June things…
Hello and Happy June~
We’re halfway through June and for those who are interested, I thought I’d give a little update on the last few weeks. As I was gathering some pics for this post I ended up thinking, holy moly have we been busy!?! (And this post doesn’t even include any pics of the remodel:)
So… here goes!
This month started with Matt, Paige and the girls being down for a visit. (Matt had to fly home a couple of days early so he could go back to work), but while they were here, I decided to see if Winnie was ready for a slot on the Spacious Place yet and recorded a short conversation with her.
Is that not the cutest??? Notice our little makeshift setup on the floor with the mic perched on a stack of books. Turns out she has lots to say, but it was kinda hard to stay on track. I’m still editing so we’ll see what we come up with in terms of a finished podcast. Sure hoping I’m gonna be able to get her sweet voice out to you! (I mean, what’s better than a 3 year old voice telling you stuff?)
Anyway, it was SO great to get some one on one with all of them and we had all kinds of fun! Mike and Matt went fly fishing together, we took long walks, ate ice cream, Winnie got a new bike so we worked on that with her, and Bristol took 8 steps while she was here! (She’s fully walking now!)
Love this snap of their sweet little fam!!
When it was time for Paige and the girls to head home, we decided to go up with her so she wouldn’t have to make the trek alone, and it gave us time to spend some days with the rest of the family, so it was a WIN-WIN!
***Of course pics of our time with all of them are coming next so get ready:)!
We now have our own bedroom to stay in since Andrew and Court bought a home with a spare room and it makes it super nice for us when go up! And, its so great that we get to have some one on one with this little cutie, while we’re staying there. I just love being able to go in and get her out of bed in the morning and see her sweet little face. Those blue eyes and kill me!
They’re also both super gracious and willing to make time for us to gather there as a whole family at their place too —their yard is perfect for summer hangouts! Unfortunately Tate, Hannah and Levi weren’t able to be there for this one, or David’s kiddos, Brooks and Riley :(
We did end up making our way a little farther north to see Tate and Hannah and got some good catch up time with them as well. They’re in transition right now, so it was fun to listen to all that they're hoping and dreaming for in their next season as a family. I love this about being a mom… I’m here for all the purposeful conversation about all that’s happening in their hearts and minds. What a gift!
Also, the three girls and their babes try to make time a couple of times a month to be together. It happened to land on one of the days I was there so I got to be in on this one! I just love when it works out that I’m there for that. Not only is it great to be with the babes, but it’s also so nice to see the girls cultivating their own relationship with each other, sharing the joys, fears and struggles of being moms of littles. They usually meet up at a park or somewhere that they can corral the little ones and go for a walk, but this time we met at a shopping area in the middle of where they all live…fortunately it also included donuts:)
At the end of our trip, on our way back home, we made a stop for a visit with Grammy (Mike’s mom). She broke her hip in May and has been recovering at a rehab facility and was dying to see some of the babes. We had a great visit with her and Grandpa, left there and grabbed Chick-Fil-A and then we parted ways.
It’s such a mix for me, after having been up there with all of them. I’m always sitting in the middle of, ‘ready to be in my own bed’ and ‘man I sure miss all of them’. And every time I find myself in a sad space, the Lord reminds me that they have their own families and they’re exactly where they need to be. This is one of those double edged messages where you sit in the goodness that you’ve done your job, as well as the loss that the season of “together” is over.
I’ll tell you what, this raising kids and launching them thing is not for the faint of heart! I haven’t found one momma who has found this to be an easy transition and unfortunately there isn’t much talk about it. I think there’s this idea that, “once the kids are launched, we’ll be able to…” and that’s true. There is so much space and time for the things that you weren’t able to do when you’re in the thick of running kids to events, making dinner, helping fill out FAFSA forms, and late night chats where they decide to finally share what’s going on in their heart at midnight. Haha
But, honestly as of yet, I haven’t found anything that matters more than all of that. More time with my hubby is great and all, but the transition to quiet is far harder than I would have ever expected.
Ok, enough of that….for now….
(I’m honestly considering creating some resources around this topic—-things I’ve learned and struggled through)
Back to June things…
Once we got home, we finished up the tile backsplash in the kitchen (no pics of that here cuz I’m planning to do a blog on the whole kitchen remodel, so watch for that soon!), cleaned up and got ready for some guests, but before they arrived we celebrated our 34th anniversary!
(This was taken in a store where the woman heard it was our anniversary and insisted on taking our pic, isn’t he cute?!:)
Just this week, one of our dear couple friends from Washington just left, after having been here for a few nights. We had so much fun! We hiked to Benham Falls the first day and hiked Smith Rock the second day. We caught up with all the things that are going on in both of our lives, ate yummy food, played cards and rested. It was delightful and my heart is full.
Here we are at the top of Smith Rock.
You can’t tell in the pic, but right behind us is a 3,000ft drop!
As I write this, it’s June 20th and we are preparing for our next set of guest that will arrive in 3 days. I’m stripping sheets, shopping and brainstorming what kinds of adventures and fun is in store for our visit with our dear life long friends, Joe and Amy. And as I pause to consider this life of mine, I find myself full of gratitude, overflowing with thanks for the life I’ve been given. My life is by no means perfect, but full of people whom I love fiercely. Those God has given to me, in one way or another, who have blessed my life so richly and hopefully I’ve done and continue to do the same for them.
Living apart from my all my people has stretched me in ways that I could have never known that I needed. And at the same time, its made a way for even deeper encounters, because we have much more extended time that create space for uninterrupted connection and rest.
The long winter that slowly marched into spring, where I found myself longing for summer months of visitors and sunshine, adventures and connection is finally here and I’m not mad about it!
I hope that wherever you find yourself this June, you’ll be able to pause and take it all in. Whether you’re facing something hard, that you hadn’t anticipated or would have never hoped for, or a dream coming to fruition. Or if you’re somewhere in the middle, where life feels mundane, I hope that you will take a moment to breathe deeply and notice the beauty and the wonder that surrounds you, making space for curiosity to grow.
….and don’t forget to lean hard into your people.
Peace.