The Family Blog Might Survive!

Well, I promised my mom I'd post about our beach trip.... yesterday. 

Just so we're prepared, I might be migrating the blog to a different site. But don't hold your breath. I've put in 0 seconds of research so that's probably a long way off! Truth is, blogger makes it too hard to blog! They don't have an app anymore so I can't do it on the go, and getting your pictures in the right order takes so long I have to take 'rage breaks' and just periodically walk away! Plus, I have to use a wonky way of importing my pictures to my computer if I want to save the edits. TECHNOLOGY!! GRRRR!!

Let's reverse back 4 days ago when normal life was turned on it's head, I stuck my nose in a book and my toes in the sand and nothing could've distracted our straight maxin' relaxin'.

(^^ Get it? Corny picture input for life being turned on it's head?! I did like their shadows in the surf so I was trying to make them noticeable!)

The Rhea's joined us on our trip down to Perdido for the long weekend. The kids had so much fun playing with each other at the beach! The weather was mostly nice enough to be in a bathing suit but the water was a taaaaaaaad chilly. Kids don't seem to have an internal termperature gauge though so they played in the ocean like it was mid-July. Crazy heads. 

The shore was shallow so the kids had this great sandbar (??) to play in everyday and could walk out for a long way without ever getting more than waist deep. 

The water was crystal clear! Like what ocean dreams are made of! Glory be!!

I was reading a really interesting biography about a woman who was trying to figure out if her marriage was worth saving. I was sitting behind the below picture, with tears welled in my eyes,  grateful for the path the Lord has given us. It hasn't always been great or happy, but it's been held together and protected by my precious family. 

"I will let myself be a child at the beach who digs in the sand and lifts her sieve out in front of her, watching the sand fall away and hoping that treasure will be left." 

-Glennon Melton

The imagery of this was so powerful to me. I remember helplessly laying on my bedroom floor begging God to please just help us make it out of this ok. It was overwhelming to look out into infinite ocean and watch these wondrous treasures play happily together at my feet. 

I realized that He's still healing me. Maybe he's healing more than divorce. Maybe it's actual, physical pain. I couldn't put my finger on the wound, but it didn't matter.  He rocks the waves gently and steady on, like a reminder that He's not ever going to stop reaching out and allowing me to let go of things that still sting a little. He washes my hurt to the depths of the sea. 

And then, I rest. 

He is a good father. 

I'm so thankful He sees fit to care for me tenderly.

"surfboarding' :)

A friend caught a crab and saved it for us to play with!

I loved this! Lizzy wanted to walk in her Daddy's footsteps. She's  young, but she's wise. He's a good one to follow behind, peanut. I've been chasing behind him my whole life too! 

Short trunks stretching long to match her uncles! :)

Thank you, sunbeam!

The first day ended up cloudy and windy so we came in to let the kids get in the hot tub. Barry and I were both reading and he looked up and said, 'have you seen the kids?' We stood up and saw these three turtles at the very bottom of the hot tub! The water wasn't filling up so they took advantage of the little water at the bottom for a bit!

We went for a hike at Big Lagoon state park one afternoon. It was really unusual but beautiful. The trees were short to the ground, sprawling, and different than anything we have here. There were lots of dead pine trees. It was a bit desolate, but in an intriguing way. I'm glad we went to check it out! 

Strange tree

That's the lagoon in the back ground. The water looked jet black. Odd.

This plaque reminded of us something Dad would say. 

Us: What kind of tree is that?

Dad: What you have here, kids, is a DEAD TREE.

:)

We love you, Dad! 

Awkward family photo by a dead tree. 

:)

Look! I came on the trip too! But don't zoom. This was a no make up day and I promised Lala we wouldn't take any pictures of each other!

Hermit crabs that we're right on the shore of the park. The girls had fun organizing them! :)

Here's my snapchat story from the day! Little video clips and some pictures. Be patient through the pictures, the video will keep playing! 

Booper's beach is always getting that thumbs up review! 

This old man napping by the pool was adorable. 

The kids put on an art show for us! The sign said 'Do not enter. Staff only.' 

Lizzy with some of her super affordable art at only $10 per picture!

We were able to haggle with the price a bit. Hence the quarters and dimes. 

 They all wanted a picture with their name tags!

 I was going to bed and found a ticket London had made me to participate in her favorite thing on earth. A tickle fest. Or Tikol fest. I put it in a baggy to save for all of time. 

We went to say our goodbyes to the beach on Sunday and Caden 'caught a fish!' 

Thankful for this soul therapy. My world is full of beauty. Our life is beauty-full.

Until next time, Booper's Beach. 

The Big Friendly Giant

I've been tough on this little cookie lately. Bless her heart, she has a big ole lazy bone in that body and it's driven me bananas this week. It's not over anything major, but I want to try to start her with good habits instead of having to re-train bad habits. Also in her defense, she gets it honestly. Her dad and I can both be called guilty of this offense in our younger days, so genetically she drew the short stick. However, both parents grew out of our laziness so I'm believing she can be spared of our faults if we start on the right foot! 

The silver lining to the toughness is that she is a GOLDEN CHILD when she's not allowed to think she's the boss of me! :) This weekend we celebrated a long awaited event...

We've spent the last month reading The BFG by Roald Dahl. The movie came out recently and social media was so excited about it. I had never heard of it so we went to the library, checked it out, and we read a chapter every night before bed. She'd curl up in my nook and listen so intently. (swoooooooon!) Sunday after church we read the final chapter, returned our book, and headed straight to the movie to watch it on the silver screen! 

(great landing image, you tube. :/ Here's mom with 60 chins! {Video- click into the blog to watch!})

She really is the most darling girl in all the land! (So says her unbiased momma.)

Real talk. I was SAPPY while watching the movie with her. She is just so pretty. And held my hand for most of the movie, and we laughed together and she'd tell me the parts that she loved. I wanted to pause all of it.

I remember attempting the movie theater so many times when she was younger and it was HELL. I would be so excited about our outting, get there, and within 30 minutes she was DONE and ready to go home. Her attention span wasn't long enough to make it and it absolutely drove me up the wall. Of all the hard parts of parenting, sitting through a movie was the one that I could not deal with. I had no patience for her not being able to sit still for an hour.

So here we are now and the movies are a dream come true. We made it. And it's so fun and fantastic. And afterwards we went to the front, danced our hearts out, and got laughed at by the cleaning crew on the way out the door. Whatever, haters. We don't need your approval! :)

I'm evermore thankful for this chicken. She is good to me and blesses me in the sweetest of ways. She forgives me when I'm hard on her, and reinforces me when I have to make tough choices in the name of parenting her correctly. I thank God for her every night while we say our prayers because I want her to know that ALL good things come from God... most importantly for me, HER. 

Honoring Caden

Let me be clear with my feelings, I adore all of my girls. My baby girl and my two nieces are the sun around which my affection orbits.  

But the boy... the boy with the heart of gold and the humble spirit... he has a slice of my heart that will never belong to another. 

Caden had his first track meet this weekend and it worked out perfectly that Mom and Dad were already planning to be here with us! We all woke up early Saturday morning and headed to a small college track to cheer him on. (I'm not sure who to credit for some of these pics as the girls took turns snapping pictures while we were waiting on the meet to start.)

Charley was visiting friends in Auburn, but the rest of us camped out in the 10,001 degree weather to cheer on the dude. It was SO HOT. So hot it wasn't even worth talking about. We all just sat and sweated. Welcome to Alabama. Where you just sit and sweat. :)

{Video}

Unfortunately the meet was delayed a few hours. My back is doing well, but reaching my toes is still a bit of a task! Luckily mommas always come through and help do all the difficult things! 

(Seriously, this woman hadn't been at my house for 15 minutes and all the chores that I could not FOR THE LIFE OF ME get around to doing were all totally done and properly finished. She's a chore sorcerer. That's the only possible answer.)

A high school girl who was running the relay went tumbling to the ground during her race and ended up with a broken femur. Bless her heart, she was howling in pain, but luckily dad was there to help care for her until the ambulance could get there. The caregivers were thankful for his help. You could feel their gratitude as he was walking away and they would stop him to shake his hand and say thank you. The Lord gives some the gift of healing and I wanted to have evidence of the "field work" my Dad was called into. My dad the healer, walking in his purpose, and coming to a little girls rescue. I got in trouble for taking pictures, but I just wanted to remember how it felt to watch my dad be a real life hero. I was so moved and proud of him. 

It was finally time for Caden to run. His first race was the 400 meters. He went out of the gate a little too fast but it was great effort for his first race. The second race was the mile and he did AWESOME! I was honestly worried about him because it was so hot, and we had been there for hours, which will drain you fast. But he got into a good pace and he just kept plugging along!

     This new season of 'Dad' is amazing. Retired Chuckles is my JAM. He's still rough around the edges when he wants to be :) but he's just so funny! The stories he tells his grandkids are so crazy and imaginative! And sometimes he will pop off with something so funny, I'll sit and laugh about it for days afterwards! We'll just say Dad had strong opinions about people choosing to run in the heat and it was hysterical! 

Cheerleaders at the starting line. Everything about this picture feels right to me. Caden has been the one in the audience for years, cheering on these two little girls. You have to sit close to Caden and hear his murmured talk to realize how kind hearted he is. The girls will dance or perform and Caden will cheer and clap with the rest of us. Then he sits back and a few minutes later you'll hear him quietly say, 'Lizzy did really good on that song. That was her favorite.' Or 'London looked cute up there and she sang really well.'

He never looks up or makes an intentional connection, it's just his quiet heart talk. I've overheard it enough through the years to realize that his mind stays and circles around peoples good qualities. If you're within proximity, you'll hear him mindlessly chatter about all the good things he sees in people and how grateful he is for them. There have been so many times when he's been in the back seat, looking out the window, and he'll say 'thanks for taking me to __________, Tay Tay. I'm really glad we did that together.' You'll turn to look and he's never stopped looking out the window, it's just his spirit of gratitude speaking out. It's the sweetest thing to recognize about him.

He's spent so many years encouraging our family, so to turn around at the meet and see everyone of us, lined all the way down the field, going absolutely bananas over him felt right, important, deserved, and long overdue. It was a full blown JOY to be there yelling encouragement over him. Yes, boy. This day was YOUR DAY.

Barry let me run across the field and scoop him up at the end of his mile! I was SO PROUD of him! It was a hard event and he just smoked it!! Well done, young man! 

He is the kindest boy I've ever known. He may fly a little under the radar at times because he's not the one looking for attention, but the Lord is raising him up and it's so fun to see! His words are life giving. He magnifies good and his friendship is esteem building. 

His heart is fertile soil for an Oak of Righteousness to grow. 

We're all going to be right here, watering away. 

Therefore I urge you to walk in a manner worth of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3

Beachin it.

I loaded this the day after my "Heart Words" post. I didn't get any feedback on that post and I immediately had anxiety that I should've been more guarded with my feelings. I wanted to post something quickly that would cover up the previous one but I knew it was healthy to write, even if it was ultimately only as therapy for me.  I read a quote recently that felt like words I want to hold on to...

"Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren't always comfortable, but they're never weakness." Brene Brown

So "Heart Words" will stay up and readable... because one day I'll be glad to remember the truth of this season and the courage it takes to walk through this life. (Also, thank you, precious Jill Franklin for texting me encouragement right when I was second guessing myself! :) )

..............

To confuse you completely on the timing of events in our life, I am throwing this post in the mix... right in between Lizzy's dance recital write ups!

Booper's beach is booked for the summer. Which I am happy that so many families will be able to enjoy some relaxation, but it means we're limited on time there. About a month ago we had a weekend with no plans and after watching the weather for a few weeks, decided it was worth the drive down to bask in the perfectly sunny, 80 degree forecast for two days. 

The drive was beautiful. I wasn't paying attention (anyone who knows me just said 'of course' under their breath), missed our turn, and had to re-route to get us back on course. The sidetrack took us on this spectacularly beautiful drive and I was overwhelmed with the loveliness of it all. (My feelings are way too big.) We stopped for snacks and decided to write Dad a love note in gummy letters for the lifetime of hard work that he put in in order to provide our family this wonderful place of rest. 

We made it down in time for the sunset... and for London to run head first into the ocean while fully clothed. This place is so special for her! 

The next two days were filled with sun up, sun down play. Praise the Lord. 

Beach hole. The most worth it of all the beach investments. 

"Digger" pets

The sunset on the second night was like a painting. The water was extremely calm and the angle of the sun made the top of it silver. It reflected the sunset like a mirror and it almost looked fake. It was such a beautiful night. (Pictures never do a sunset justice.)

She got 'don't get wet' instructions this night but whoops.... soaked to the bone again! 

Killing me. My heart. 

Fishing with a new friend. 

The big catch! 

The helper of the beach hole project! 

My favorite view.... her floating bum. Just the best. 

We came home pink nosed and happy. I am so very thankful for this girl and time at our favorite place to be together. As always, a million thanks, Mom and Dad. 

Sorry about videos!

If you tried to watch Elizabeth's videos but couldn't, let's try again! Please comment if they don't work! Keep scrolling to the video post and see how it goes!

Beautiful Dancer

Hello All!

Sorry this is so short but I'm about to run out of the door and I promised mom I would get something up here for Din Din to see!  More family pictures to come, but the ENTIRE clan made their way to Birmingham this weekend to watch Lizzy's end of the year dance performance. She is SO GOOD. There are no other words, she's just a fantastic, graceful, charismatic dancer and it's a treat to watch her perform! Here are the videos of her 4 dances... click on over to the blog to see them! They all start with a few seconds of black before the stage lights came on. The videos are a little small so if you hover over the bottom right of the video box, you'll see the logo for 'youtube' then to the right, a disconnected square. Click here and it will make the video full screen so you can see it better! (click your escape button when done to come back to the blog!)

Lizzy is the girl who is already on the stage at the beginning that I zoom into so follow that cute little blonde!

Lizzy starts as the first person in the line of girls but then exits. When she comes back in, she's in the back on the right and I follow along with her. 

In this one she starts front and center then scoots over. She's the super sassy one, killing it on the far right! She moves back to front and center near the end again. 

I missed the beginning of this one and can't find her at first but you'll see her on the far right, second row. Tiny little thing. She's a pink lady with a blonde pony tail. 

Heart Words

Hello Blog!

I've been looking into the eye of a few deadlines lately and it's quenching whatever small portion of creativity I've been given. Sorry for not writing, I've told myself I couldn't write until the deadlines are met, but I kind of need this place to let my mind air out... so here I am.... pressing pause on real life for just a minute.

For Christmas this year I decided to buy everyone in my family event tickets. I decided that over the course of the year, I would buy each person a ticket to go do something they'd enjoy and we'd go do whatever that is together. I didn't realize how monumental this decision would become for me. I will spend the year re-capping the events, but so far, this has been a most life-giving experiment. Quality time, touch, and adventures are very much at the center of who I am, so being able to experience these dedicated nights, one-on-one, with the people I love has satisfied the deep parts of me in a way that watching someone open a gift has never been able to do. More on that later....


Last night was Lala's turn. We bought tickets to go see an artist that Lauren has always loved. Her name is Amanda Cook and this was part of her "Brave New World" album tour. I'm still wrapping my mind around the night because the entirety of it is helping me put words to some of the feelings I've had a hard time expressing. Amanda is a christian song writer and I've loved watching her in the past because there is no pretension in her performance. She is soft spoken. She has a quietness about her that is more than just the volume of her voice. She walks out, sets the stage for worship, and at the end of the show, the lights dim and they exit. The band doesn't bow and thank the crowd for coming, they leave you with the heaviness of God present and she makes it evident... you never were here for her... you were here to meet God. 

This tour had a different element to it that I've not seen before. It was as much a visual concert as it was musical. The light show was incredible. The background images complimented the lyrics in extradordinarily emotional ways. I don't remember her words exactly, but the concept was that we've been led to believe that worship with big lights and production is wrong. You either need pure worship or a production. She believes it's not an either/or, but a both/and scenario. 


The idea is that when you look at a piece of inspired art, you are moved to respond....  This is true, is it not? When you walk through a museum, there are pieces that draw you in and you can't turn away because that art is communicating with something unspoken inside of you. Your eyes see, your heart turns, and you meet something deep in that moment.


Amanda built this visually provoking performance to draw you deeper into her worship so that you could experience God in this visceral, transcending way. I sat there silent for most of the night because my body's response to the complexity of it all was to be still and let this be felt.

My spiritual life has been interesting in this season. There have been blips of highs with the Lord but more often than not, I've felt like a wanderer in a dessert. This is my fault because the Lord's presence always resides, I'm just not walking into it and listening. I've wanted to hear from a loud God that's writing his words to me in neon lights, but lo, He usually doesn't scream to be heard. I was certain I would walk away from my back surgery and the Lord would reveal himself on the other side of it in this very 'TA-DAAAA' type of way, but He's not a show boat, His spirit is gentle and patient... and surely waiting on me to listen quietly.

Amanda wrote a song called 'Voyage'. The visuals during this song sent my heart to my throat. A video sprayed over the performers and onto screens behind them so that you looked past the people playing and were brought into the scene before you. It showed a wild ocean and a boat being tossed around giant, stormy swells. It was in slow motion and it held you tight in the tension of the moment.

They lyrics:
What if the path you choose becomes a road
The ground you take becomes a home
The wind is high, but the pressure's off
I'll send the rain wherever we end up
Wherever we end up

I struggle with 'being ok', because there are areas in my life that feel incomplete in some capacity. I have tremendous joy in remembering the faithfulness of the Lord and I have hope that there is a future far more beautiful than I'm even imagining... but the here is hard.

This song settled me into this understanding that it's okay to wrestle through this time. It's okay to not understand why this stage of life has become a home and not a temporary dwelling place. But GOD IS STILL IN THIS PLACE. I am not forgotten. I am not lost at sea. He will care for me in this place just as he has done in every hard place before. This home may not be be built on the hill of fulfillment. It is laden with high's and low's, but I can still find rest here because I know God's word is true.  His love is unrelenting, He has chosen me, and He will never change his mind.

I am thankful for this night of being washed over in words of His faithfulness. I'm thankful for emotional stirring that was different and deeper than anything I've experienced lately. I'm thankful to not put on a smile today and say everything is great... but to know that IT. WILL. BE. I say that not in sadness, but as one who knows it's okay to be somber but also SURE in a God who is a promise keeper. I am thankful for a sister who always brings me to HOLY. 

Because she holds fast to me in love, I will deliver her;
I will protect her, because she knows my name.
When she calls to me, I will answer her;
I will be with her in trouble;
I will rescue her and honor her.
With long life I will satisfy her 
and show her my salvation.
Psalm 91: 14-16

(Edited the words from masculine to feminine... For me!)