Time Flies

I've really got to stop this blinking thing. Every year I get so nostalgic when it comes to back to school time...like this year, this year, and the year that Annika started Kindergarten.  Never stops! Like I said in my last post Life goes on!  We see the seasons come and go. We see our kids grow older (and taller!). But, it's milestones like the first day of school that really makes us realize how fast time goes by.

Today, my heart was tugged for two reasons.

13 years ago, today, I said goodbye to my Pops.  He left this earth a lot earlier than we would have liked, but who am I to determine how long? Because if it was up to us, nothing would ever be long enough. I still have a hard time remembering the night when he suddenly left this world for this true Home. It is all a blur. But that seems to be how things happen when you are in the midst of it. It's a whirlwind of memories swirling around. There's a beginning and an end, but I don't remember much of the middle.  I do know that I miss him and he would be very proud of where all of his kids (and 8(!) grand kids) are right now.  I can still see his smile, and, perhaps, that's all I need to remember.

Fast forward to today, my little Landon Keith (named after my pops) started Kindergarten! Life goes on. And, talk about a whirlwind! I remember the first time we found out that we were having a boy (Dan would have done a cartwheel if there was enough room in the doc's office) and here he is with his big size 13 feet starting a real school with real school days. There's a beginning and kind of an end (to him staying at home with me, at least) and the middle is all a blur. And, there is no way, I will forget this little guy's smile today...so brave and so proud of going to school.

Time flies.

Life together

Yesterday, Annika and a friend were playing “The Game Of Life.” You know the game. You get a cute little colored minivan and stick in a cute little pink or blue person (yes, I have the woman drive when I play).  You spin and go around the road of Life.  Along the way there are choices. College or Career Path? Which Career do you choose? What risks do you want to take? What kind of house? And, Life happens…Get Married! Have Kids! Adopt a dog! Win the Ultimate Idol TV Show!! (Pretty sure that wasn't on my version when I was growing up).  There are things you have to pay for as well.  Furnish Baby’s Room (pay $5,000).  Take a family cruise vacation (pay $25,000 + $5,000 per child). Sheesh! Who are these people? Lose your job. Tornado hits house. Have cosmetic surgery. Seriously?!

Then you make it to the end…Retirement.  Hopefully your little pastel minivan is now full of kids. You are rich and happy.  Next choice: will you spend the rest of your life in Millionaire Estates or Countryside Acres? Nice, perfect and wrapped in a bow. Fold up the game and Life is over.

Ah, if it were that easy. Wouldn't it be nice if, in our Real Game of Life, we landed on “Go to ER with son who fell off couch and broke his arm. Pay $2,500”, we just had to pay our pretend money, and then it’s someone else’s turn?  Or, perhaps, we land on the space, “Family member gives you heartbreaking news. Pay $50,000.” Then, as quickly as a spin of the wheel, we have moved on, not affected at all.  But, that’s not how life happens.  Life happens with infertility, lost jobs, loved ones taken too soon, marriages ending, and children making bad choices. It’s not an easy spin and “next turn.”  Instead, we are left changed as we continue on our path. Somethings may make us happier, more confident or learning something about ourselves that we wouldn't have learned otherwise. But, often our "spins" leave us hurt, confused, or frustrated. “The Game of Life” nicely avoids those problems.  There’s no space at the end that says “Pay $100,000 for therapy.”

Pink little me has been riding in a little minivan with my hunky blue man for 13 years. On August 5, 2000, before God and our family, we committed to Life “until death do us part.” Along the way, we have stopped at “Get Married!” “Buy a house!” “Have kids!” Four times for that last one. (Thankfully, we skipped right over the “Twins!” space).  We've bypassed spaces that we would have liked to have landed on, and landed on spaces we would have liked to have bypassed. But, when we look back at these last 13 years, Life has been good.

I am so deeply thankful, that Dan isn't like that little blue man in the plastic car. While the girls were playing, I overheard, “My husband keeps falling out of the car!”  In real life, Dan won’t just pop out when the turns are too sharp, or the car gets knocked over. He’s in this game with me all the way to the end. There's no other option. That’s part of our covenant to God and each other.

And, also, thankfully, for us, we aren't the ones driving our life.  Dan and I have been given something special. A Life, and a marriage, centered not on a little knob that spins the wheel willy-nilly but on the solid Rock of Christ. Every single part of our life has a purpose (whether we see it at the time, or not). We serve a great and loving God who is driving our Life down the best path that will give Him (not me) the most glory.  Sometimes it means taking a risk, sometimes it’s a hit that we didn't see coming, and still other times it’s enjoying the goodness of all that life has to offer. 

Real life will happen. And, when it does, we’ll stay on the path and keep moving along one colorful space at a time.

What am I supposed to be doing?!

I was on such a roll there, for, like, a month.  Then we left town for four weeks. Then I came and fell into something I like to refer to as "The Vacation Coma." Then I awoke from my coma and decided I should probably get my kiddos ready to start school. Eeek!

Someone "pinned" this ecard and I must say it kinda describes me perfectly.  I sent it to Dan and he didn't argue...not even one bit.

So, what am I supposed to be doing? For starters, I should have posted about all the other fun stuff we did during our "San Diego Summer."

Like going to Legoland...

 Taking a detour to the Gliderport in LaJolla...

Checking out the new San Diego Children's Museum...

Making lemonade...

Going on a "venture"...

Hanging out with this lady...glad she's still smiling after driving 24+ hours with the kids and me...or maybe she's smiling because she's on the way to the airport?...hmmm...

I am supposed to be picking out a paint color for Taryn's room. At the beginning of the summer she officially moved into her own room. Granted, she's still sleeping with her sister, but at least she's got her own space for her own stuff.  She wants a purple room. Do you know how many shades of purple there are? Currently, we are looking at "Charm," "Aster," "Purple Essence," or "Lovely Lavender." Easy peasy? I think not.

This also means that the boys are sharing a room.  It's going fantastic. Can't you tell? Yes, Landon's head is under the bed. At least they were sleeping!

I am supposed to be getting more mentally and physically prepared for school to start next week. All our school supplies, new uniforms, and new shoes have been bought.

But,as I write this, it's 9:22 and Annika is still in bed. Taryn hasn't eaten breakfast yet, and Landon is watching t.v. In just over a week we will have to be out the door by 7:55. Oh dear, this may be ugly.

I think I want to fall back into my coma. Don't wake me up until after Labor Day.