Good Times

You know how I wrote all about the importance of the ampersand last week? Well, that particular post was read by more people than any other of our blog posts combined. That was exciting for us! This week, our little ampersand is being put to the test. Don’t you just love how that happens? When I stepped out of the shower this morning onto what is typically a dry floor, I found myself standing in a steadily growing miniature lake. Around the corner I was greeted with soaking wet carpet. Not a good sign. Steve had already left for church, I was short on time, and Amelia was slated for acolyte duties (which we totally missed, by the way). I did the best I could to sop up the water, prayed for the best and went to church. When we got home, the lake had not receded, but at least it hadn’t grown. Now Steve is pulling up carpet, and a plumber has been called. Did I mention that this is also my first full week back at school? Good times!

Now we get the golden opportunity to put our money where our mouths (or carpet and pipes as the case may be) are and lean on that ampersand. I pray that I can face the challenges of this latest test with gentleness, kindness, and self-control. I also hope that I can look at this through grateful eyes and rejoice that we have indoor plumbing, a husband strong enough to tear out carpet like it is paper, and that plumbers are only a phone call away. Hey, I’ve always wanted waterfront property.

Blessings to you for a grateful week, whatever this week may hold.

It’s all about the Ampersand

 

I have been wanting to write this blog for a long while, but life just seemed to, you know… happen. This summer has been far busier than I ever imagined it would be with lots and lots of activities, some new and some familiarly comfortable like a pair of jeans that don’t require sucking anything in to pull them on. The biggest “new” to our family was Andy getting a real, honest-to-goodness-oh-crap-I have-to-go-to-bed-early-because-I-have-to-function-in-the-morning job. I will be the first to admit that I had visions of me getting up to make sure that the kid rolled out of bed on time to at least rinse off and slide the toothbrush across his million dollar (thanks to braces) teeth. Not so. Apparently, I birthed a morning person. Serious shocker given that I wake up, thank Jesus for another day, and promptly roll back over for more shuteye. The perks of summer.

Steve and I also celebrated our 20^th anniversary in June. Although I’m really not sure that “celebrated” is the right word to describe how we marked the occasion. Our anniversary just happened to fall on the day that the boys Chrysalis Flight began. Steve was the lay director and I had lots to do in the background. (For more information on Chrysalis, click here.) He received a twin size, inflatable mattress and three nights away from me. We really need to work on dialing down the romance, don’t we?

While the celebration to mark the occasion wasn’t quite what I had pictured, the one thing that stood out in my mind is that we were in the task together. I don’t take that for granted. That ampersand that joins our names together is something that we value and nurture every chance we get. For us, it is all about the ampersand. It means we are a team. I hope that we have done a good job of demonstrating that to our children. It is my hope and prayer that when the time comes for them to choose their spouse that they will consider the ampersand and the weight it carries. I also hope that they will understand that, like in real estate, location is everything. The ampersand does not just join two humans together, but God. A true cord of three strands. I hope that forever our ampersand will be God, Steve & Katie.

Here's to the Apple that Didn't Fall Far from the Tree

 

     I had to run a few errands last weekend and it was decided that Andy would do the driving on the account of it was raining and he needed some more practice driving in those conditions.  We had just finished up our to-do list when Andy pointed out that we were awfully close to the house that I grew up in and couldn’t we just drive by?  Of course my answer was yes. I don’t know about you, but for me when I drive by the house where the majority of my childhood was spent, I want to laugh, cry, and throw up from homesickness all at the same time.  And those feelings don’t just cut off at the house.  They are there at the crest of the hill where I first learned to ride my bike; they are at the corner where the kind, elderly couple lived that hired me to keep their hummingbird feeders filled one spring. The emotions start churning when I pass the house that belonged to a sweet family that lost their teenage son in a tragic car accident the year I was in eighth grade.  The flood of memories hits me when I glance to the left of my old house, now painted a stark white instead of the cheerful yellow I grew up with, and see the path that leads to the woods where many an adventure came to life with an army of neighborhood kids.  Andy steered the car a little further up the street and the memories kept coming.  And if you know me, you know I couldn’t just keep my thoughts to myself.  I found myself telling Andy all sorts of stories about the good old ‘hood (okay, I’ll admit I threw in a cautionary tale or two... plus, I had a captive audience.)  I miss my old house, the one that I spent ¾ of my childhood in. My parents moved long ago and I haven’t a clue who lives there now.  I only hope that that they have children who will one day have children of their own who will beg them to drive them back by their old home.  I hope that they shed a tear or two, as well. It is the mark of a childhood well spent.

*Update* I received our new school directory not long after I wrote this post.  Lo and behold, what jumps out at me on the very first page I turn to?  My old childhood address!  The kids that live in my old house go to my school!  I made a beeline towards them the next afternoon.  I think they thought I was half-crazed, but as luck would have it, their mom was there to pick them up and I quickly introduced myself.  I think she may have thought I was border line stalker material, but I did my best to explain that I had only happened upon the address thanks to the newly printed school directory.  I tried to convey to her just what that house meant to me.  She smiled and said that she was happy to report that wonderful memories continue to be made in that house.  She told me I was welcome to stop by anytime, but I’m not sure I will take her up on her generous offer. I’m not sure my heart could handle it.