What if...

When I started dating David, my world was opened up to the phenomenon of multiple holiday dinners. Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving...three houses to visit. Sometimes the celebrations would be spread over the course of a few days, but other times, we would eat an enormous lunch, complete with all the traditional southern dishes, only to find ourselves seated in front of another huge spread just a few hours later.

That's how I'm feeling tonight - like I've just been served 3 Thanksgiving dinners. Two sessions of Beth Moore - last night and earlier today, followed just hours later by an awesome Saturday night service at my own church. I am stuffed! And now I've got so much to digest!

Hey Beth. Sorry it's been so long! I know, I know...after that trip to Boone to visit you in '07, I kinda became a stranger, didn't I? Well, don't think I haven't been thinking about ya! I am so excited to see you tonight, and to introduce you to my new friend, Teri. Well, by "new" I mean relative to me and you. Teri and I met about 2 years ago, but you and I, well gosh, I guess it's been over a decade! I was thinking back to the first time we met, I did the tabernacle study with a few women from my church....you had big ol' hair and I was just a wide-eyed newlywed, trying to make heads or tails of the real world. I'd never been involved in such an intense Bible study, and though I didn't think I'd make it through, your encouragement helped me persevere. Now, many years and many studies later, you have imparted your knowledge and love for God's Word in my heart like no one else. I'm so thankful we met during those formative years; I'm certain your influence helped shape my faith walk. Like the time you told me "Forgiveness wouldn't make "it" okay, forgiveness would make me okay," I really had to chew on that one, and before too long, I saw things God's way and let go. And then there was the day David moved to NC without me and the kids. I was doing the Believing God study, and you used God's word to show me how the "middle" is often the hardest part, and since we were right in the middle of the biggest faith step we'd ever taken, I needed that encouragement more than ever. You helped me find the strength to tread on to the other side, and you were so right! If I hadn't had the faith to keep going, I'd have missed the tremendous blessings on the other side.

So back to tonight...Beth, I know everyone's faith journey is different, and Teri has to walk her own path. To her, you may just be an acquaintance, a friend of a friend, I guess only time will tell. But Beth, if I don't get a chance to tell you later, thanks for being the kind of friend who can speak God's truth to me in such a way that pierces me, challenges me, encourages me and spurs me on to know Him more. And thanks for being the kind of friend who is always ready and willing to make a new friend, I think you and Teri will really hit it off!

See you in a few hours!

Your Friend,
Erin

On day 1 of homeschooling, I established two rules; two rules that I believed would be all inclusive. Rule #1 - Listen and obey your teacher, a.k.a. Mom. Rule #2 - Respect your classmate.

On day 3, I realized the "all inclusive" idea is apparently not a 1st or 2nd grade concept. We are adding new rules daily, just to clarify expectations.

Rule #3 - Pencils are for writing ONLY.
Rule #4 - Do NOT stab classmate with a pencil, refer to rule #3 for further pencil guidelines.
Rule #5 - Notify teacher immediately if you have been stabbed with a pencil.
Rule #6 - No drinks at the table. (Learned this one the hard way).

I'm thinking we'll be at ten rules by the end of the week, and at this rate, we'll have a ruleBOOK by the end of the year.

The kids and I were working on "All About Me" collages for the front covers of our journals, Pandora was on the computer and Somewhere Over the Rainbow by IZ started to play....the room was full sweet music, magazine scraps and the happy chatter of my children. I stopped and drank up the perfect moment...it was Kodak meets Hallmark, and I felt completely at peace with my world.

And then it hit me - it's only day two and I've already used up every cute, creative idea I'd managed to come up with this summer. With 178 days to go.

It didn't take much personal persuasion for me to decide to take Luke out for a donut the other night (as mentioned on previous post). On the way out, we had an amusing exchange. Here's a little peek into the life of a my mild mannered fellow, who's decided to express his individuality in an interesting way.

Luke, you gonna get dressed, or go in your pjs?

Yep.

Pjs?

Yep.

How about underwear?

Nope.

Luke has slowly given up wearing underwear over the past 2 years, a habit that began gradually, but has increased to a frequency of 95% commando status.

I guess I'm just not an underwear guy.

Well, son, I'm not really sure that's something you get to make a matter of personal preference. I think wearing underwear is like handwashing, it's just the right thing to do.

They don't feel good. My underwear are tight and leave weird marks on me.

Sounds like we need to buy you some new underwear, maybe you've outgrown your others. Want to go right now, while it's just the two of us?

No can do. No...can...do....sis-tah.

The house is a little quieter tonight, just Luke and I are tinkering around. David and Lily have gone on their first father-daughter date night. This has been one of those "we really need to start..." experiences that we've been talking about since Lily was 3. She's now 7, and I was determined that unlike the "journal the cute things she says" or "write her a letter on each birthday," I would not let this fall by the wayside.

When I first asked if she'd like her daddy to take her out, her reply was "Sorry, I've got plans," although I'd given no indication of when! But the idea rapidly grew on her. All day she's tried to hide her anticipation, although starting to get ready 2 hours before their departure was a dead give away! When I told her she didn't have to wash her hair she said, "I want to so I can do that blow dry thing that makes it look so cute." As I watched her prepare for the big night - picking out a "fancy" shirt, putting on lip gloss - I knew tonight was the start of something very special in her life.

Though she didn't want to admit it, Lily was thrilled at the prospect of having David's full attention, but of course Luke was less enchanted by the idea. Although we've assured him that special "Dad-time" will be set aside for him too, he struggled with them leaving him behind. He's asked repeatedly what he and I will do "fun" while they're gone. I'm torn somewhere between my desire to teach him the life lesson that not everything she does will be reciprocated for him, and my own hankering for a French Delight donut from the Dunkin' Donuts!

August already?!? With the end of summer quickly approaching, here are a few summer highlights I want to savor before summer is gone for good...

Beach! A visit to Carolina Beach in May, a visit to Fort DeSoto Beach in July, another visit to Carolina on the calendar for next month...I love the beach! (and three beach trips are hardly enough to satisfy!)

Cousins! This summer was full of great memory making moments for Lily and Luke with all their cousins, including the newest, Landon.

Donuts! I introduced my children to Britt's. Mmmmmmm.

Excited to homeschool! Lily asks to get started everyday, and I heard Luke say, "I can't wait for school to start!" and trust me, those are not words Luke has ever uttered before. There is a peace in our home as summer winds down, full of positive anticipation - and it feels great!

Friends! What would summer be without friends?

God With Us! Elevation released it's newest CD, God With Us, and it's a favorite around our house. David and I had a hot date (and by hot, I mean southeast in the summer hot!) to a cool party to celebrate the CD's release.

Happy Hour! Nothing beats the heat like a Lemon Berry Slush from Sonic during half-price Happy Hour!

Ice cream! David and I drove to 3 different places one evening to get ice cream, just the two of us. He wanted to give up after the first two failed attempts, but I didn't give up so easily.

Jaws! Refer to "U" for more information, but I certainly learned to never again talk my children into doing something they're scared to do! If only I'd had a Flip, I'd be $10,000 richer because 4 screaming children diving for my lap to avoid one large mechanical shark was a riot!

Kennedy Space Center! Aunt Lisa and Uncle Larry took the kiddos to KSC; they're now full of space travel information and share it with us at the most random times.

Landon! One of our favorite summer memories will always be meeting Landon for the first time. He took to Uncle David a little sooner than Aunt Erin, but I didn't take it to heart - I'm pretty fond of David myself.

Matthews Campus! Next weekend, Elevation opens it's first permanent facility. "M" could also stand for "Milestone," what a huge one this is in the life of our church!

No Kids! It's become tradition for the kids to spend 2 weeks in FL with the grandparents...without us! This year was probably my favorite yet. Now that the kids are a little older, I spend less time worrying and more time enjoying!

One more week! Our first day of school is August 24th; that give us one more week to soak up the sun and fun before hitting the books (although we may do so in pajamas if we please!)

Pool! I have an aversion to public pools. We had a family pool in Florida, so having to share a pool with strangers was foreign to me...until we moved here. But I have finally learned embrace the joy of a neighborhood pool - unfortunately our 'hood doesn't have one so we depend on the kind invite of nearby friends!

Quiet Time! B90x has brought back my "quiet time" with a vengeance. If I thought carving out 5-10 minutes for time in the Word was difficult before, I'll have no excuses now that I'm making it through a half hour reading assignment everyday.

Run Away! I started the summer off with a little running, can't say I kept that up at all. I'll put that in my "goals for fall" column.

So You Think You Can Dance?...Dance....Dance! What a fun summer obsession!

Teri meets Beth! Last week I won (by calling into a radio station for the first time ever) 2 tickets to a Beth Moore simulcast event that's taking place nearby. It was a no-brainer as to who to take with me; although I have many Beth Moore lovin' friends, Teri.does.not.know.Beth.Moore. (insert gasps here!) So I have to introduce Teri to Beth, and I get to do so at the end of the month!

Universal Studios! Papa Ron and Wissy treated us to a fun day at both Universal parks, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. The kids are still talking about it! I'm asked at least once a week what my favorite ride at Universal was, but I am not allowed to say Jaws!

Value! We have acquainted ourselves with the $1 theater...50 cent Mondays, $1 Tuesdays...best deal around. When the kids see a new release preview on TV, they ask, "Can we see that when it comes to the $1 theater?"

Walls! Chocolate Truffle paint transformed my kitchen from monotone to delicious!

X Games! Luke discovered the X Games this summer. He is such a boy...if it has wheels, he'd like to see it go off a ramp...and that's a guarantee on the X Games.

Yuck! Stomach bugs made a mark on our summer (and in the Exxon parking lot!). From Lily's terrible 4th of July bug that delayed our trip home, to Luke's explosion in the gas station parking lot last weekend, these are the summer memories I hope to forget!

Zoo! I'm cheating a little, it was actually spring when we made our first trip to Riverbanks Zoo, but our fun day was worthy of revisiting and there just isn't much else to do with Z!

There you have the ABCs of our summer...hope you've had a great summer, too!

You know how it feels to have something just on the tip of your tongue, and then you forget? Maybe during a phone conversation with a friend - and a little one interrupts for a sippy cup refill...or your husband comes home from work and as you're telling him about your day - the water on the stove boils over...and you find yourself asking, "Now what was I going to say?"

That's how I've been all week when it comes to this blog. I'm sure I've got something to say, then I sign in and find myself wondering, "Now what was I going to say?"

Oh well. I'm sure it'll come to me when the time is right. In the meantime I'll just live with that nagging little feeling you get when you've got something right there, on the tip of your tongue, and then you forget.

Nicholas Cage holding a guitar, talking to a spider about writing a song...and the spider talks back.

David, shirtless, wearing a bandana (Jeremy Fiske style), and wrestling an alligator (or maybe it's a crocodile).

Me, with gray hair and a buzz cut, wearing a tutu to a little league game.

Just a few snippets I can recall from some of the dreams I've had the past few nights. Anyone want to tell me what's going on? A sign of the end times maybe?

When Lily was a baby, anytime she was dressed in denim I called her Too Cool for School Barbie. I don't really have any explanation for the odd nickname, and I'm quite sure Barbie never thought she was too cool for school; after all, she's been a teacher, an astronaut and a dentist, so she's attended more than her fair share of classes. Often shortened to just Too Cool, the silly name came along well before school was really on our minds, back when Lily wore jeans with snaps between the legs. But apparently, it was prophetic. Lily is indeed too cool for school. Or at least she thinks so. And I guess we've come to realize our whole family is; school has been cramping our style.

So there you have the lighter side of our family's decision to homeschool. I could probably write ten posts on homeschooling and still not adequately describe all the hows and whys of coming to this decision, so instead, I'll just leave it alone. Traditional school is not for us. At least not right now.

We made the decision months ago, spring time. But with the summer months still ahead, fall and homeschooling felt forever away. Until today. August 1st. Can you believe it? August!?! Already?!? I'd better get busy! Much like Barbie, I'm taking on yet another a new career.