the new year... take 2{020}

We rang in the new decade celebrating the 20s with friends and strangers. We never go out to ring in the new year, but our favorite pub announced a Roaring Twenties party, and we immediately signed up. We dined at home, fancy around the table. Candles and twinkle lights made the clear glass baubles of the Candlewick glisten, and set the mood for our night. Then we were off to the pub for games and the count down. Our midnight kiss was sweet and full of promise... there will be lots to love in this new year.

 I've probably said it before, but I'm not much a New Year kind of girl. The late hour makes me sleepy, and the resolutions make me queasy... full of false hope and already set up for regret. What makes January the boss of fresh starts, anyway? But maybe... how we feel about the new year coming relates to how successful we were in the twelve months prior.

And my last year? It was focused and full of hard work.
From beginning to end, I was focused on my health and being active. I gained an accountability partner - who immediately seemed like a long lost sister. Together we have stayed on track and inspired each other to keep going. And I lost... a good amount of weight and regret. I even did things I have never done... like exercise vacation, and run a 5k {actually, two!} My confidence soared and knowing I can do hard things, has made me a little proud, and a little fearless.

So what do I wish for this new year? More.
More energy, more motivation, more pounds lost.
More creativity, less phone.
More life, more adventure.
More love, more gratitude... more kindness.

I am truly thankful for the gifts of 2019.

our cast of characters...

Maybe one of the reasons I was so excited for this trip was that we would all {almost all... Tina, you were missed!} be together to celebrate: my family, his family... our family. There was one glitch though. Laura. She moved to Colorado in April, knowing she would need a week off in July... and she felt like it was irresponsible to ask for more. She talked to Camden first, and he understood. When she told us... what could we say? So we began to plan without her...

But... God placed a new opportunity in her path, and her new job gave her weekends off! Would she be willing to fly in Saturday morning and back out Sunday night? Laura contemplated, then finally decided yes, on ONE condition... she wanted to surprise Camden. Okay. Done.

The weather leading up to our weekend was crazy across the nation. While we drove in with no problems, my parents had planned on an extra day in Nashville, but skipped out on their planned zoo day to beat the weather! The four of us arrived Thursday afternoon, a day ahead of schedule!

Eric's parents flew into Iowa Thursday night...well, it was actually Friday by the time they arrived. Delays in Florida had them racing for their delayed connection in Atlanta. But they made it, and that was what was important.

Eric's brother and his wife {Uncle Fritz & Aunt Heather} were due to arrive Friday at noon, and... their flight was cancelled. They ended up finding another flight from Richmond to Dallas, which eventually made its way to Iowa. Five hours late? Better than never. We were able to keep our dinner reservation at the Sing-A-Long Piano Bar, which was delicious and fun.

And that brings us to Laura... our surprise guest.
She was due to arrive at noon, before Baccalaureate. But those storms kept on raging, and there were delays and changed flights... and I was almost to my breaking point. Too much stress. So we went to the ceremony without her, enjoyed the reception, and made our way on to dinner...

Aunt and Uncle to her rescue... they picked her up at the airport and met us at the restaurant {which had it's own set of issues: prom, graduation...} The foyer at the restaurant was packed - no room to budge, no room to pull off the surprise. So we waited outside in the cold until there was a little more breathing room.

I was expecting shock and utter surprise... and I might have felt robbed at his "Oh, hi! It's you!" response to seeing his sister... but they sat at dinner together and chatted and laughed and were silly together and it brought me to tears. Gasping-I-can-hardly-speak tears.  And the difficulties of the travel day disappeared...

p.s. If Tina and her kiddos could have come we would have all ALL been together... but travel is expensive, and it was May, and there is so much school to do in May! They were definitely there in spirit and in our hearts!

the birthdays...

I love the way it feels when my birthday is approaching... that sense of excitement that grows inside when you know something good is just around the bend. After all these forty-something birthdays you'd think it would get old. But for me... it never does. Maybe it is the joy and flurry of December strung around the days until my birthday that makes me smile, or perhaps it is that I still have not quite grown up. I love my birthday and the gathering of family and friends that make me me.

Of course, just ten days later, I have the joy of celebrating this fantastic young man and his love of adventure!  Twenty-two seems almost impossible, and yet he has really filled those years with some fantastic experiences, with a couple more just on his horizon.

ice cream cake with twenty-two candles, and his 2nd favorite penguin wrapping paper

And if it was not enough for my baby to be turning twenty-two... our beautiful girl celebrated twenty-five just two weeks later. I was so thankful to celebrate with her this year! She enjoyed her quiet day off doing something she loves - reading two books in her hammock - and we sang to her over a delicious birthday cheesecake. Twenty-five... and a whole new adventure ahead of her. I truly hope this is her very best year yet!

brownie turtle cheesecake, polar bear plates, and her traditional birthday wrapping paper

The morning after Laura's birthday, Eric said to me Finally! A clear path to my {July} birthday! I laughed loudly,,, and figure that he and I are indeed a perfect pair.

before the storm...

Her 65th birthday celebration trip had been planned for months. Grown ups at Disney World!
When the talk of a hurricane started, we watched the forecast closely and tried to decide:
Do we go... or not? 

The New England in us thought... if we cancel and the storm never comes, we'd be mad. The Florida in us thought... Disney may be the safest place to be if it does come. The government agencies and the news urged everyone to get out if you could.  But Eric's boss told him he could still go, which made us lean into our New England roots. Our only disappointment was that my sister felt like she couldn't leave her kids here in town, just in case... which we totally understood. Three days before the hurricane, we filled the cars with gas, stocked up on supplies, documented our belongings, prepared the house... and headed four hours north to Disney.

Was it the right decision? Once we were on the road, it didn't matter. It was the decision we made. In the end, we were glad we went and everything turned out just fine. We enjoyed all of Disney we planned for (plus one more night)... and saw how Disney handles a hurricane - which was incredible.  

And the birthday celebration? Stay tuned...

life lately... independence day

We didn't have big plans for celebrating the holiday... we were just happy to both have Monday & Tuesday off together! Since I knew I wasn't going to talk Eric into the beach fireworks on Tuesday, I figured it would be worth a shot to try for the local baseball game on Monday, since they had fireworks afterwards...

1. On the way to the game, I spotted this atrocity. I don't know how they got it all
fastened up there, and I certainly didn't trust it to stay! We got out from behind them
as soon as we could... 

2. We arrived at the game, and even though it was under a lightning delay, I was excited!

3. I think what I liked best about the game was... watching them take the tarp off the field,
seeing the many moods of the sky beyond the stadium (from sunset to crazy lightning!)
and just having time out with Eric. Apparently, I don't care for baseball. Oops. 

4. Us, looking super cute in our Cornell College caps! We were prepared for the rain that delayed
the game after the third inning (raincoats, umbrella & hats)... but after an hour we decided we
were not prepared to hang around until after midnight for the fireworks. See #3. 

5. Eric got up at 2 am to start his beef brisket in the smoker... 12 hours!

6. Playing Game of Phones at our friend's house. Cam gave John this card game for his
birthday and it is SO. FUN. I did NOT accidentally buy a refrigerator this time around.
Our friends happened to have this cool charging station, which was a pretty great accessory!

7. Toasting the holiday with a little patriotic lemonade!

8. The beef brisket was worth his sleepless night... it was delicious!

9. And what is a holiday without dessert? Chocolate pavlova... but for the second year
in a row my meringue flattened in the oven. Anyone know why?

I hope your day was great!

after the goodbye...

He came up with the perfect idea before it ever crossed my mind. I'm not sure when, or if, it ever would have. I'm sure he was thinking survival when he said What if we drive to Chicago to see Amy after we drop Cam off?  Usually I plan these kinds of things in the secret of my mind, and drop almost invisible hints until he comes around to thinking it was his idea, but this time?  All him. There is more than one reason he is my hero.

It took us exactly 4 hours and 10 minutes to arrive at their door... dinner was ready, and they had already poured the champagne. What a way to celebrate friendship, Camden's adventure, and us being able to drive away with a smile! We spent two days in Chicago, enjoying our friends and the city, complete with lovely fall weather.

 

I think it was the anticipation of this trip that got me through the goodbye. Otherwise, I'm not sure I could have handled driving off in the empty car, headed to our almost empty home. Thank you, my dear, for knowing me so well...

unexpected celebrating...

I love Independence Day, but this year I expected a quiet celebration. My "boys" were on the long road home from camp, and the thought of the parade alone just sounded hot. But last minute texts {one from my sister, one from a friend} had me making plans for Friday night fireworks and the parade on Saturday. It makes me happy that people know I am a spur-of-the-moment kind of girl, up for anything! So what if it rained before the fireworks and we huddled under the chair bags! And the parade? I found the perfect shady spot! Eric and Cam made it home before dinner... so we ate at his parents with church friends, and then finished the evening with Jenn & John. Sometimes the best celebrations are unexpected.

the ceremony...

As soon as the pianist played the introduction I knew I was done for. Why, why, had I thought it was a good idea for Laura to sing on Camden's big day?  As her voice sang And He will raise you up on eagle's wings the salty tears rolled and I had to gain control.  Two beautiful happenings for both of my kids?  It was overwhelming for this mother's heart.  But by the time she finished {beautifully} singing Cam's favorite hymn, I had regrouped and was smiling again.

Camden was escorted to the front by his troop-mates and fellow Eagle Scouts, and I could sit back and enjoy.  Even though we had written the ceremony and read {and re-read!} it several times, to hear our friends actually speak the words was so meaningful.

Earning the Eagle Scout Award represents another step forward by the Scout toward the BSA’s goals of developing citizenship, of imparting character development and enhancing personal fitness, and the achievement of Eagle Scout is indeed the highest honor that a Scout may achieve.

Of any 100 boys who become Scouts, it must be confessed that 30 will drop out in their first year... Each of the 100 will learn something from Scouting. Almost all will develop hobbies that will add interest throughout the rest of their lives... Four of the 100 will reach the rank of Eagle, and at least one will later say that he values his Eagle badge above his college degree.

He stood tall when taking his Eagle Oath, being reminded of the promises he had made in scouting before, and accepting the new challenge and promise before him.  

The important thing to remember—and this applies to all of us—is that we shouldn’t forget the promises we’ve made before just because we’re making a new promise now. It’s still important to do our best, to help other people, and give goodwill, to be prepared, and to do a good turn daily.

And then came the moment when Eric and I joined Camden, and he received his actual Eagle Award. I love that Boy Scouts honors the parent's {especially the mother's} involvement along the trail to success... and I was truly honored to pin Camden's award above his heart.  I may have teared up during this moment, but instead, my hand let the pin backs tumble to the carpet... grace.

I enjoyed the ceremony so much.  It all came together as we planned, and moved right along.  A representative from the Marine Corps League presented Cam with a good citizen award and a beautiful challenge coin.  George, the amazing volunteer from CREW (where Cam's project took place) read a letter singing Cam's praises and presented him with a certificate. Camden had a turn to speak, too.  He thanked everyone for coming, and he presented the Eagle Scout Mentor pin to George. At this point I realized that oh no! Just as I was having the time of my life, I was up next!

I had spent weeks playing with the words in my head and heart, knowing that I wanted to express how significant this event was to Camden and to us, but the words would come and go.  I must have six documents started on my computer. I cut and pasted from one to another, deleted this, and added something completely different. Saturday night, as we were gathered around the table, so ready for bed, I finally hit print.

I stood at the lectern with Camden beside me, and Eric just behind me.  I took a deep breath, and then another. I could hardly begin.  One more breath. My voice wavered, but I shared how I wondered if Cam had been born with a patriotic soul, or if it had been born in him with the events of 9/11.  I wanted our friends and family to know that while Eric's deployments took him away from us, and Camden's scouting, that it also gave me a gift I cherished- being a Cub Scout Mom.  I wouldn't trade those years for the world. Scouting was, at times, our whole life... and we loved it. I shared how Camden likes to hold the door, and our guests laughed, as I hoped, when I went on to say for the whole marching band.  There is a kindness about him that sets him apart, and I love how he loves to be different, not to stand out, but to stand up for what he believes. I had already noticed my Mom was a mess of tears in the front row... but I had to go on and share how our parents have always been our cheerleaders- for our kids, too.  And that they had created a legacy of service in our family. I almost did not make it through that part... but I knew I was almost done!

I think my saving grace was knowing that I didn't have to wind up all my words into a WOW ending... because we had been keeping a secret from Camden that was all the WOW we needed.  We had asked the Jesus Painter for a congratulations letter for Camden, because meeting him and watching his art come alive was Camden's favorite part of the National Youth Gathering we attended in 2013.  He ended up sending more than a letter though...

On the back of the canvas he had written Congrats Camden!!! You've proven your self a hard working dedicated person. Use that to honor God and serve others.   Camden is so humbled and honored to have received this work of art as a gift.

I was happy to finally sit back down, breathe, and enjoy the last bits of the ceremony.  Our pastor spoke about Camden before he closed with a prayer... and then just like that, it was over.  People flooded up to Camden, hugging and congratulating him.  With every hug, we thanked our friends for coming... and they shared how honored they were to attend, and also that I made them cry.  Suzanne laughed and told me how she could. not. make eye contact with Eric while I was speaking, because he was on the verge of tears.  I laughed, too... because I had no idea. I thought my Mom was the only one crying...

It was a beautiful day.
We had planned on celebrating Camden, but in the end, we felt just as celebrated. I will count this day, in fact the whole weekend, as one of my most treasured memories.

wordless wednesday... the details

More Eagle Scout festivities to come...

how to plan an eagle court of honor...

He was a Cub Scout for five years, and earned his Arrow of Light, the highest honor in Cub Scouting. He climbed the ranks as a  Boy Scout from Tenderfoot to Life Scout, and then made the decision he was going to earn Eagle Scout.  Twelve years, and hours and hours of time and effort is something to make a big deal about.  A really big deal...

Step One:  Choose the date for the Court of Honor, and the venue, then check with all of your important people to see if it will work.  Hooray! Everyone said it was PERFECT!  Then, re-schedule it for the next day, because there is a chance your son will have to interview for a scholarship in a different state on the day you thought was perfect.  Now you can create your invitations.  After a disappointment at a certain drugstore that offered "premium paper" {thank you for not making me take these!} I created my own in photoshop, ordered from Mpix and was delighted!

front...

...back

Step Two: Start looking through pictures to find all of those adorable Cub Scout moments!  This of course, can turn into a huge job... especially if your pictures are on two different computers, several flash drives, and an external hard drive that may or may not have been dropped.  Oh, and then there are the years before I had a digital camera, but had the photos put on CD.  This might turn into the best time to organize all of your photos... or at least begin.  Once you find all of the pictures you thought were missing, you can try to finish the scrapbook you started ten years ago. Don't forget to put your absolute favorites in a different folder so you can make a power-point presentation that will make you cry your eyes out and wonder where the time has gone!  {Disclaimer- this step might have to be worked on through every other step of the process, until you finally decide it must be finished the night before the Court of Honor. And... your husband might gripe that he made everyone else turn in their completed presentations three days before the ceremony!} 

Step Three: Decide what you want to eat after the ceremony.  We decided to have a cake and punch reception, and thought about making the cake ourselves... until we had the super-fancy-and-delicious cake at another Eagle Scout ceremony!  We went to the bakery, Cam tasted some white chocolate mousse filling, and we asked the advice of the very experienced bakery how much cake should we order? We were very happy with their advice and and recommendations... and then we second guessed them and changed our order to include a larger cake.  I also ordered some very special, beautiful cookies that I just had to have.  As for punch, I didn't want red... so I tweaked our favorite lemon/lime refresher punch recipe to include strawberries and lemon sherbet.  You might have to change up the punch recipe in the grocery store when you discover that they don't sell lemon sherbet. And if you are just not sure how much to buy?  Throw a few extra bottles of lemon/lime soda... you might need it to wash down all of the leftover cake!

Step Four: Send away for letters of commendation.  There are Boy Scout sites that have lists of addresses- there are some you can even do online!  And you can even have a flag flown over the Capitol Building to honor your scout!  We took the note to go for quality over quantity, and chose to request from people that would mean something to Camden.  The president, George W. Bush, JK Rowling, Dale Jr.  It takes a while to get these, and Cam is actually still receiving some. You might even receive a letter that will take your breath away and have you keeping a secret for months...

Step Five: Write the ceremony. You can check out the Boy Scout sites again, and there are books, too, that have sample scripts.  Of course, don't forget Pinterest!  You can pick & choose, cut & paste and rewrite to your heart's desire. Some are flowery, others are very formal.  If your guests don't know as much about scouting as you think they should, choose some segments that will make it come alive for them.  Make it meaningful. And... if you have a way with words, be brave and write from your heart, then take a deep breath and decide to read the words in front of your family and friends. They may say they hate you afterwards, but it is probably only because your made them ruin their mascara.

Step Six: Plan your decor.  This step makes me giddy.  I had all kinds of pie-in-the-sky ideas {thanks to Pinterest, of course} and moms who had already had their ceremony offered me whatever they had left over.  But I am me, and I had my own ideas... which turned out to be very simple and easy. I wasn't trying to out-do anyone.  Glass vases, American Flags, clear plates, cups and forks with flag napkins for accent.  Fresh flowers from church.  Tablecloths I already had (plus a borrowed one or two.)  A few curtain sheers that somehow were arranged to look like the Eagle Award.  The only crafty things I made were two paper banners to decorate the fronts of tables, and one of those was re-purposed from Christmas.  But if you are still working on Step Two while you are figuring out Step Six, your son might have a few words for you.  He might say I think you are over-doing the pictures, in which case, you decide not to add a photo to the flag vases that will go on each table.

Step Seven (which is kind of a continuation of Step Six, and closely related to Step Two):  Put all of your memorabilia together so that it can be displayed.  His Cub Scout shirt and hats.  Pinewood Derby cars and trophies. Patches and awards.  There are some great examples of scout shadow boxes online (ahem, Pinterest) and if you can find all the pieces you are looking for in the first trip through the boxes on the top shelf of the closet, you might be able to replicate one.  Or... as you admire them online, you might find that the WEBELOS Compass with the earned points might be among the missing... along with the American Heritage Award, and Tiger Cub bead-y thing-y. You could still manage to make a beautiful shadow box, or you could just lay it all out on the table willy-nilly and give people the opportunity to be able to admire and pick up the patches and... see what they feel like?

Step Eight: Make a program. Or not. I did, but only because I like to know what is coming when I am sitting in the audience, and I wanted some of the scouts to have a job to do at the ceremony.  The truth is, most people won't keep the program... even though it has a really great picture of your son on the front.  I made ours in Publisher, and it didn't print exactly as I had planned... but I put those imperfect pieces at the bottom of the stack and moved on.  Done is better than perfect. And if my mother happens to get one of the icky ones?  She will still think it was beautiful... because it has a great picture of her grandson on the front.

Step Nine: Recruit help.  Friends and family will offer to help... say yes.  Write out a set-up plan (with sketches if need be!) and let them follow your instructions.  Recruit a few someones to cut the cake and maybe someone else would offer to mix the punch.  And if you are your family photographer, hire a high school student who has a nice camera and loves to take pictures.  I couldn't ask anyone to live this once-in-a-lifetime-moment through the camera!

Step Ten: Breathe. Tell your son how proud you are of him. Sit back and enjoy the day... even if that means wiping away the tears as his sweet little face slides by in the power-point and then again when his Scoutmaster recounts the years that brought him to this moment.  Bask in the glow... because anytime your child is shining, it also reflects on you. Smile, visit with your guests... and hope that no one asks for that punch recipe...

More Eagle festivities to come...