Doing the Next Thing

I don't really love myself in this photo - that shirt is so much cuter in person, and I have strange unflattering shadows across my face. But there are so few pics of all seven of us ... and we worked so hard to get this family shot of our spring break getaway. (You should have seen the camera -- self-timer all set -- propped on a book-on top of a pillow-on top of a barstool. That's a fast 10 seconds, let me tell ya!)

Sunrise in the Blue Ridge Mountains We enjoyed a quick getaway at the beginning of Spring Break. Found a good deal on 2 nights at a cabin with a hot tub, pool table, and this amazing view! It was SO GOOD to just slow down and spend a couple days just hanging out as a family!

We traveled up to see my family for the holiday weekend. Though I've made a couple of trips up there with the kids, this was the first time in at least 18 months that all seven of us went as a family. We had a glorious time! When it's just me and a couple kids, and my husband stays here at home, I get homesick for my Georgia nest and love to flutter back to it. This time was different. Maybe because my husband was with me and I wasn't missing him. Maybe because we had the chance to do some classic Franklin/Nashville things. Maybe it was the precious time with family. Maybe it was the unforgettable experience of seeing U2 together. Maybe it was the gorgeous weather, highlighting the beauty of the land around the West Harpeth River. Whatever the cause, we suddenly became a little homesick for Tennessee. As Psalm 16 (my favorite Psalm) says, the lines have fallen in pleasant places for us here in Georgia. We are very attached to the covenant community we've fou...

Any guesses where this pic was taken?

happiness is...a Saturday morning run with my sis on a 40th birthday getaway

-My azaleas are finally blooming! And they're beautiful, if asymetrical due to the fact that a couple of bushes died a few years ago. A(5), pictured above with the prolific blooms, was hesitant to smile the day I took the pic. Just before snapping the photo, I had released our eight-legged friend into the woods next to the azaleas. -Spring has sprung! It's finally warm enough in the daytime for popsicles and sprinklers and caterpillars. I found some BPA-free plastic popsicle molds on amazon - by Tovolo. We've had fun filling them with diluted 100% juice and with smoothies. I should've bought a second set - may yet do that... -We spent most of spring break hanging out around home. I needed that kind of break soooo badly! But we wanted to do something fun for the kiddos - something frugal and doable on a weekend. So we went camping in the North Georgia mountains. Of course, the above-average, summer-like temps disappeared the day before we left, and we had freezing t...

Looking out over the southern part of Tampa Bay from the De Soto National Monument

Update Friday 5pm: Today S. had a outpatient surgery to remove the barb. Thankfully, the surgeon was able to easily locate it and get it out. The barb was smaller than I thought, but still a pretty long object to have embedded in the soft part of your big toe! S. was very calm and a good patient, though he was quite a character when he was still loopy from all the medications. He'll spend the next 24 hrs off his feet and then a few days on crutches. What a story he has to tell his friends! Thanks for all your prayers and comments. I'm so glad to have the excitement behind us. Now we can spend the weekend restoring order and peace to our home. (click on the picture to enlarge it and you can just barely see the serrations ... ouch!) Update Thursday 4pm: We had a consult with a foot surgeon today and scheduled the surgery for tomorrow (Friday) morning at 11. They will not use general anesthesia, but instead "twilight sleep" plus lots of local anesthetic. Thanks for your ...

Mt. Evans, CO - elev. 14,270 ft

I haven't posted in a while because I've been here: My Sweetie and I had a fabulous anniversary trip in the Rocky Mountains! In addition to simply enjoying 3 1/2 days of grown up conversation (thanks to Mom & Sis for watching the young 'uns!) we were in constant awe of the splendor of our God's creation! It was a time of romance, worship, and refreshment for our souls. Just the thing to "fill my tank" before beginning a new school year. "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is Yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; You are exalted as head over all." I Chronicles 29:11

It has been a couple of weeks since I had a chance to visit the blog world. We went on vacation, and then I took a "vacation" from the computer for a bit while I got our little world back in order. It really takes about three weeks to pull off a one week trip: one week to prepare and pack, one week for the travel, and one week (at least!) to recover. I think we are back to normal for a while - until the next trip, anyway. Here are some stats: 1700 - approximate number of miles put on "the Burb" (our trusty family vehicle) on this trip 5 - number of states we drove through 90 - total minutes the baby slept on the entire trip! innumerable - the number of times a parent said, "Find her the binky!" immeasurable - the joy of visiting loved ones we rarely get to see! (Here's the best shot we got of all 5 at Lake Michigan. Impossible to get them all looking at the camera at the same time on the beach!)