cherished moments, cherished memories

Add "roller-coasters" to the things neither Lily nor Sofie are even remotely afraid of.  

Every summer we try to take a short summer family vacation.  My goal is always a week, though I'm not sure that's ever happened. What we did get, and what I'm very thankful for, was 2 days with family at Cedar Point in northern Ohio.  

While time was short, it gave us two jam-packed-fun days of shows, rides, water slides, cotton candy, ferris wheels, Lake Erie and laughter.  The girls loved EVERY second of it, though ever since Uncle Martin and Aunt Sharon pointed out in Sabetha that the girls just seem to LOVE life, I've realized that they really do love every second of most things.  They truly enjoy life to the fullest.

Especially at an amusement park.

Thursday night, way too late, we were wrapping up the night with a huge show with flames, lights and fireworks, song and dance and zip lines, and right in the middle, wide-mouthed Lily leaned over and whispered: "THIS. IS. WAYYYYYY. BETTER. THAN. SCHOOL."

Good to know.  

Hearing Matt and Adam explode with laughter and watching them run off to ride the biggest and best, watching my little sis sweet with roly-poly Evie, watching Lily seriously instructing Sofie on line-standing etiquette (which was actually Haitian line-standing etiquette...quite another thing) and when to hold her arms up on rides, watching Adam bust with laughter as the girls squeal-jump off the bed onto his stomach, watching Sofie's eyes light up on every ride, the scarier the better, watching Dad head off with Cindy, finally getting to do things HE loves to do instead spending vacation at Camp Snoopy, spending "normal" and precious time with my sister, watching my kids around other kids...seeing who they are and how God made them and marveling at the women they might become, by His grace.  

This is what Lily called, "The Email Ride"

Cherished moments and cherished memories.

I finished "Atlas Girl", which was just beautiful. I loved reading about healing.  About changed priorities.  About our God and His beautiful love.  It's left me with a lot to think about and a lot of it to read through again.

Jumped right into another book Randi bestowed me, called "Say Goodbye to Survival Mode" after a friend at NorthRidge asked me very simply (and waited for a response) "What are you going to stop doing this year to make life less crazy and to deliberately DO less?" and I had no idea what to say except a quiet, "YES, I want that."

As the author jumped right in at practicing saying "no" more often then saying "yes" and starting to teach ourselves how to leave breathing room and to stop pushing and pushing to do everything...yeah, it rang a bell.  

I am fully aware after hitting what I would truly describe as being at MY brick wall this summer of being unable to push ANY more, that this is NOT how I want to continue to live life.  As much as I feel like I am obligated to do every single thing I do, I'm realizing more and more that the only person making life like this is ME, and that the only person who can change this is ME.  

It is NOT the fault of having to raise and maintain support, nor the fault of the line at the door, the culture, being a missionary, Haiti, others, the many visitors to the field, the meals, the dishes, the girls.  Living in survival mode and trying to do far more than humanly possible is MY decision.  And MINE to change.  

Yes, I'm aware that we have talked about this before :)  I'm trying again.  

As I read I'll share what might be helpful for you to join me in feeling healthier and more energetic, eliminating stressors, enjoying the relationships that matter most by saying no when it counts and recommitting to and pursing the passions He's placed in me.

Tomorrow we're clearing trees at dad's house and then driving to Farmland, Indiana.  Sunday, we finally get to meet our family at Farmland Friends Church and share in their morning worship!

simple.

This summer, we had ONE weekend together as a family NOT speaking.  And this weekend was it!

And it was GREAT.  

The White Family has been camping with the Miller Family since we were kids, and each year it's just more fun as we've become the White/Miller/Northam/Sedunov/Ayars family!

It was pointed out that we really shouldn't like camping, because let's face it, life in Haiti IS a bit like camping a lot of the time!  (though the spiders of Pennsylvania have nothing on Haiti :)

But this is what we love: no phones, no computers, no emails, no schedule, no "plan", no dishes, no laundry, no house to clean up, low cost, low stress, no bath time (well, the girls love that), and great, relaxing down-time with friends, friends who can't get away from you, even if they want to :)

Doesn't matter what you look like.  Doesn't matter when you do what.  Everything you "need" is right there, which you quickly remember, in the middle of the woods, is very little.

This weekend, it ended about all we needed was a hammock, marshmallows, and TIME.

 We ate lots of great things (nothing better than pudgy pies and coal-roasted potatoes and corn!)...

had lots of great talks around the fire... 

 some good time hiking...

 lots of PERFECT weather...

 great time on the lake...

 good time with the girls and family...

 and lots of laughs.

Lily must have said 12 times, "Is camping GREAT, or WHAT!!"

Lily made a special friend in first-timer John, the only person who would sword fight flaming sticks with her, a sport she was very excited about as long as she had her "safety snorkel."

This morning some of Dad's family (one of them being his namesake, Malcolm) stopped by for a few minutes on their way through to New Jersey, and didn't even mind standing close enough to smell us :)

 Between finding lots of marshmallows, getting to sleep with four people to climb on, and being allowed to get good and dirty, Sofie was in heaven!

Really thankful for the weekend off and away, thankful for the way He continues to be leading, peacen-ing, guiding, strengthening, renewing and restoring us, and thankful for friends and family you can be dirty, smelly, laid-back and yourself with!

the Point

We just got back from a FANT-ABULOUS trip to Cedar Point, home of several of the world's number one roller coasters, and home of Snoopy Planet--which was just as big of a hit with our crew--and home of Soak City (a water park). It's also on Lake Erie, which provided lots of fun in the "ocean".

This is Sofie's best roller-coaster-riding imitation.  We did a full day at Cedar Point ridin' and a full day at Soak City slidin'.  

Lisa, Adam and Matt rode every big ride the park had to offer, including one 17 second thriller that shot them 21 stories high and back again from 0-120 in under 4 seconds.   They also rode the number one steel roller coaster in the world, the tallest/longest/fastest wooden roller coaster in the world, and a bunch of other record breakers.

 Dad and I rode Snoopy planes, Snoopy racers, Snoopy boats and Snoopy trains.  I even put my hands up.

Lily took her riding VERY seriously.  Would not wave, smile, or talk to us...because she was driving.  No texting, either!

This was the biggest ride Lily rode of the day.  It was a BIT intense for her, but she came off grinning..."I don't want to ride that again, ok!"

 doing the Limbo with the kids and Snoopy Crew...

And showing me how she goes "under".

A few moments after being in the lake, Lily licked her hand, and announced excitedly!  "This isn't salty!  I can drink all I want!"

Then we stopped at Der Dutchman on our way home, a restaurant my family has been in love with for years, and celebrated the 4th of July thankful for America, for a wonderful mini-vacay, for such good time together, and for the freedom we have in Him. 

Tomorrow is a new day, the van is un-packed and re-packed, and we head for the east coast.  We've got friends and family to see, more memories to make, lots of places to preach the Gospel and lots of need for it ahead!