pop-up ice cream...

Staying home isn't a hard task, but missing your people is a different story, and we knew that by May, some people were missing all people. And so... when Eric came to me with one of his What if we... ideas, we figured out a way to make it work. He is, forever, the idea man, and I suppose one secret to our marriage is that if he dreams it up, I try to figure out how to make it happen.  

We named our "shop" Wilbur's South, in honor of our family run Massachusetts ice cream shop Wilbur's North. I even made t-shirts, because I had plenty of time. We decided on a simple menu, with just a few flavors, added some balloons, just for fun, and mapped out our route. 

We were on a mission, to spread a little joy to some of our favorite people... and it was more than we could have imagined. Everyone was assigned a job, and as our family/friends came out to the driveway, Cam unfolded the table and menu board, I strung up and set out the decorations, and Eric organized his serving area in the trunk. There was wonder, laughter, and many, many smiling faces. 

Our first stop broke all the rules. Sweet MK was too excited, and there was no way she was keeping her distance! She want to help, and she wanted a hug. Her Mom said you are the first real people we've seen! Eric scooped while MK looked on, and then we chatted and laughed together before packing up and making our way to the next driveway. 

In two weekends, we brought our little ice cream shop to over a dozen driveways, and would have done more, but the timing just didn't always work out. We forgot to take pictures at every stop, but there were smiles everywhere {well, almost everywhere... there was one little that wasn't sure about it!}. It was exhausting, but we loved it! 

We have always known that ice cream=happiness, but these driveway visits were more than we even dreamed they could be. In the days after our adventures, we learned that the gift we had given, in doldrums of quarantine, was much more than a sweet treat... it was a connection, it was Light, it was love.

the weekend in the woods...

A little bit of bittersweet swirled down the drain with the last of the campfire scent.
I was, at last, clean...but I loved our weekend in the woods.
: :
We arrived while the sun was still shining... and the oak draped with Spanish moss and air plants welcomed us, along with a little patch of golden light. The camp site was beautiful. The perfect place to spend a weekend with friends, just enjoying life.

Once we set up our new tent, we realized it seemed smaller in the great outdoors than when Eric popped it up in our living room. It isn't small at all, but Camden decided he would go ahead and set up his own tent alongside ours. I had never seen it assembled... and I loved watching him snap all the pieces together, knowing just what the next step would be. Before he adjusted the fly, he slid two strands of camping lights from his backpack and wound them around the tent poles.  I made him sit inside and wave to me when he was finished. I was amazed by him and a little sad that I hadn't seen it until now...

Our friends arrived after dark and we quickly helped get them moved in. Eric cooked dinner while John started the fire, and before long we were settled in to simply relax.

The laughter around the fire comes in all shapes and sizes. Nervous laughter when you hear an approaching raccoon, or the great guffaw as he races off with a whole sleeve of plastic cups. There is the out-and-out funny, the laugh-til-you-cry, and the kind that bubbles from inside out, with jokes years in the making. And always that why-does-the-smoke-keep-following-me-no-matter-where-I-sit laughter!

Saturday we set out to explore... we kayaked the river, we hiked the trails. We love visiting somewhere new because there is a fresh adventure around every turn.

My favorite part was the trees. The branches reached out and up and around the bend. Limbs were covered with Resurrection fern, brown and craggy. I wished it was green and lush, but was thankful to imagine the beauty in my mind and know that when the rains come it will be again.

We gathered again by the fire... feet up, eyes sliding closed until the laughter comes around again. As night comes, the kids huddle around the lantern and play a few games of Clue, and Eric starts the coals that will cook our dinner in deep cast iron pots. The guys walk down the path to chat with the Boy Scouts camping nearby just before dinner... and after, we play a few hands of Rummy. After round two of the campfire, we straggle into tents, tired from the good, good day.  

It is never easy to leave this place where the breathing, and the living, is easy. 

friday letters...

Dear Friday Letters...
It's been a while.
I have had plenty to say, but sometimes I just think it, and forget to write it down.

Dear Disney World,
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!  After riding the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train before opening day I said okay, the rest of this trip is gravy!  And really, it was.  I had been watching to progress, and watching every website I could think of, waiting for the opening day announcement! I was disappointed that it would open after we left, but I held out hope for the 24 hour event... and by 8am, we had ridden twice!  You outdid yourselves!  This ride is fun and beautiful!

Dear Imagineers,
I love your imaginations!
The Festival of Fantasy parade was spectacular! And the costumes!!!  I think I might need one of those circus dresses...

Dear Buzy Bee Suz,
Thank you for driving out to safari road and the trail!  I loved sharing it with you and your family!  I wish you could have seen the baby gators, but seeing deer, owls and the BIG gator was fantastic!  I hope you'll come out again!

Dear Tanya,
Oh, my dear long, lost friend!  It was SO wonderful to see you, even if it was only two ten minute visits! Your family is beautiful, and your joy is always contagious!

And now... I'm running out to collect supplies for graduation gifts.
We have a five-party marathon tomorrow for these beauties:

days of laughter and friendship...

It was a weekend of friendships, and with friendship, there is always laughter.  I count on it, and it feeds my soul.  Sometimes... the friends aren't even mine, but those ties fill me just the same.

Friday he invited three friends to come and play a game he got for Christmas.  They were not the friends I knew, but a different crew...from Spanish class.  I may have been surprised at first sight, but their manners and their laughter won me over before I could judge their covers.  I fed them pizza and pie, and their laughter carried throughout the house until just before dinner.  This week, Cam reported that they are hoping to get together again soon to have a few more rounds of SmashUp.  He rarely makes plans, and when he does, they seem to fall through.  I know just how that feels, and how hard it is to try again.   Friday was good for both of us...

Saturday we headed for horse country... just a few hours north of home, and an hour south of Laura. Tracie's girls were showing again, and I just can't resist the ribbons and bows of a horse show.  Friday night I sent one more text to my girl, to see if she had time for dinner Saturday, and when I finally heard back from her, her Saturday plans had fallen through and she had the day to share with us.  She asked if I minded if her friend from zoo school could join us... and I always {try} to say, the more, the merrier!

Last time we went to the horse show, we had to head home before Wynter rode, but this time we enjoyed watching both she and Taylor ride to Grand Champion!  And in the waiting, friendships grew.  Tracie and I had some time to talk and share, and it was fun to get to know Laura's friend, and hear the two college girls chatter away with Cam.

There were a lot of miles driven over the weekend, and on the way home, Cam & I were weary.  But a good kind of weary... the kind that feels full, content, lovely.

It is cheerful to God 

when you rejoice or laugh 

from the bottom of your heart 

― Martin Luther King Jr.

a standing ovation...

He said yes to me Friday morning, but as the afternoon wore on, the sun slid behind the clouds.  Sometimes I am really good at denial and will push my case for a maybe-clear-sky right up to the end... but just looking at those clouds, I knew I had to admit defeat.  Instead of sunset at the beach, I decided we could just stay home, but he put his foot down and whisked me off for Mexican food and a margarita.  Before dinner even arrived, as if I still had any bargaining chips left, I put my own foot down... but Sunday, okay?

My soul craves the beach.  The air. The light.
The rolling waves that drown out the noise in my head, the chaos of my thoughts, the rambling, constant to-do list that I can't stop adding to.  It makes me free to wander, to take time to seek the small and humble gifts that are placed in my path. I feel small and unimportant in the best kind of way... for this hour, or two, I don't need to make a decision, or think about a single thing.  And if I look down, and find I am soaked to the knees in salty surf, I laugh into the breeze.

Eric is the best finder-of-heart-shaped-treasure... but as I stroll and seek, I find three.  Three.  Camden asks why you would need three hearts, and starts rambling on about science and the havoc it would create.  Again laughter tumbles from me... I don't need three hearts, but I love that God put three hearts in my path tonight. Yes, unimportant and loved beyond measure, all at once.

When the sun falls low, and I hear the park ranger interrupting the ocean's song with his atv, I know it is almost time to go, and I am pulled from my chair, almost impatient to watch the sun sink and kiss the beach goodnight.  I look down the shore and realize I am not the only one standing.  Not the only one who couldn't even bear to sit on the edge of her seat waiting for what was to come.  And when you know that Monday is the only thing beyond the horizon, it seems just right to give this last glimpse of the weekend a standing ovation.

a laughing place

The weekend was crazy, which is not that unusual.  But it was crazy good, which made it okay.  And these people made me laugh, which was perfect.  It made the running here and there and everywhere all worth it. I wish we could have stayed there on the beach and celebrated longer... but there were glasses to pick up...

You can only expect your husband to superglue his glasses together for so long... and really, he glued them together five months longer than I expected.  And he'd probably still be gluing the temples on if one hadn't fallen out of his grasp and into the storm drain!  This falls into the most-used category of our life- you have to laugh.  {Did I ever tell you about the other time glasses went down the drain?  Itty bitty pink prescription sunglasses, only a week old... right down the toilet.  My fault... and it was days before I could really laugh about it!}

Laughter... it is always a gift I am thankful for.

-my favorite hymn in church sunday {as the deer}
-time with friends, celebrating a bithday
-getting some things checked off the list!
-finishing up a few last things for disney {not packing... still ON the list!}
-finishing up t-shirts & water bottles for the national youth gathering
-hearing happy in my daughter's voice
-my son, showing up at my office just to say hi
-not having to pack lunch today
-celebrating 5 years at a job i didn't think i wanted
-how he cares for me, even when i am unaware {or asleep!} thank you for rubbing my back, i'm sorry if i kept you up with my coughing!
-finding my favorite earring
-a brave sister, who was willing to take on cub camp this year {170 boys?!  EEK!}
-conversations with a nice young man
-love, love, love...

friday letters

Dear Me,
Please make a note to always keep evaporated milk and chocolate chips on hand.  Always.  Spur of the moment hot fudge is sometimes necessary.  Maybe next time you should make dinner first, but don't worry, I understand...

Dear Laura,
I have loved your texts this week!  And the way you added three "o"s to the "so" before excited.  I am trying hard to not to constantly bug you with my "voice" but I want to hear it all... or read it all.  And yesterday?  When you said you were going with friends?  My heart did a happy dance right there in the doctor's office!

Dear Doctor,
Sorry that I almost laughed when you asked me about steroids.  It is just that yes I have had more than my fair share of experience with them... the shot and the pills.  But I am willing to take them for the next six days.  Beyond that?  I hope not!  {and Suz, beware... you better keep your food far across the table today... because I'm already starving}

Dear Eric,
Well, we did it.  We brought our first off to college.  What a step.  Thank you, for reading my face and knowing that the first apartment just wouldn't do... and thank you, for fixing it.  I am so thankful for you... the laughter we create and the ordinary moments that turn extraordinary when we are us.  It won't be long now, before we are making this journey again... but I couldn't dream of making it with anyone but you...

Dear God,
Thank you for the blessings of the week and the weekend.  You carried us through... and are creating opportunities for our girl that will keep her in the palm of your hand.  Today I ask for extra care of some some very beautiful ladies... rest and a handful of spoons for my weary friend, comfort and assurance for a mama in the waiting room and as she enters the recovery room.  Also, can you find a way to knit a family back together?  Their loss was monumental, and the year has been long.  But maybe with time and the summer breeze, there will be a way...

stepping over the line {part one}

Five of us headed out into the dark morning... off for an adventure.  Marked on my calendar nearly a year, I was so excited to share it with my Mom & Bob, and so happy that Eric & Camden agreed to rise long before the sun. {poor Laura had a math final...ouch}

We were giddy at first sight, and I tried not to run ahead, but I wanted to be there on that field, camera poised, capturing everything.  As we navigated the grounds, sun still yet to rise, I did notice yellow caution tape stretched out... and with only a split second of hesitation, I stepped right over it, making like I knew just where I was going.  And that landed us in just the right place to make the day fly beyond our imagination.  Crew for the Miss Daisy?  Yes. Yes... definitely yes.

While the world was still dark and most everyone we knew was fast asleep, any expectations we had slipped into our pockets had fallen by the wayside.  We unravelled and stretched silk, closed petal vents; we worked up a sweat; we smiled, took pictures and laughed.  When the fans started whirring, Miss Daisy came to life... and Camden slipped off his size huge blue sneakers, walked inside with Dan (Mr. Miss Daisy) and helped close the top vents, while Eric & Susan (Mrs. Miss Daisy) worked from the outside.  

Before too long,  cold air turned hot, and Miss Daisy was standing tall.   Dan called to Eric for ballast, and into the basket he went, listening to every story Dan had tell... for a couple of hours.  I ran out across the field, trying to photograph our work of art, pausing to hold up the lens, and then backing up a little more, and a little more... until finally I could see the whole of her...

My mom joined me out there, and as we noticed Cam & Grampa wander off, Eric still in the basket, we found ourselves another job.  We pleated a silo, and closed up the roof of the barn... and already, the day was far more than we bargained for, far greater than we hoped.   The sun was on the rise, and although there was fog lying low,  I dared to hope about the weather and finally asked the question will the balloons fly today?  

to be continued... 

{oh yes, there is more... because what goes up must come down!}

the same page

The weekend was full of weariness. Late nights that were unavoidable, days that were brimming with activity. All important, nothing that could have been set aside for another day. I wish I could have set aside some of the words that spouted from my own mouth...
Mothers and daughters... not always the easiest of relationships. Sometimes it is really good, and sometimes... oh sometimes, I wish we could just avoid each other and be happy about it. But I pushed her this weekend. I pushed her to accomplish tasks that were far from her desiring, and far too long overdue for my liking. And she pushed back... like a real teenager is apt to do.
Sometimes I think my kids are not real teenagers, but there are days when I receive my reality check.
But yesterday was a new day. Almost. At least it was a new day after the sun came up. Before that? I just might have had some words left in me that I should have kept to myself.
So yesterday afternoon was a new day... and as she & I sat together in the bathroom ready to fancy-up her hair for her high school open house and her first chorus performance, we smiled together.
How do you want your hair?
Just regular.
Okay.
Or... I kinda miss my...
Spiky hair?
Yeah.
I was thinking I kinda missed it too.
And there we were, giggling over finishing each other's thoughts, and being on the same page. And it felt good, after a weekend that was dashed with struggles. The giggling continued, along with the little details of her day... and I could not help but linger in the goodness of us, mother and daughter.
It is an everyday gift... a gift that might have been overlooked, if not for the uneasiness that prefaced.
 A Tuesday kind of gift.
And thankfulness abounds.

eavesdropping on love

The weekend was full... of wonderful, fun-packed hours. Saturday kind of turned into our Mother's Day celebration... a day that we had planned, and exhaustion made us wish we hadn't, ended up to be a day that none of us would have missed (more on that later this week, okay?) The long drive home ended with a quick trip to CVS, with me joking that just because we woke you up had better not hinder your card shopping!

Sunday was a quiet day... church and napping and catching up on TV, because we were too tired for much else. But after church, my three loves huddled in the other room, behind a closed door. I could hear the tearing and crinkling of wrapping paper... and giggling. Loud giggling. The three of them... together. The sound of love... overflowing. And it filled up my heart in a way that no store-bought gift ever could.

Of course, I did love my gift... shoes for Africa! And they fit perfectly.
Wonder how they managed that!

A gift of love unwrapped again... on a Tuesday.

sometimes all i can do is laugh

He walked in from school today and I swear, it looks like he has grown another two inches. He then proceeded to munch on his chocolate rabbit... before he even set down his backpack. And just now? He squealed like a girl as he sat down to practice the piano and lifted the cover... to reveal undiscovered Easter candy from Sunday. And sometimes... all I can do is laugh. And savor the silliness. Because I can see the inches gaining on him day by day (9 inches in eight months?!)... and while he will always be my baby... he really isn't. Not anymore. Not by a long shot. It is seems most evident when I look down at his feet and someone has replaced his cute little boy feet with big ole almost-man feet...

uncontainable

His laughter has always been something special. From the time he was a baby. I recall snuggling right up with his sweetness and just touching under his chin... because it made him burst into the cutest baby laugh I had ever heard. And if I got the chin quiver along with the laugh? Oh. Heaven.
His laughter has never stopped. He continues to let it bubble on forth, right from his toes. And he just might take after his Mama... because that laugh is pretty loud, and he doesn't care who hears it. But that is not my favorite part. No sir-ee, Bob! My favorite part... is the space he needs to laugh. If he is watching America's Funniest Home Videos or Wipeout... he simply cannot sit on the couch. He will climb on down from the couch and declare that he needs more room. And so he plops down on the floor and rolls. Yes. He rolls on the floor with laughter. And I love the authenticity of it. Because it fits him.
The other night, he laughed from the chair... while we watched Home Alone 2. He laughed himself over the left arm, and half-way over the right. His laughter threw him backwards and then forward... and almost plopped him down on the floor. That chair... couldn't quite contain him. Nor could I capture it on camera. The way he lives his life... simply cannot be contained. The fun and the joy overflow right on out of his heart and spill onto the toes of the innocent by-standers. And I hope these bystanders are open to it. Because the way he chooses to live teaches me to grab the moment and the joy and the craziness. He reminds me to live outloud. And while I may have had a hand in teaching him way-back-when... grown-ups need reminding, more than we'd like to admit. And this grown-up... is really quite thankful to re-learn this lesson. Because it is just the way He wants us to live...

...I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10

Unwrapping his laughter on a Tuesday... and happy that Emily provides a place to share it.