"The work an unknown good man has done is like a vein of water flowing hidden underground, secretly making the ground green." -Thomas Carlyle
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Thursday, March 29, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
A jam packed week with Isaak's mom and niece!!
Isaak's mom Samantha and our niece Cristina came to D.C. last Tuesday for a little vacation and some quality time before we head out to Africa in a bit. We haven't seen them in over six years so we were super duper excited to get to reconnect.
The girls have never met their cousin Cristina before and Sam hasn't seen Syd since she was 2 weeks old....but you would.have.never.known.it! Everyone hit it off right away!! They picked up as if they had known each other their whole lives. All the girls played beautifully and became instant best buddies. The girls connected with Grandma right away and were thrilled to spend time with her. We had such a fantastic time. But we were all definitely pooped by the end of the week. We did a lot of walking. Because we went everywhere......
Their first day here, Wednesday, we hit the ground running and went downtown with the intentions of meeting up with Isaak and doing some sightseeing. An hour after we left....we finally made it downtown to Isaak. And, we live all of three miles from downtown D.C.. Needless to say, I got us all lost. A lot lost. In ghetto-ville Anacostia. That's the wrong side of the river to get lost in let me tell ya. And when I finally made it over the river the right way...it took about thirty minutes to find a stinkin' parking space. Oh wait. We never did find a parking space. We had to hunt down Holly's go-to parking garage instead.
Street parking in this town is not for the second guesser. Lesson learned.
Then on Thursday Jordan and Becca drove into town for the anniversary weekend and spent the day and night with us too! So, we mosied back downtown to do some more sightseein' with them. But, this time we decided to take the metro. I wasn't entirely convinced I wouldn't get us lost driving again.
And I'm so glad we did! The metro is easy peasy from where we are. It's a mile down the road. Easy parking. Easy everything really. That's my kind of transportation.
We stopped to see the cherry blossoms again. We visited the WWII Memorial where the girls took the liberty of putting their feet in the fountain pool. It was a really hot day, and it didn't occur to them that it might be perceived as disrespectful. So, I just let them do it.
Me and Jordan took a picture in front of the Michigan memorial in honor of our Grandpa Howell who served as a seabee in WWII. He's still alive and kickin' at almost 90 years old. And we love that he was one of the men that helped pave the way, literally, for people's freedom around the world.
Down the way a little at the Vietnam Memorial, Isaak briefly chatted and shook hands with Sammy Davis, medal of honor recipient, whom he heard speak while living in Texas. He just happened to be there at the same time as us. How cool is that?! And there was a camera crew there as well filming Davis as he played a song on his harmonica and saluted his fallen brothers in arms. That was an amazing and deeply moving thirty seconds we were honored to witness.
Moving along, we paid a visit to Lincoln's Memorial.....
One of my favorite places here. This is a beast of a building.
Thursday night while me and Becca were out staying up all night watching Hunger Games, everyone else went bowling. The kids whipped the grown ups pretty good I hear!
Friday we recovered at home and played ourselves silly.
Jordan and Becca jammin' out on Just Dance to "I whip my hair back.and.forth, I whip my hair back.and.forth, I whip my hair back.and.forth, I whip my hair back.and.forth........I whip my hair back.and.forth, I whip my hair back.and.forth, I whip my hair back.and.forth,"......that song will live on in my brain forever I think.
Saturday Sam and Isaak went to visit the Holocaust Museum while I stayed back with the girls and Liz brought over Gracie and Clare!! WHOO HOO!!!! The girl's couldn't wait to see each other again!
It's been roughly ten months since Liz and Todd moved from Nebraska to Virginia and the girls are still just as best friends now as they were then. And this is a great lesson for them about military life. It's hard when friends move. But it doesn't mean you're not friends with them anymore. You're just friends from far away now. And when you see each other again, you'll pick up right where you left off. And they did. And it was joyous. And all the kiddos got along beautifully and had a grand time.
Sunday we played hooky from church and went back downtown to cram in more sites. We visited the Botanical Gardens. Absolutely amazing. And that is coming from a person who is not a plant gal in any way whatsoever.
And most surprisingly is that the girls had a ball. They loved exploring in here. There was a children's garden and a balcony of sorts that reminded them of the rain forest at the Henry Doorly Zoo in NE.
They had some pretty freaky plants there, I gotta admit. This one looked like it came straight out of a Freddie Kugar movie. Very menacing. But beautiful in its own scary kinda way.
We then made a short walk to the Native American Museum.
We jammed in a lot during their visit. The girls played tea party, Barbies, Polly's and American Girl doll for hours on end. We played night time hide and go seek. Watched movies, went for walks, played at the playgrounds. We grilled out, talked and reminisced for hours and hours and hours. It was a fantastic week. We loved getting to reconnect with them after so many years and the Lord just blessed our time together in such an abundant way. We are truly thankful!
(Cristina, Grandma Samantha, and Sydaleigh- D.C. Cherry Blossom's 2012)
The girls have never met their cousin Cristina before and Sam hasn't seen Syd since she was 2 weeks old....but you would.have.never.known.it! Everyone hit it off right away!! They picked up as if they had known each other their whole lives. All the girls played beautifully and became instant best buddies. The girls connected with Grandma right away and were thrilled to spend time with her. We had such a fantastic time. But we were all definitely pooped by the end of the week. We did a lot of walking. Because we went everywhere......
Their first day here, Wednesday, we hit the ground running and went downtown with the intentions of meeting up with Isaak and doing some sightseeing. An hour after we left....we finally made it downtown to Isaak. And, we live all of three miles from downtown D.C.. Needless to say, I got us all lost. A lot lost. In ghetto-ville Anacostia. That's the wrong side of the river to get lost in let me tell ya. And when I finally made it over the river the right way...it took about thirty minutes to find a stinkin' parking space. Oh wait. We never did find a parking space. We had to hunt down Holly's go-to parking garage instead.
Street parking in this town is not for the second guesser. Lesson learned.
Cherry blossom love.
We stopped to see the cherry blossoms again. We visited the WWII Memorial where the girls took the liberty of putting their feet in the fountain pool. It was a really hot day, and it didn't occur to them that it might be perceived as disrespectful. So, I just let them do it.
Freedom.....it's a beautiful thing.
Thursday night while me and Becca were out staying up all night watching Hunger Games, everyone else went bowling. The kids whipped the grown ups pretty good I hear!
Saturday Sam and Isaak went to visit the Holocaust Museum while I stayed back with the girls and Liz brought over Gracie and Clare!! WHOO HOO!!!! The girl's couldn't wait to see each other again!
Sunday we played hooky from church and went back downtown to cram in more sites. We visited the Botanical Gardens. Absolutely amazing. And that is coming from a person who is not a plant gal in any way whatsoever.
Uh hem. I couldn't resist. :~)
We then made a short walk to the Native American Museum.
Again, great children's area.
And then we headed home and stayed there! Whew! The girls were ready to just stay put and play and not walk anywhere for a while.
Monday, March 26, 2012
HUNGER GAMES PREMIER!!!!!
I have been waiting. And waiting. And waiting for this night! I have been waiting for it since I read the books a year and a half ago. I absolutely love this story. So so much. I love everything it stands for. Justice and love. Sacrifice and freedom. And healing. It is a horrible yet beautiful story of humanity. And......the movie was not a disappointment! I have never seen a better or more accurate book to movie adaptation. So well made. It was fantastic.
But the BEST part was seeing it with my ladies!!!!!! Jordan and Becca were in town that night, so Becca came along to the show. Liz drove up two hours from Yorktown to see it with us. Me and Holly. And new friends and fellow Hunger Games fans Val and Lindsay!
WHAAAAA!!!!! Just like "old" times. We went to the midnight showing. We totally camped out. Brought our folding chairs. Ate and talked and laughed in line. It.was.a.blast!
We Hunger Gamed ourselves up. Holly did an elaborate braided up do with arrow earrings and brought an orange back pack. I put in arrow bobby pins and brought my personalized H.G. tote bag.
While we waited we feasted on rolls and goat cheese and strawberries that I sneaked in my bag! Tee hee!
Love that I have friends who will still get in touch with their inner sixteen year old selves. :~)
Of course I cried during the movie. But not at any of the parts I thought I would. It wasn't until they sneaked in a scene of the districts uprising that I began to sob. I love seeing people stand up for their right to be free. To have enough of oppression. Gets me every time...
We were beat tired by the time the movie was done at almost 3am. Got about 4 hours of sleep that night. But as much as I dragged on Friday I wasn't too tired to go see it with Isaak again that night! Saw it twice in 24 hours! Worth every minute of lost sleep. :~)
Oh yeah!!! To an awesome night and fantastic friends!!
But the BEST part was seeing it with my ladies!!!!!! Jordan and Becca were in town that night, so Becca came along to the show. Liz drove up two hours from Yorktown to see it with us. Me and Holly. And new friends and fellow Hunger Games fans Val and Lindsay!
WHAAAAA!!!!! Just like "old" times. We went to the midnight showing. We totally camped out. Brought our folding chairs. Ate and talked and laughed in line. It.was.a.blast!
We Hunger Gamed ourselves up. Holly did an elaborate braided up do with arrow earrings and brought an orange back pack. I put in arrow bobby pins and brought my personalized H.G. tote bag.
While we waited we feasted on rolls and goat cheese and strawberries that I sneaked in my bag! Tee hee!
We went down to the front of the theater to take pictures and busted out our best Katniss pose (or worst) in front of the entire audience. Oh yeah....we're cool like that, and totally un-phased by potential embarrassment.
Monday, March 19, 2012
A women's retreat in Amish Country
I had the pleasure of heading out of town this past weekend to Lancaster, PA, aka Amish Country, for a women's retreat with our new church. I left D.C. on Friday afternoon with Holly, Amanda and Liza, and before long we found ourselves surrounded by the most beautiful rolling hills, freshly plowed farmland, and horses and buggies trotting down the streets.
It reminded me a lot of Nebraska. Minus the horse and buggies and general Amishness.
It is a very lovely part of our country. Quiet and serene. Big skies. And after living in Nebraska all those years...I am a sucker for some big skies.
A different kind of living happens out here. It was different from what I expected Amish life to be. In my imaginings I saw little communities of Amish people, all their houses closely clustered together, away from the rush and busyness of the rest of us non-Amish folk. But I was surprised to see that many Amish people...at least the areas we drove by, lived next to non-Amish neighbors. Many did have secluded homes far back from the road, but many others lived on streets surrounded by the modern homes and conveniences we know. And then as we drove into downtown Lancaster on Saturday to explore during our free time, we saw many Amish people working in the Central Market, surrounded by other vendors, walking the cobblestone sidewalks, lounging against buildings and mingling with passersby. I always envisioned them as a very secluded people. And maybe some are, but it was interesting to see so many of them living "in" the world, without being conformed to it.
Good reminder for me.
The retreat was a blast. I had an amazing time with these ladies.....
Our first few hours there we went for a hike on the property. I love me a good hike. Especially when I have my third eye with me. It has been about ten months since I got to go out and photograph just for me, no rushing or hurrying about. Just slowly getting to explore the intricacies around me and find beauty in small details. I feel so very alive and "me" when I am photographing in this way. It is a passion I have been graced with and I thank Him for blessing me with it.
This hike was one of my favorite parts of the weekend. I love to walk. I love creation. I love to sit and watch and breathe in the beauty and quirks and subtleties of all He made. I love seeing the different ways that trees bend and how new buds of life can grow out of strange places. It's all a miracle. Every part testifies to God as Maker.
I love that verse. I love thinking that these trees, in this field, were clapping their hands for their Creator. I loved getting to walk under the shade of their outstretched arms. Bekah says we are mystic dreamers....and she is right. It is a privilege to have a relationship with the Lord who confides in me, a Lord who delights in whispering secrets and sharing dreams. He is so good to us.
On Saturday we made our way to downtown Lancaster and with the help of Bekah, my Lancaster native, we hit up some really fun places. We perused Central Market, the oldest farmers market in the entire Untied States.
We tasted breads and goat cheese and delightful treats that made my mouth water.
We also happen to be there on St. Patrick's Day so we got to enjoy some bag piping, all things green,
and lots of men in kilts. :~)
Back at the retreat center we bonded over some hilarious "Minute To Win It" games....which we totally lost at.
We hung out around a bonfire, making s'mores, and being silly and giggling...while everyone else was getting their singin' on. I really don't know how we made it through the entire retreat weekend without being asked to leave. :~)
And if all these moments weren't enough....God had a great deal more in store for me this weekend as well.
I had the privilege of spending the weekend listening to Giselle Timbie, missionary in Egypt for 8 years, France for 3 years, and now is on staff at Christian Embassies in the United Nations Headquarters in NYC. Um...wow. There are some people that you meet, that are so experienced, have seen so much, done so much and have been used by God is some absolutely incredible ways...you would just be satisfied to sit by them. To not even say a word, and just sit, and soak up their presence and their words. That would have been enough. But, as it turns out, God had something extra special in store for me....
It's not easy getting "the ear" of guest speakers, whether it be at churches, retreats, conferences, seminars...whatever. Everyone who is there wants to speak to them. Lines form. Conversations begin. Time ticks. They have to leave. And after the first night's session I mentioned how I would love the opportunity to speak with her. But, I didn't in all likelihood see that happening as all 125+ women present had the same idea as me. So, I went to bed that night praying for an opportunity to speak with her, but okay if it didn't come.
To my great surprise Saturday morning as I walked into the dining room for breakfast, I saw that Amanda and Liza were sitting at a table in the back, with Giselle...and they had saved me a seat. I don't know how they all came to sit together...except God in His goodness somehow arranged it. He is so good to me. Knowing that I wouldn't push to the front of a line to speak to her (or stalk her outside her room)...so...He brought us to the same breakfast table. Where we could talk over eggs and toast and have minute after minute to share and listen and soak up her knowledge. And after breakfast was done and everyone was getting up to head to the meeting room...she walked around the table and stopped me. And spent the next ten minutes filling me up with life, and encouragement and practical advice. Not only did God bring an amazing speaker to this event, He brought to me, literally, straight.to.me a woman, and a mom, and a wife....who knows what it is like to cross cultures. To pack up her family of young kids and move to a foreign land, with a foreign language, to be stripped of her identity and all that is familiar....all because she was willing to be used by God.
I love that God knows what I need, even when I don't. I love that God provides and answers prayers, and is one step ahead. I am treasuring up those ten minutes spent with her and the advice and encouragement she blessed me with. What an unexpected treat. Her messages that weekend were just what I needed to hear. What everyone needed to hear. Gosh...I just can't thank Jesus enough. It was good. It as just.all.so.good.
Great weekend. A lot of great ladies came and it was nice to get to meet so many of them. I made a ton of new memories which are now etched onto my heart.
Next time, I say we meet in Africa. So here's to dreaming. And being a willing vessel. And not getting discouraged "in the wait", learning that "it's not wrong, it's just different", to "crashing" and getting back up, to embracing my God appointed ministry....and not losing heart.
It reminded me a lot of Nebraska. Minus the horse and buggies and general Amishness.
It is a very lovely part of our country. Quiet and serene. Big skies. And after living in Nebraska all those years...I am a sucker for some big skies.
A different kind of living happens out here. It was different from what I expected Amish life to be. In my imaginings I saw little communities of Amish people, all their houses closely clustered together, away from the rush and busyness of the rest of us non-Amish folk. But I was surprised to see that many Amish people...at least the areas we drove by, lived next to non-Amish neighbors. Many did have secluded homes far back from the road, but many others lived on streets surrounded by the modern homes and conveniences we know. And then as we drove into downtown Lancaster on Saturday to explore during our free time, we saw many Amish people working in the Central Market, surrounded by other vendors, walking the cobblestone sidewalks, lounging against buildings and mingling with passersby. I always envisioned them as a very secluded people. And maybe some are, but it was interesting to see so many of them living "in" the world, without being conformed to it.
Good reminder for me.
The retreat was a blast. I had an amazing time with these ladies.....
(Holly, Liza, Amanda, me- March 2012)
Our first few hours there we went for a hike on the property. I love me a good hike. Especially when I have my third eye with me. It has been about ten months since I got to go out and photograph just for me, no rushing or hurrying about. Just slowly getting to explore the intricacies around me and find beauty in small details. I feel so very alive and "me" when I am photographing in this way. It is a passion I have been graced with and I thank Him for blessing me with it.
During our hike we found a cool "cave"-like rock formation.....very Hunger Games-esque....if I do say so myself!
We got our Katniss on trying to set the stinkin' timer on the camera and having to run back over the not so sturdy rocks to pose for the picture. We failed...a lot. We fell, running back....a lot. But we got one!
This hike was one of my favorite parts of the weekend. I love to walk. I love creation. I love to sit and watch and breathe in the beauty and quirks and subtleties of all He made. I love seeing the different ways that trees bend and how new buds of life can grow out of strange places. It's all a miracle. Every part testifies to God as Maker.
"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." Isaiah 55:12
On Saturday we made our way to downtown Lancaster and with the help of Bekah, my Lancaster native, we hit up some really fun places. We perused Central Market, the oldest farmers market in the entire Untied States.
We also happen to be there on St. Patrick's Day so we got to enjoy some bag piping, all things green,
some jolly frolicking,
and lots of men in kilts. :~)
Back at the retreat center we bonded over some hilarious "Minute To Win It" games....which we totally lost at.
And if all these moments weren't enough....God had a great deal more in store for me this weekend as well.
I had the privilege of spending the weekend listening to Giselle Timbie, missionary in Egypt for 8 years, France for 3 years, and now is on staff at Christian Embassies in the United Nations Headquarters in NYC. Um...wow. There are some people that you meet, that are so experienced, have seen so much, done so much and have been used by God is some absolutely incredible ways...you would just be satisfied to sit by them. To not even say a word, and just sit, and soak up their presence and their words. That would have been enough. But, as it turns out, God had something extra special in store for me....
To my great surprise Saturday morning as I walked into the dining room for breakfast, I saw that Amanda and Liza were sitting at a table in the back, with Giselle...and they had saved me a seat. I don't know how they all came to sit together...except God in His goodness somehow arranged it. He is so good to me. Knowing that I wouldn't push to the front of a line to speak to her (or stalk her outside her room)...so...He brought us to the same breakfast table. Where we could talk over eggs and toast and have minute after minute to share and listen and soak up her knowledge. And after breakfast was done and everyone was getting up to head to the meeting room...she walked around the table and stopped me. And spent the next ten minutes filling me up with life, and encouragement and practical advice. Not only did God bring an amazing speaker to this event, He brought to me, literally, straight.to.me a woman, and a mom, and a wife....who knows what it is like to cross cultures. To pack up her family of young kids and move to a foreign land, with a foreign language, to be stripped of her identity and all that is familiar....all because she was willing to be used by God.
I love that God knows what I need, even when I don't. I love that God provides and answers prayers, and is one step ahead. I am treasuring up those ten minutes spent with her and the advice and encouragement she blessed me with. What an unexpected treat. Her messages that weekend were just what I needed to hear. What everyone needed to hear. Gosh...I just can't thank Jesus enough. It was good. It as just.all.so.good.
Great weekend. A lot of great ladies came and it was nice to get to meet so many of them. I made a ton of new memories which are now etched onto my heart.
Next time, I say we meet in Africa. So here's to dreaming. And being a willing vessel. And not getting discouraged "in the wait", learning that "it's not wrong, it's just different", to "crashing" and getting back up, to embracing my God appointed ministry....and not losing heart.
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