchburg, VA from Sunday - Friday and then on a missions trip to Del Rio, Texas from Friday - Saturday and then the beach from Sunday to Sunday. Truthfully, I have been a little "self" absorbed lately in home projects. I did a major redo in the boys room. That left her to pretty much get herself ready. She made her list(s) of what she needed where and when and for what. I took her shopping on Friday to get all of her "stuff". She has gone to Del Rio for several summers now. Every year, I have gotten their "school" pictures done (for the year they just finished - not the one coming) before she goes. You see, I have these awesome "grade" picture frames for each one of them and I prefer a polished picture rather than a snapshot. Anyway, Friday night, I send myself into pure panic mode that I have not done this yet. I almost (for a fraction of a second) thought about trying to fit it in for Saturday. I know I can do it when she gets back but I will already be knee deep in preparing for this school year. Last year will have been finished, packed up, recorded for historical purposes only. AND she will be having senior portraits made soon which will be in the fall - only a few weeks different from her 11th grade picture. As I was having my "internal hissy fit" the words of the Tripp brother came back to me. I would rather her leave knowing I was content to let her go, knowing we were proud of her and the choices she has/will make for her life, knowing that we would be here waiting for her when she got back. Not having her think of me worried about my "unfinished" schedule, not having me shout after her with "one more thing". I have decided that should any of my children grow up to homeschool, I am going to make it my "grandmotherly" duty to take them to have their school pictures made during the fall of the school year they currently in. Then, I will have lovely pictures to go in my awesome "grade" picture frames!

Vacation Lodge

I'll be honest - I am not a nature girl. I don't like bugs, spiders, snakes or extreme heat. Ryan and I camped a bit in our younger days (much younger - like with no kids). So, as we have gotten older, looking back at those camping trips are remembered as good times and full of nostalgia. We (just he and I) took a mini-camping trip last May and it was lovely. However, the tent we had was small - there was no way all 6 of us could really camp in that tent. We have several sets of friends that tent camp often and had invited us to go. It is relatively cheap for a family our size and it is good family fun. I am always looking for ways to "unplug" my boys from their beloved electronics. So, we bought Ryan the "Vacation Lodge" for Father's Day and gave him a camping trip over the Fourth of July holiday as his birthday present. He was surprised but glad to go. For extra fun, we invited some friends to come along. Looking back, the trip would not had been nearly as pleasant had they not been able to make it - we (I) had no idea what I was doing! We may have starved. Ryan, of course, was a champion at setting up the tent, cooking over an open fire, being immune to the heat and bugs. I have been trying to reflect on the differences between camping in the early 90's vs. now. I have come up with a few differences: 1) We lived in Boone. Rarely is it 102 in Boone. 2) We didn't really go to campsites - we just picked spots along the Blue Ridge Parkway. There were no other people there (other than the people we invited).3) We didn't really "cook" - we stopped by and brought fast food there or just snacked. 4) We traveled light - there wasn't a lot to pack, unpack, store, etc. Having made this list made me feel much better. I am not wimpy - just seasoned! Overall, we still had a great time and we are definitely going to try it again - maybe a little longer this time and in cooler weather! Besides, we have to camp again - I left my wedding ring in one of the pockets that got folded up inside the tent - only me....

Letting Go

Generally speaking, Letting go is hard. We decided it was time to redo the boys' room - seeing that we have NEVER bought either boy a single piece of furniture - it was time. We redid the girls' room about two years ago - new furniture, new bedding, fresh paint, etc. Well, with the redoing and such there is also some reorganization called for. For anyone that knows my boys, they are as different as night and day. Owen loved trains, action figures, stuffed animals and "gadgets" - stuff mainly out of happy meals. Give the boy a piece of string a couple of items mentioned above and you wouldn't see him for hours. Ian, on the other hand, loves to build, to create things from nothing and play whatever Alexa wants to play. So, cleaning out the closest was HARD! There were many things that I know Owen could care less about playing with and Ian is not interested in, but I just couldn't let them go. I can still see Owen playing and playing with these beloved items. He had this gun - "Old Betsy" that he LOVED. You can tell it was loved - there is very little paint left on it and has a slight crack around the middle. It is one of those old wooden Daniel Boone type guns. I kept moving it around and around the room. I just couldn't part with it! (You notice the "I" part there.) The rest of my family thinks I am crazy. They just shake their heads and give me a little sympathetic smile. I really do want my children to grow up and lead productive, Christ-honoring adult lives away from home. And when they do, so what if I still have "Old Betsy" stored away in my mind, in my heart, AND in my attic? Did I mention that I have a very LARGE attic?