The Surprises of Life

Life can bring many surprises.

These surprises are often times outside of our control and possibly things we might not choose for ourselves; Say, for instance, your young, healthy,  40-something husband suffering a stroke while out of town on business and spending a week in a neuro ICU in a regional medical center in another state.

Equally out of our control, these surprises are sometimes happy, such as when that same man makes a miraculous and remarkable recovery and just a few weeks later is fully functional again with only minor issues with balance remaining as any symptom of his mysterious cerebellar stroke.   Praise. The. Lord.

And sometimes, surprises are planned by those we love in order to make us feel loved, cherished, valued, and celebrated.

These surprises are my favorites.

Several people have asked for the back story to the surprise 25th anniversary vow renewal ceremony I posted photos of on Facebook yesterday.

Here it is...

When Tom first proposed to me, we were young, poor, college students.  We were also smitten and felt that God had called us to be married, forever committed to one another, whatever life might bring.  He proposed over a gourmet lunch of macaroni and cheese in my apartment on Charles Street in Baltimore, opposite the campus of Johns Hopkins University.  The ring he gave me on that April day was so lovely and yet so tiny, my future mother-in-law needed to put on her reading glasses to be able to get a good look at it after we were engaged.

Tom decided this year to give me the engagement ring he had dreamed of giving me that day in my apartment.  So while he was TDY in Ohio--prior to his stroke--he did some jewelry shopping.  I had an inkling he was up to something when we started getting mail from Jared's Jewelers in Ohio during his absence.  When he realized that I had learned he had been jewelry shopping, he attempted to throw me off of his trail by giving me some lovely mother’s day jewelry, also from Jared’s.

This past Saturday, we had a lot of things on our calendar--swimming lessons, Chinese class for the mei meis, meeting friends for the Memorial Day concert rehearsal on the mall--but Tom was insistent that he wanted to go for a bike ride with me over lunch.  It would be his first time on a bike since his stroke and he had planned an easy ride on a wide and flat stretch of path for his first outing.  We would park, cycle to Reston Town Center, have some lunch, then cycle back to our car.  I was happy to do a bike ride lunch date with him--our favorite "dates" are those that involve a fun workout together--but I was baffled why he wanted to squeeze this ride in on a day that was already busy and becoming busier with a request from our friend and neighbor, Jesse, who had asked if we could come help with taking some recyclables from our church to the recycling center for him.  Nevertheless, when I arrived home from the girls' swimming lessons mid-morning, he had the bikes mounted on the car ready for our ride.  Anna sweetly offered to shower the girls for me so I could get out the door with Daddy even sooner.  Who am I to second guess an offer from my oldest daughter to help with her mei meis so I can spend time with my man?

So off we went for our ride.  Tom did great on the bike--took it slow and steady to make sure his balance was ok.  We went to Panera for lunch and he ordered mac-n-cheese, not his usual Panera YouPick2 pairing.  I wasn't even hungry, and opted for some iced tea, figuring I would eat at home after we took care of the recyclables at church.

As we sat and ate lunch, Tom commented "isn't it romantic that I'm eating mac-n-cheese and it's our anniversary weekend?" I enjoyed remembering the engagement meal we'd consumed all those years ago, and he declared we should have someone take a picture of us and his mac n cheese.  I was thinking "why not just do a selfie? Why does he need to ask someone to take a picture?" As he came back with a woman willing to take his camera, I realized she was not photographing but videoing us.  He dug into his camelback and pulled out a tiny box.  He then got down on his knee to propose all over again, asking me if I'd marry him and revealing a beautiful diamond solitaire. Of course I said “Yes!” and sat, stunned, while the sweet impromptu videographer congratulated us.  I was a little confused, since our anniversary was actually not for 3 more days.  Why give me the ring today, I thought?  Still, it is a beautiful ring and I admired it nestled in my cycling gloves as we got back on our bikes to head back to the car.

As we cycled back to the car, Tom seemed a little bit concerned about the time.  He actually tried looking at his watch while cycling, not a good move for someone whose balance is still a little off.  He managed to stay upright, and I encouraged him not to worry about the time...we would get to the church in time to meet Jesse and get the recycling.

As it turns out, however, Tom cycled back to the car much more quickly than he had expected, and so we were ahead of the as-yet-unknown-to-me “schedule” as we headed to the church.  Tom, who normally is a bit liberal with the speed limit, was putzing down route 28 toward Chantilly.  He seemed concerned that we were going to be early to meet Jesse, who works at the church. Then he started getting a lot of text messages, so we pulled into a parking lot to let him respond to some texts about our whereabouts.

We finally arrived at the church and went to the appointed door to meet Jesse at the appointed time.  As we entered, Tom again seemed very preoccupied...scanning the hallway and mumbling to himself.  Suddenly, after I could have sworn I saw my son Jared dart across the hallway looking handsome, around the corner came my dear friend Gracie, looking lovely and all dressed up.  She sweetly said "what are YOU doing here?" to which I replied to her "that is the wrong question...what are YOU doing here?" (she does not attend our church and had no reason to be there as far as I could tell) and to Tom I said "what are you up to?" The wheels had been turning and I realized his preoccupation with timing was leading to a grander plan for the afternoon.

Gracie sweetly took my arm and guided me away from Tom and into one of the Sunday school classrooms where she had many items needed to get "ready," including my actual wedding dress, an alternative white dress I had used for beach photos in Florida, several pairs of shoes, and all sorts of toiletries.

Now, mind you, it had been a busy Saturday.  I had been riding a bike just 30 minutes earlier.  And I hadn't showered, nor washed my face, nor even probably brushed my teeth that day!  (sorry, TMI).  And as I stood in that room being told to prepare for something unknown and unexpected, I wanted to cry...because how could I really make myself presentable?  Oh well. I proceeded to do the best I could with a sink, some washcloths and towels, and lots of deodorant!

A little while later, my dear lifelong friend and maid of honor, Sue, entered the room. And then I DID cry.  I actually sobbed.  It was so good to see her and to think she was there on this day when clearly Tom had done some planning to celebrate with people that we love.  She casually asked me “so, how’s your day going?” with a smirk.  Love that woman.

She and I got to chat and catch up a little bit until Gracie appeared again to tell me it was time.  Time for whatever other surprises might await!

So they walked me down the hall to the exit for the picnic area behind the church, gave me a lovely bouquet of flowers that Sue’s sister, Kobey, had prepared (along with all the other lovely flowers I would soon see outside on tables and in my girls’ hands), and directed me to exit at just the right time after Kobey had gotten processional music queued up.

When I came out of the church, I was overwhelmed to see a small gathering of family and friends from many times and seasons of our lives, and to see my dad and my son, Jared, waiting to walk me down the “aisle” (between the picnic tables) to Tom.  I couldn’t look around quickly enough to take it all in and my mind was just racing.  Behind Tom stood his best man, Kevin, still a dear friend to us along with his wife, Mimi. And standing in front, ready to officiate the vow renewal ceremony, was Neil Livingstone, who was our Intervarsity Christian Fellowship staff director during our years at Johns Hopkins University (and who is now a good friend along with his wife, Renea, still serving with IV at the national level, and remains one of the best Bible exegeters I have ever heard).

After the lovely ceremony (during which Tom presented me with the second part of my new ring—now a complete set with four littler diamonds to surround the new solitaire…beautiful) and “that kissing thing” (as Neil put it!), we were able to give hugs and catch up with all the friends and family gathered.  How blessed we are with such great friends over the years and across many miles.

Sue and her mom and sister had outdone themselves in decorating, providing party platters, sparkling cider, and even a gorgeous and delicious cake for the occasion.  Gracie and her husband Kevin had worked hard alongside them to get it all set up and cleaned up afterwards… It was really difficult for me to just relax and enjoy being with people without being a part of the serving and working—my second nature.

At some point during our afternoon, overwhelmed, I looked at Tom and said “no more surprises, right?” To which he replied “actually, there is another surprise—our honeymoon.”

Having just spent a surprise “couples’ week” in Dayton OH in a hospital with him, I was not sure I wanted to be away from our kids again for any length of time, but he had made arrangements for the mei meis to travel to NJ with Aunt Judi and Uncle Doug, who were in attendance and ready to bring the girls to their house for a few days.  Jared was scheduled to work and Anna had opted to stay home to get on top of homework before our planned trip to NJ on Memorial Day.

So, Tom whisked me away to a lovely hotel in Front Royal, and we spent the day today hiking along Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park on one of the most glorious days of this year.

So, yes, life can bring surprises.

And I’m so blessed by this amazing surprise.    

Back to CHOP

GOod morning!  If you are reading this then you are a true friend.  I haven't written on my blog for MONTHS.  I have missed my therapeutic writing outlet, but life has been too full to make any time for blogging.  I am hoping to start afresh soon...I have many things I've been pondering and much to write about.  Stay tuned for more.  I'm hoping to be writing more and sharing more of my heart in the coming weeks and months.  

But I'm back today simply to give an update and ask for prayer for our family.

As I type, I am sitting in the wee hours of morning darkness of a small room at the PHiladelphia Ronald McDonald House wiht LIlly asleep in the bed we shared last night.  Yes, it's time fo her next surgery.  Today we will do her pre op appointments--a visit with Dr. Campbell in clinic, X-rays, lab work, and a visit to the anesthesia resource center to clear her for anesthesia tomorrow.

Tuesday will be he next expansion surgery.  We'll find out her show time later this afternoon.

We are so thankful to have been able to get a room at the Ronald McDonald House on CHestnut St. this time...we don't often get a room here, so when we do it's extra special.  We were privileged to meet another VEPTR family here last night--a cutie pie little boy named Miles who is 5 years old, who travels to CHOP from Indiana for his surgeries.  It's always a joy to meet other failies who are familiear with the unique and challenging road that VEPTR kids and families face.

Saying goodbye yesterday to Isabel was very difficutl.  For the past 1-2 weeks, Lilly has been struggling with anxiety, likely tied to tomorrow's surgery, and her anxiety resulted in disrupted sleeo for both the girls for the past few weeks.  Isabel has grown more and more anxious about our departure as the time drew near, and it was hard to see her sobbing as we left, pleading "don't go, Mommy! Don't go!"  Makes me wonder if this goodbye--even if only for 4 days--somehow evokes implicit memories for her of her abandonment at age 3 1/2.  Breaks my heart.  Thankfully Tom was able to keep her happily distracted playing outside yesterday after our departure, but he reports that she was upu at 4 am, fully dressed, this morning, and hasn't really gone back to sleep since...likely wrapped up in her anxieties.

So I'm asking for your prayers for both Lilly as she preparse to undergo surgery, as well as for Isabel (and those caring for her) back home.

For Lilly, we are praying for a smooth expansion, wisdom for Dr. Campbell, relief from the mystery itchiness and hives she typically suffers post op, and no infection as she heals.  For Isabel, please pray for peace in her heart, security in our home with Daddy, Jared, Anna, and our dear friend Becky who will come to help her get out the door to the bus in the morning and help with homework in the afternoon.

Thanks for reading and for caring for our family.

So, it's been awhile...

...and I have all but disappeared from the blogospehere.

My previous post probably helps to explain my absence.  Life has continued to feel much like a broken treadmill with the many unpredictable snowstorms and ice storms blowing the way of Northern Virginia this winter.

But I have learned to alter my gait and we have been cranking along--doing normal weekly stuff and finding time for some family fun, some dinner parties and lunch dates, a women's retreat with my dear friend Gracie, a trip to Florida to mourn the passing of dear friend Cindy, and lots of laundry along the way.

Blogging, however, has been scarce.  Even finding time to think deep thoughts has been scarce.

What have we been doing, you might ask?

Well, since I'm sitting here in the surgery waiting room at CHOP for Lilly's 11th surgery and I have a little bit of time all my myself (with dozens of other waiting parents, some of whom seem pretty relaxed--probably frequent flyers like us--and some of whom look anxious and weary) I thought I'd take a minute and let my fingers bang on the waiting room keyboard.

Tom is working so very hard at Malcolm Grow at Joint Base Andrews.  He is a strong leader and works hard to take care of patients, his people, and processes to make things as efficient as possible.  The snow this winter has prompted him to implement new weather policies, more popular with some people (the patients!) than certain others, but he's always sure to press on to do what's right.  He works equally hard at home to take care of me, keep the house in good repair, and connect with the kids.  I love that man and am so grateful for him.

So, we attended a junior college prep night with Jared a month or two ago and the fact that he will he a senior in the fall and it's time to gear up for the application process is sinking in for all of us.  Jared's words, when I asked him for his thoughts on our way home from the evening, were "Wow.  It's really time for this for me.  Wow."  I concur. The summer--we hope--will involve him working as a lifeguard and thinking deeply about his ambitions and getting those college applications well underway.  He has dreams of attending the Air Force Academy and becoming a pilot, with back up options including civilian schools (such as Embry Riddle) and doing ROTC or even a year of prep school or military enlistment before going back to school.  Praying for God's clear leading and direction for Jared.

Anna is having a good school  year despite her dislike of the snow days, and I suspect she's pretty ready to be a high schooler.  She's not one to partake in middle school girl drama, and she sees a bit of it each day.  She does have some good friends that she enjoys and most of her time at home is spent quietly in her room doing things she enjoys--playing games and reading.  She's done with swim meets for this season...surgery timing has meant we couldn't take part in some of the final meets of the season, and she is pretty middle-of-the-pack for her age group so doesn't usually qualify for the bigger championship meets.  She's happier when she's swimming hard during the week, and recognizes that she is physically stronger and just feels better when she's swimming, so she pretty much tolerates the meets but is in it more for the training and the discipline.  She has a piano recital and festival coming up--I'm glad she still enjoys her music.

I often lump Lilly and Isabel together when I talk about them because they are so close in age and tend to do things together much of the time.  But other than their ethnicity and their age and their last name, these two little girls really couldn't be much different from one another in terms of their personalities.  Lilly, my nearly-8-going-on-38-year-old daughter, is mature beyond her years, thinks deeply about all things, asks serious and probing questions about life and the universe, and get anxious about doing her best at all times.  She takes prayer seriously (today as we waited to go back for surgery, she prayed that God would help her beat me at a card game we were playing--she beat me 5 out of the 6 times we played!) and she puts into practice the things she is learning and memorizing from God's word (when frustrated with Isabel I notice her taking deep breaths and whispering to herself "an angry man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel." Proverbs 15:18)  She does question why God made her with an "S" in her back, and she has begun to ask more questions about her biological family.  I have no answers for either of those questions, other than to tell her how very thankful I am to be her mommy and sometimes God lets us go through hard things for our good for reasons we don't always know.  We celebrated Lilly's 5th anniversary of joining our family this weekend, and it's surreal how quickly 5 years has flown while at the same time not being able to fathom life before her or without her.

Isabel, having been in our family now 2 years, has, in many ways matured and grown astronomically.  When she's relaxed and happy, she is a true joy.  She loves school and her teachers, she loves her family, and she has many friends.  She is happiest when she knows what's on the agenda and things go according to plan, when her tummy is full, and--I'm slowly learning--when mommy is relaxed and happy.  During the time she has been with us, we have been hoping and waiting for her tantrums and episodes of extreme emotional dysregulation to begin to subside.  Sometimes it seems that they have, that the instance of them has decreased.  But truthfully, they still happen frequently, nearly daily, and sometimes our afternoons can feel like just a cascade of emotional stress swirling downward.  As I alluded in earlier posts, the disruption to routines with all the snow days was not helpful, but since it's a part of life, we have been trying to help her learn to cope with disruption.

Because the emotional meltdowns were continuing and--due to my own expectations that they should be gone by now--were leading to my own ugly place of emotional angst, I reached out to a wise adoptive-mama-counselor-friend for some advice.  She recommended a book by Heather Forbes entitled "Beyond Logic, Consequences, and Control" as a starting place.  I quickly devoured the book and its second volume as well.  I'm now in another of her books and have found myself implementing a whole new parenting paradigm with Isabel that is so very counter-intuitive and unnatural to me, but is making a huge difference in how I feel about Isabel as I interact with her, and my hope is that with more positive interactions and less emotional stress in our home, this approach will eventually help the emotional dysregulation in Isabel to diminish as well.  Naturally, emotional stress affects every family member and every relationship in the home, and my hope is that this approach will benefit all of us.  I love her fiercely, but am realizing that my love needs some effective tools to back it up to best nurture her emotional development.

So, in a hefty and long overdue blog post with no photos whatsoever (sorry!), that's what's up with us.

For anyone who has read to the end of this--I thank you!  You obviously love and care for me and for my family!

I just got word that they are now closing up in Lilly's surgery and expect to see Dr. Campbell soon.  I am so thankful for this facility and the excellent care here that allows Lilly to have good quality of life.

Overcoming the Broken Treadmill

This blog post is a reprint of a devotion I gave to my local Community Bible Study Leaders' Council this week. I reprint it here as an encouragement to anyone who feels like life can sometimes be like a broken treadmill.

 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:6

I love to run.  I know some of you can relate, but others are probably tuning out right now because the only good reason you can think of to run would be if you were being chased by a deadly wild beast.  But, please, hear me out anyway.

I love the feeling of the wind on my face and the cold air in my lungs, the sights, sounds, and scents of God’s amazing creation, and the freedom and release that accompany a good hard run outside.  And most of all, I enjoy the rhythm from the pounding of my feet on the ground, the thumping of my heart in my chest, the inhaling and exhaling.  It is steady and predictable, unlike many things in life.

Running on a treadmill is not quite the same experience.  The exhilaration of exercise is still good, but much is lost and I’m more aware of my own fatigue.  I’ll run on a treadmill only if I must—if weather or other circumstances dictate that it is my only option for any kind of a workout.    

Even worse than running on a treadmill is running on a treadmill that has a stutter.  If a treadmill is not consistently steady in its pace, if it has a hiccup in its belt, it throws off the rhythm of the run and makes me want to just get off the treadmill, foregoing the benefits of the run.

Sometimes life is just like a treadmill.  We have our routines, we have our rhythm.  We have our sources of encouragement, joy, and motivation right alongside those things that suck our energy and our time—all of which together make up the fabric of our weeks.

The treadmill of my life developed a stutter this winter in a number of ways.  Several of the things that were on “my plate” that gave me joy—and if I’m honest, gave me a sense of value and self-worth—were suddenly and nearly simultaneously taken away.  First, the blog for which I had been a periodic contributing author for about a year ceased to publish just days before my next guest post was due.  A few days later, the local gym where I had been teaching weekly indoor cycling classes for about 6 months decided to do away with all of its cycling classes.

A double blow, just before the holidays.

To top it off, right when the joy--and chaos--of the holidays was finally about to give way to “normal routines” again, the January ice, snow, and cold—and their resulting cancellations and delays—created a disconcerting stutter in the pace of life’s treadmill.

Exacerbating this was the fact that for my youngest, disruption to routines can result in a highly dysregulated emotional state, challenging my patience and reserves of motherly love.

Each of these items, taken individually, seems rather minor and inconsequential, but in sum, my rhythm got thrown and the result was discouragement and a downward spiral of self-pity.

But God, in His goodness and grace and sovereignty, allowed all of these things to converge in my life to have me hovering over Romans 8 at just the right time and for an extended period of time.  So many rich verses to ponder for several weeks:

Romans 8:1: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8: 5: For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

Romans 8:18: For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Romans 8:26: Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

And one of my lifelong favorites:

Romans 8:28: And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

But the verse that most spoke life to my weary heart was the one I quoted at the outset of this devotion:

 Romans 8:6: “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”

God, in His mercy, used these words to open the eyes of my heart to see the degree to which I had been so intensely focused on the flesh, on my own perceived “needs” and “rights.”  The result was a chorus of the “D” words--Discouragement, Despair, Depression, Dejection—which amount to what Paul describes in Romans 8:6 as “death.”

And God, in His grace, gave me a heart to appreciate the preciousness of the Holy Spirit dwelling within me, and gave me a renewed desire to walk by the Spirit moment by moment through unpredictable days. His Spirit indeed has filled me with renewed life and peace.

So, keeping it real here, what do all these fluffy word pictures really mean?  What does having life and peace by setting the mind on the Spirit look like?  I can only speak for my own experience, but for me, it means being able:

• to trust that the unexpected removal of those activities that I enjoyed will clear my plate for new avenues of serving The Lord and using my gifts for His glory;
• to recognize the fear and hurt behind my daughter's emotional meltdowns and love her through them, rather than focusing on how they make me feel and the way they inconvenience me;
• to use kind words and offer a reassuring presence in the darkness when another daughter has insomnia lasting from 1am through the rest of the night, rather than feeling angry and put out because my own sleep was disturbed;
• to acknowledge that, when I do feel my patience waning, the very core of who I am in this season of life need not be threatened by the feelings of failure at motherhood that sometimes emerge;  
• to accept God's grace and shed self-condemnation when, in my flesh, I hear the “mean mommy voice” coming out of my own mouth after a long afternoon full of my beloved daughter's meltdowns;
• to recognize my own failures as teaching opportunities for my girls that we are all equally in need of God's grace;
• to embrace yet another "snow day" and disruption to "my" plans, choosing to relish the birthday gift of another day with my kiddos at home with me, rather than lamenting what I didn't get to do alone that day;
• to recognize the Spirit's call to get out of bed when awakening early on a morning when I purposely didn't set an alarm, in order that I might seek Him in prayer, meditate on His word, and find the words for this devotion. 
• to seek The Lord in earnest each morning to allow Him to set my day's agenda rather than seeing my morning devotions as the first on my list of tasks, or--even worse--not taking the time to meet with Him at all.

More often than not, life's treadmill will have a stutter.  Things will go differently than we had planned.  Disappointments will come.  Dreams for ourselves or our children may not be realized.  People will hurt us and fail us.  We will fail ourselves and those we hold dear.  Loved ones will die.  Sickness or injury will slow us down.  Snow and ice will come on yet another Wednesday morning and CBS will be cancelled.  Fill in the blank.

Praise The Lord for giving us the remedy for the broken treadmill of life.  My prayer for myself and each of us is that He would graciously prompt us contiually to set our minds on the things of the Spirit.  And I thank The Lord for the opportunity to serve alongside each of you as I see you model with such grace what it is to walk in the Spirit.

What a Difference One Year Makes!

This Mama is teary-eyed...

This child--one year ago starting kindergarten and unable to even grasp the concept of tracing simple lines let alone have the visual-motor coordination for that simple task--today did her first practice "spelling test", writing her words independently with only auditory cues. Given, the words are quite simple and the letter formation is still developing, but I am so proud of Isabel! She got them all right on the first try and the words are legible. 

Feeling grateful and proud.

A Few Lilly-isms that Warm my Heart

So, last week as I was doing Lilly's hair one morning, she asked if her "pink tails" were done.  I took note of her pronounciation--didn't correct it, as she has quite a few pronunciation issues that we are working on but this one was pretty cute--but wasn't entirely sure I had heard her correctly or that she had intetnded to say "pink" rather than "pig."

Yesterday, however, she very clearly requested "pink tails" when I was doing her hair.  Oh, so cute.  And appropriate for this 7-year-old who is girly and pink most of the time.

On a more serious, but no less touching, note, last night as we were reading our BIble stories before bedtime, Lilly asked with concern in her voice "Mom, do Chinese people not believe in Jesus?"  When I responded that there are many CHinese people who do believe in Jesus, but there are also many Chinese people who have never heard about Jesus, she pondered it quietly for a moment and said with determined resolve "well, I can go tell them.  Even in Chinese.  When I'm bigger and we go back to see China together, Mom, I can tell them about Jesus."

Oh, my heart.  This child has a heart for her birthland, and she has a passion for making Christ known.  Lord, grow this desire in her heart, grow her love for you, and strengthen her for whatever calling You have for her.

What I Did for my Summer Vacation

So, it's back to school time...the kids have been officially back to school for 2 days now.  Time for me to get caught up on all sorts of things around the house that have been set aside for the summer months so the kids and I could take full advantage of their time at home.  One of the long-neglected things has been my blog!  I have had plenty of fodder for thought and for writing, but, really, no time to sit and bang anything out here on the keyboard.  I have taken lots of lots of pictures to prove it.

So, to jumpstart my return to hopefully somewhat regular blogging about happenings at Casa Cantilina, I offer you here a "back-to-school" photo essay to catch you up since the kids departed school late last Spring.

Let's begin with the end of the school year...

Anna had a field trip to the NEwseum in Washington, DC, and I got to be a chaperone!  Yay!  Cherry blossoms were out, too.  Bonus.

The Mei Meis and I got to go cheer Jared on in one of his home track meets in the spring.  Glad there are no scents on the blogosphere.  He ran fast though!

Lilly underwent her next VEPTR expansion surgery, and again amazed all at her speedy recovery time. Surgery was on Tuesday, and we were home in time to get Isabel off of the school bus in Wednesday!

Arriving home from CHOP that early allowed me to participate in ISabel's kindergarten field trip to a local farm, complete with hay ride, strawberry sampling, and a picnic.  Here she is with her beloved Ms. Pleasant, who lives up to her name in every way.

So, in the midst of end-of-school-year frenzy, Tom pinned on his next rank of Colonel.  The ceremony was beautiful, held at the National Archives in Washington DC, standing right in from the the original Constitution of the UNited States.  How cool is that?  We were joined by a contingent from both sides of our family and made a fun weekend of it, complete with a breakfast reception after the ceremony and an evening reception at a lovely historic Mill House at one of our local county parks, joined by friends, family, and church family.  We are truly blessed!

Shortly thereafter, several important things happened (on the very same day): Isabel celebrated her 7th birthday (the party took place a few days later)...

...and Tom took command of the 779th Medical Group at Joint Base Andrews, the very place where he completed his family practice residency 13 years ago (and where Anna was born).  He said farewell to the folks at the Defense Health Headquarters, Office of the AF Surgeon General...

...and humbly took command at a wonderful ceremony.

Meanwhile, end-of-school-year festivities abounded, with ice cream parties, field days, slide shows, awards ceremonies, and Isabel's kindergarten "Author's Tea."

This is from Anna's end-of -year slide show, with her good friend, Tess.

Here is Isabel with Ms. Pleasant, receiving her author's certificate.  

And then...summer vacation finally arrived.  I, Mom, was determined that we would A) work hard at chores around the house and homeschooling, so that B) we could get out and do fun things.  I think we succeeded at both:

Blueberry picking...(picked 14 pounds!)

National Harbor (Jared enjoys doing parkour anywhere he gets the chance...this place offered some good obstacles...)

 Visit from dear friends from Florida and some DC sightseeing...

Visit from a departing friend from Tom's days at Eglin...

Trip to see Monsters University with neighborhood friends...

We spent 4th of July weekend catching up with old Hopkins friends the Murrays and the Kims at the Murrays beach house in Delaware--fun times!

And then straight home to VBS week!!  Fun for all...Anna helped to lead worship, Lilly and ISabel each took part, and I served as a guide for a group of 1-2nd graders.  It was amazing, and exhausting.  And Lilly placed her trust in Christ.

We made a point to see dear friends we haven't seen enough of since moving the the DC area!  Here are the girls with my friend Gretchen's daughter, Poppy, also adopted from China.  They enjoyed playing in the outdoor water fountains at Fairfax Corner Mall.

And here is my brave friend Gretchen (from our days inTurkey) who had brain surgery just  afew weeks ago...she is strong and brave and amazing...

We said a lot of goodbyes and hellos as Jared visited his friend Zach in South Carolina for a week...

We got to catch up with old Turkey friends the Matthews, who recently moved to the DC area.  Jared and their Kaelyn did kindergarten and first grade together.

We said goobye to Anna who went away to Mount Gilead Christian Girls Camp for her second summer away.  She had a BLAST!

The Mei Meis got to attend soccer camp with their cousins Peter and Naomi at their church in New Jersey...

While the littles played soccer, us older folks did some fun hiking in New Jersey...

And we did some more DC sightseeing...tours of the US Capitol Building and the Library of Congress, as well as the Bureau of Engraving and Printing...

We got to spend time with longtime friends from our early married days in DC--Ed and Karen Moy (as well as "Auntie Gracie" who we try to see as often as possible!).  The Moys also have two daughters from China...so we did a photo of all of the Chinese people present.  They outnumbered us white folks.  Joy!

Jared snuck away for another week at overnight band camp with his Oakton High School Marching Band, and we joined him for family day at the end of the week, always a fun time.  Meanwhile, I neglected to mention that Jared got his drivers' license this summer...look out!

And who, you ask, might be sitting next to Jared on this bench...hmmmm another new season!

The littles and I, in addition to spending time every day that we weren't traveling or sightseeing doing some "home schooling" tried to spend time at the playground and the neighborhood pool.  ALOT of time.

We capped off our summer with a fun trip to Pittsburgh to spend a long weekend my parents, and to surprise them with a 50th wedding anniversary party.  We had over 80 people attend, from all different parts of my parents' lives.  It was a great day and a great joy to celebrate this awesome milestone.  Jared, Tom, my brother Justin, and I played some hymns as a brass quartet to honor God for His faithfulness just as they have been faithful to each other for 50 years.  We also enjoyed some wonderful time as a family dining outdoors and doing some Pittsburgh sightseeing.

As for me, I spent some time teaching cycling classes (got a job at Gold's Gym back in May!) and still a contributing author at Beyond Bath Time, which has been a fun outlet for me (and maybe one reason I'm not writing on here as often)...

Phew!  I think that about sums it up!  So, now we begin new fall routines...fall fun...and more crazy chaos in Casa Cantilina!

Stay tuned!