An Eggstrodinary Story!

There is no way when easter egg season "rolled" around this year, that we could have anticipated how God would show Himself faithful to Sleepy, and me, her momma!

Last November, Sleepy and I committed to a ten day mission trip through our church to serve in Peru. While Sleepy has had the privilege of serving on the mission field with Doc and Dopey and the Prince, she and I have not ever served in or out of the country on a mission trip together.  We entered into the process excited and eager to follow the steps that have been followed by our family for years as we prepared for mission trips.  We wrote and mailed tons of prayer letters (which also included information if folks wanted to make a financial contribution) and we threw ourselves, along with our other 27 team members and leaders, into hands on fundraising.  We have taken care of children for parent's night out, we have served dinners to marriage retreat attendees, I have driven to and from Amalie Arena and "volunteered" to work the concession stand for a 10% cut of the sales donated to the group, we have made candles, sold tickets to pancake breakfasts, hosted community nights at Culvers and Chick Fil A (just to mention a couple). Personally Sleepy and I have been sending everyone that donates a thank you gift of either homemade dog treats or a hand crocheted dishcloth. However, around the end of February, we were faced with the fact that our funds were just not coming in like we had hoped.  The team was a month away from ordering the airline tickets and we (Sleepy and I) still did not have that amount in our accounts that we had hoped to have by that point in the planning.

We started having some passionate discussions around our house about the trip and the feasibility of us actually going. We could not self fund. The cost is higher than any other trip we have ever participated in ($2,500 a person) and we did not have any financial benchmarks assigned by the team leaders to assist us in gauging our progress, but going off how we had always done fundraising, we knew that we were woefully below our personal benchmark of having the cost of the airline tickets raised and in our accounts by the time the airline tickets needed to be ordered.  Sleepy and I postponed our immunizations from early March until a month later, thinking that if we did not get more financial support, we would remove ourselves from the team, return our funds that were designated specifically for us, and allow the remaining team members to split our group raised funds. Additionally, the immunizations were a $500 commitment for the two of us as we needed yellow fever and typhoid as well as Hep A and we did not want to get the shots if indeed we did not end up going.

After more prayer and discussion, as a family, the Prince and Sleepy and I determined, that just because this trip was being handled differently than we were used to, it was not necessarily a bad thing, it was just different from what we were used to... and that because we felt that God was calling us to this trip, now was the time to trust Him to provide.  We made a plan for what we would do if when we left for the trip we were not fully funded, and began praying about how to work on raising the remaining funds needed.  I contacted a few place regarding getting a part time job as a bus boy, Sleepy considered picking up another shift a week at the restaurant and putting all those funds into her account, but this options did not pan out for us.

About a week after we decided to go, Sleepy was approached by the owner of the restaurant she works at and he told her that we could place bottles of water on the tables in the restaurant with labels on them talking about our Peru trip and they would sell them for $1 each, and the whole $1 would come to us!  Doc's husband had someone design a label, and we printed them and started wrapping water bottles to sell.

About two weeks after that, a woman sat at a table and asked her server about the water bottles. The server indicated that Sleepy, who works there, was going on the trip with her mom and she would send her over to the table to share with her about the trip.  Sleepy went over and struck up a conversation with this woman, who asked a lot of questions and was also curious about how our fundraising was going.  Sleepy shared that it was not where we wanted it to be, but we were trusting that God would provide, He always does.  She then added on the side, that she has been bringing her mom's homemade peanut butter eggs to work to "share" with any of the servers that sold her water bottles.  Both shared a chuckle about Sleepy's creative salesmanship, and then the woman asked if she could buy 40 eggs.  Morgan said she did not see why not, and they exchanged information and set a tentative time deliver the eggs.  This woman told Sleepy that she would donate $300 to her trip! Wow!  Sleepy was so excited.  Truth be told, so was I!!

The week leading up to Easter, I texted the number Sleepy had given me for the woman that wanted the eggs, and she indeed confirmed that she did want the eggs, and that she was going to donate $500 to Sleepy's trip.  I sent the text to Sleepy at school and said, "look at this, are you sure you heard her correctly the first time?"  Sleepy confirmed she was positive the woman said $300 for 40 eggs, but was cautiously excited that perhaps there would be an extra 200 added.

I started praying immediately that this would be a moment for Sleepy to look back on over the course of the next several years and claim it as a "time that God showed up in a BIG way"!!  We all have had these moments!  They encourage us in life and in our journey.  I also, had a small part of me, concerned that this could be a big "people stink story" where this stranger does not follow through on her promise.  So when the nagging thoughts pricked me,  I doubled down in my prayer efforts for this to be a "God showed up moment" for Sleepy.    Guess what... He did !! This wonderful stranger, followed the prompting of her heart to bless Sleepy by writing a check for $500 for her trip!  Of course eggs did exchange hands, and as she was blessing us, we gave her an additional eggs!

In the sharing of the story with ANYONE that would lend me their ear, I got another taker one day at lunch for the "original deal" of 40 eggs for $300!  The following day, I sold 100 eggs at $1 each, for a total of $900 for 180 eggs.

Now if the story could not possibly get any better... my last egg interaction happened last Thursday night when we sold our travel trailer.  Some where in the midst of looking over the camper, haggling a deal, and finalizing the transaction, it became clear to us this young family loved Jesus.  As we tend to do with other believers we start sharing among the adults how God has been faithful to our families.  At some point we discussed the Peru trip, and I shared briefly the egg story.  The family was preparing to pull out with their new to them vacation vehicle, and the man said sort of off the cuff, "Do you happen to have any more of those eggs?  They sound amazing."   I sort of panic at this point because I had one dozen left that morning, but one of my co-workers was supposed to pick them up after their shift and I was not home at that time to know if she had done so or not... and the Lingle dwarfs have NO self control when it comes to my eggs!

I went out to the freezer and opened the door and there was the bag.  I grabbed, them knowing I could make more for my co-worker later,  picked up some napkins and prepared to gift this wonderful family the last of my seasons eggs!   I was so excited about how God had orchestrated the sale of the camper, I wanted to give them these eggs as a gift, and figured they would make a great distraction for their kids as they headed down the road towards home.  Dessert before dinner from that crazy family that they just bought their camper from!!

I handed over the bag of eggs, and the man handed me a 100 dollar bill!  To say that I was shocked would be an understatement.  I guess God wanted me to have a "moment" too!  I am astounded by the generosity of strangers hearing our story about desiring to serve in Peru, and then how they followed through on the prompting in their hearts to be part of the process to get us there in their own small ways!

While Sleepy also sold eggs to classmates at school for an undetermined amount of money, (we were really not tracking those funds closely), and a few contributions from others that we gave eggs to, our total raised in "egg" money for our Peru trip is now close to $1350!!!

I will be honest, if I had purposed to make my mother's handed down, special recipe eggs to sell, I would have been rolling thousands of eggs, especially when you factor in all the dwarfs in the kingdom and the speed at which they love to eat them... well it would have been a full time job!  As we currently stand we need to raise, for the next 10 weeks, $185 a week to be paid in full before our departure on July 5th.  We covet your prayers for continued fundraising success, and more over, your prayers for safe travel and for the good news of God's greatness and love to be proclaimed to those in Peru that may have never heard of His love.  Our hearts desire is to love through words, and actions, to be the hands and feet of Christ to a people that we have never met before.

God in His goodness and grace, saw a way to use our skills and talents and love of something that we were already doing, to show His faithfulness to us as we prepare to go outside our comfort zone and serve Him in Peru.

This is one of those times where I am happy to report, You really can't make this stuff up!!  God is good all the time!

Walking Historical Tour of Downtown Sarasota

I have lived in this area for three years now, and often I struggle to find interesting and fun things to do when company comes to visit.  Aside from the beaches (of which there are many) if you need a break from the sun and sand, we always sort of scratch our heads attempting to come up with other, inexpensive and interesting activities to do.

When I heard about Sleepy's class taking a walking tour of downtown Sarasota, I thought I would really like to be part of that activity.  Since she asked me to go along, I eagerly accepted.  I was able to combine some of my favorite things, learning about the area I live in,  seeing the great architecture of the area, and spending time with my favorite second youngest dwarf.  

We started the tour at the Municipal Auditorium, of which I do not have a photo of, because they were waiting for me to start the tour. ( see previous post about the van).  The auditorium was built in 1938 and is one of the few examples of Art Deco architecture in Sarasota.  The auditorium is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.  

Our next stop was the Art Center of Sarasota.  This was opened in 1949 by the Sarasota Art Association and hosts many regional and national artist exhibits.  In 1996 they added a sculpture garden to the grounds. 

 Our next stop was the Sarasota County History Center, which was the first and only public library built in 1941.  As the collection outgrew the space Sarasota joined the county to create a countywide library system in 1976 and the collection was moved the Selby library.  Currently this location rotates historical exhibits and is open to the public for view at no charge. 

I think that the Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau was close to the top of my favorite sites on this tour.  The architecture of this building is amazing.  Designed by Victor Lundy, of the Sarasota School of Architects the structure has many unique qualities.  The walls are all glass, the roof overhangs around all four walls of the building, creating shade and cool in an era when there was not air conditioning.  The roof tiles were all imported from Japan and in this particular location are a direct reflection of, and add to the feel of the Japanese garden sculpture nearby. It also adds to the appeal of the Sarasota Garden Club landscaping at the side and rear of the property.  

The Sarasota Garden Club was established in 1960 to add more green space to downtown Sarasota. But the surrounding gardens were in place long before that.  The building style of the club was designed to be compatible with the nearby Chamber pagoda and the tool shed was built the following year which also is patterned after a Japanese garden house.  

 The Belle Haven is a Mediterranean style of architecture built in 1926.  New York Architect Dwight Baum and local builder Owen Burns built these as fully furnished (down to the linens and silverware) apartments.  From this location on the corner lot residents could access the water.  The building is currently boarded up and is not being used at all.  It is rapidly falling into disrepair, although it is owned privately.  It has been office space in the past as well, but has not had people in it since the 1990's.  This building is also one of the rare locations in Sarasota that has a basement.  This was my favorite site on the tour, and if there had been a particular aunt of the dwarfs along, we would have gone back to check this beauty out further for sure!! 

The Sarasota Times Building, built in 1926 was home to the Sarasota Times and News.  Sarasota's first newspaper opened in 1899 when only several hundred people lived in the area.  The paper was purchased by L.D. Reagin in 1920 and in 1926 moved the paper to this location.  The newspaper folded in 1929 and this location has housed many various organizations over the years.  When we were on the tour it was being remodeled.  

The Gompertz Movie house opened in this building in the 1920"s.  During the depression the movie house closed and did not reopen and maintain a steady business again until the early 1950's when the Palm Tree Playhouse moved in.  It has been vacant on and off and is the current home to the Florida Studio Theater's Gompertz Hall.   

To this day the Sarasota Opera house is still a bright spot in the city's night life.  The building was built in 1926 by A B Edwards, Sarasota Mayor, when then the ground levels housed businesses.  Will Rogers and the  Ziegfeld Follies performed here.  The building was home to silent movies, vaudeville, and the opera.  If I heard correctly our guide also said that Elvis performed here the year before he made it big.  There were apartments on the third floor that at one time are also rumored to have been brothels.  The story goes that the building is haunted by a woman who's young son died in an accident at the opera house.   After a major renovation in the 1980's this building has found a home on the National Register list for the Sarasota Opera Association.  

The Frances-Carlton Apartments were established in 1920's.  These were high end apartments that gave residents a view of the bay across Palm Ave. However, today, while they are still rented as high end condominiums, there is not a view of the bay any longer.  These were fully furnished apartments were designed by a Scotsman Alex Browning who immigrated to Sarasota in 1885 and Tampa architect Francis James.  They were named after the owner's wife and son Frances and Carlton Teate. This property is listed on the National Register -listed apartments.   

Now the details on this particular landmark, I do not have much clarity on, however when I do I will update further.  What I recall the guide saying, this is the oldest high rise in Sarasota.  

As we wrapped up the tour, we stopped for lunch.  The group was very excited because their guide had pumped up lunch from this pizza shop, as the BEST Pizza ever with slices as big as your face! He was indeed on point!  Best cheese pizza ever, and the slices were as big as your face!  I had two pieces and I think Sleepy managed three! Yum! 

There will come a day, when field trips will be a thing of the past.  I am so  happy and blessed this dwarf still loves and desires to spend time with me!  I am also so grateful that I have the flexibility in my days to rearrange for events like this!  This tour was wonderful.  Pizza amazing, and I loved spending time with this dwarf!  

The great thing about history is, You Can't Make this Stuff Up!  

We are close to the end of an era... but this was not the week!

When you think of the Kingdom and our transportation, there is one thing that stands out...our white 15 passenger van!  Well the last 9 days have been hard on this old gal, and we are starting to see clearly, that we may be close to the end of an era! 

We purchased this van used, when it became clear that we were upsizing our kingdom from three to five dwarfs.  The Prince was in ministry, and so even if it seemed a bit large for a family of seven, we knew we would put it to good use with the church kids and activities.   Little did I know this would become an extension of me.  My sports car, my go to for hauling, for camping, for kids shuttling... who would have ever thought I would get emotionally attached to a 15 passenger van? 

I remember the night I drove my new to me vehicle off the Ford lot on Rt 22 in Harrisburg.  The day had faded into the twilight and as I glanced in the rear view mirror, there were rows and rows of empty seats, and in the front row, right behind me one crazy troll haired toddler, strapped in a car seat, staring back at me with a big smile on her face, because she got to ride with momma in the "wan"!  I also remember saying in passing to the Lord that night, "This seems crazy, but if it is your desire to fill this up, we are willing."  

What we did not know was the plan that the Lord had for our family and that van.  Countless team sport transfers, mission trip hauling, trailer pulling, camper pulling, mounds of groceries, pets, family vacations, and field trips to name a few of the exciting events the van has endured. 

Speaking of field trips, this leads me to the last 9 hard days for this old girl...  I had the van signed up to go on a 200 mile road trip, with a school group last weekend.  When the "check engine" light came on the Tuesday before I determined to take it to the shop.  If it had been just staying local when the light came on, I would have most likely just ignored it, but in knowing it was going to be transporting other peoples kids so far, I wanted that peace of mind.  So, on that visit to the shop, she got a new throttle body motor.  However, transportation to the orienteering meet that Saturday was a success!  

I fast forward six days.. I am excited when any of the dwarfs want to spend time with me, much less be seen in public with me, and Sleepy still wants me to go on field trips with her!  As long as they ask, I go... So I head out in the van to meet her duel enrollment history class, for a walking tour of downtown Sarasota.  Sleepy and I were super excited about this event, and had been talking about it for weeks!!  I left the house Thursday morning, 45 mins before I needed to arrive at the designated location.  I would rather be early and wait on them then, have them waiting on me!   I put the location in my GPS and head out... about a mile from home, I think about turning on the radio.  

Now I know that seems silly to most to think about turning on the radio,  but you see, the last 5 years of the vans life she has developed some funny quirks.  Like you can hop in and turn the ignition on without the keys being in the ignition, when you hit a bump the heat turns on, even when the air is on.  Or when you step on the gas to accelerate, the air turns off.  If you have your head lights on and stop the car, no longer does the sounding ding sound, twice in recent months I have forgotten to turn them off to return to a dead battery.  Most recently, if the radio is on, and you open the door, after you turn off the vehicle, it does not shut off.  So there have been occasions where 30 mins or an hour after returning home, when walking past the van in the driveway you can hear the radio playing...

So, I am thinking about the radio because I know I have to remember to turn it off when I reach the field trip location or risk a dead battery when I need to come back home.  I determined I would remember, so I turned on the radio.  Another mile and the radio started to act funny... sort of got a bit scratchy, wavering in and out, and I am not sure if it is the station or the actual radio.  I flip the dial, and it seems fine for half a mile, and then it shuts off completely.   I attempt to turn it back on, but it would not work.  None of this gives me pause, and I remember thinking, "Well at least I won't have to remember to turn it off when I get there!"  

About three miles down the road, I see all the gauges bottom out.  No RPM's, no speed, no gas, all levels at zero, even though I am driving. Sort of like she stopped breathing.  So as I approach a red light I think, "lets just see what happens."   Again, not as alarmed as I probably should be considering the odd issues my van has regularly.   I stop at the light on red, and go on green and all things are working, however still no readings for speed or gas have reappeared.  At this point I am thinking that I have enough time in the schedule, that I should go ahead and circle back to home and get Dopey's car, when I stop at the next light, and the van makes a few popping noises and flickers out completely.  

Now for the record I am on a road that at this point is five lanes.  It is a congested area at all times of the day, and I am in the center lane, as I was going to be making a left turn in one mile, and there were two turning lanes to my left at this light.  As soon as I know the van is not moving under her own steam, I place my flashers on.  I proceed to methodically look for my calling card for a tow, and attempt to reach the Prince on his cell phone at work.   The first two cycles of the light change are fine... and on the second cycle, I see Sleepy's field trip bus pass me by.  Well at least the teacher knows I am not lying about having car trouble!  I am so glad that dwarf is not easily embarrassed!!    

I am now starting to panic as the Prince, when I reach him, is asking me if I can get the van in neutral (which I can't) and other questions that I also can't answer.  Additionally, the roadside assistance number is amazingly not user friendly if you are in a crisis and now the drivers are starting to get mean.  Really mean !  Honking at me and flipping me off.  Zooming past in rage.  Like I stopped this beast to have a sandwich or finish a good book on a whim in the middle five lanes of traffic!! 

As I am engrossed in all this, and am trying to make a plan... I completely miss the fact that an officer has approached the van from behind, and as he knocks on my window, I am startled to the point where I think I a m going to wet myself.   He asks me to roll down the window... not possible... he indicates that he is going to open my door, I think to myself, not if I can get it open first!  

He says to me upon opening the door, "Are there others in here?" " No", I said, " Just me in this sports car." "What is going on?" was his next question.   I explain that the vehicle just shut down. It won't do anything or go anywhere.  I also indicated that I had not gotten anywhere yet with the roadside assistance people,  and frankly I was at a loss as to how to get the van out of the roadway. He called in the situation, and then asked me if I thought he could push the van.  I said, that I could not get it to neutral, so after a few minutes of him man handling the steering column we were able to get it in neutral. He told me not to take my foot off the break, and that he was going to go put on his vest and then come back and push the van back so that we could work it into a parking lot off to the right of the road across two lanes of traffic.  Then he stopped and looked at me and asked, " Ma'am, are you alright?"  Oh, no... I can't stop the water works.  "No I am not alright, I am supposed to be on a field trip, and my daughters bus already went by, I don't have time for this..." blather, blubber, a little snot and few tears, and then 30 seconds later, water works off, and he and I  are solidifying the plan to get the van off the road!   I so did not expect that just a kind inquiry into my well being would cause such a melt down, and while it was brief, it happened.  So much for being a mom who can handle it all.  

The officer returned, with his vest on, and started to push the front of my van backwards, towards the front of his cruiser so we could align with the entrance to the parking lot.  As he began to gain some speed in the push, I at one point put on the breaks because I was fearful of him pushing my extra large vehicle into the front end of his vehicle.  About this time back up has arrived to close the two lanes of traffic so that I could steer the vehicle into the lot.  As a side note, I find it amazing how quickly the attitude of drivers change from angry about their delay, to helpful once they notice the police are involved and they HAVE to stop moving.  About three others, joined the police is pushing my one ton vehicle off the road into a parking space.    

I let the van sit for the day.  Once out of harms way, my focus was back on the field trip.  If I was quick about it, I could still get there and only be 10 minutes late.  I was not about to miss this field trip. They clearly saw that I was not making up my car problems, so pretty quickly help arrived in the form of Dopey and an employee who was working at the house at that time, and I was able to take Dopey's car and he went back home with his co-worker.  The class waited the ten minutes for me to arrive, and Sleepy and I enjoyed a great field trip together! 

After the field trip, I got back on the phone with the not surprisingly, still painfully slow roadside assistance team as they processed my need for a tow.  Of course as with all things in life, nothing is simple. It was more for the tow, because she is a one ton vehicle.  It took longer for the tow to arrive. While I watched the driver hook her up to the truck, I realized we are just a breakdown away from this vehicle not coming back to us one of these times.  In reality sooner, rather than later.   

For this go round, I am grateful that the mechanics could fix her.  I am glad that the small motor replaced the week before, which blew because of the alternator, because it was under warranty, was replaced for free.  I am glad that out of the three options for alternators, my replacement was not the most expensive.  I am glad fuses are inexpensive.  I am grateful that the resources were in our account for another repair in a week's time. I am happy that I was safe.  That no one rear ended my van while I was stopped.  That the angry drivers as they zipped by me honking and making gestures did not injure themselves or anyone else on the crazy busy stretch of road.  Thrilled that I made it to the field trip with Sleepy! 

 Moreover, I am grateful for the fact that I rely on the Lord to order my day, mishaps and all!   You can't make this stuff up!  

Sometimes there are lemons, sometimes lemonade!

Around the kingdom, there are periods of time when we experience rough patches. Sometimes of our own doing, sometimes brought on by others and conditions that we have no control over.

If the rough patches are extended or compounded in any way, I typically find myself weary and defeated.  Sometimes the affects are physical, other times just mental, but at the end of the day, it all leaves me in the same place.  Crying out to the Lord for some indication that I am not loosing my ever loving mind, and pleading for a glimpse of His goodness and grace!

I rejoice that I can always find that hope and encouragement.  A letter in the mail, a phone call or a text from a friend.  Then, when I least expect it, today, I was reminded in a staggering and mighty way, that God is good all the time, and I need not worry because He has the details and knows just when this heart needs to be encouraged!

Now before I go bragging about my great day, I understand you may not see the significance or the wow factor, and that is okay.  In a series of crazy events over the course of many weeks, including but not limited to; stepping repeatedly in fire ant hills in the dark while searching for a child at a school event,  struggling with some sore and aching joints, a major meltdown from an overworked exhausted dwarf, going to an appointment for travel shots three weeks early, and scheduling a "free house cleaning" that was a christmas gift, from the wrong company and no one realizing they were the wrong cleaning service until the house was half cleaned... I feel like today was a gift.

A big fat juicy milk bone, to be savored... or a pile of lemons turned into the sweetest lemonade I have ever tasted!

Let's start in the beginning.  The Prince had the day off and so we had a leisurely morning at home, and then headed to meet up with the oldest dwarf, Doc, and her hubby for breakfast.  It seems everyone has had such busy schedules lately and so the time to catch up was a great start to the day! There is no substitute for spending time with your dwarfs face to face!

From there, I had to make a run to the post office.  Dopey went with me willingly, and we enjoyed good conversation on the ride.  As the dwarfs get older it is harder and harder to catch glimpses of them and to keep current on all that is important to them.  It was nice upon returning to the house for him to give me a kiss and a hug just because!

The prince left for a visit with friends on the other coast, and I headed out to a track meet with Sleepy.  One of the highlights of my last 24 years of parenting is cheering on the activities of my dwarfs!!  If I may recount, and my there have been so many....
                    Doc danced and played soccer, basketball and volleyball
                    Sneezy played field hockey, and soccer
                    Dopey played baseball and basketball
                    Happy wrestled and played baseball and soccer
                    Grumpy played baseball, basketball, football and soccer
                    Sleepy danced and played basketball, soccer, participates in JROTC events and throws                         shot and discus
                    Bashful wrestled, played t-ball, baseball, basketball

I digress, after that rabbit trail, we jump back to track today.   Sleepy not only set two personal records one in each of her field events; discus (103 feet) taking second overall all, and shot put (32.125 ft) first overall, but she broke the school record (unofficially) for discus. (According to the head coach.)  And she made it look so easy!! Best part in my opinion, is that I was able to be there to witness it all!  That feat made possible because Dopey was willing to transport dwarf's home from school for me today and transport one to work so that I could be away from the house during a tough transitional part of the day!  Again, win for team Dwarfs as they kill it with the team work!

In other news, while we were an hour from the kingdom in the wonderful Florida sunshine, which is always a mood booster, a friend of a dwarf was helping another dwarf win at the art of asking a young lady out.  Said dwarf friend, took Happy for a hair cut, offered wardrobe assistance, took him to purchase flowers and then took him to do the "ask"!   So much nicer to be accompanied by a peer than your momma!  Guess what?  She said yes!   For any of you that know either Happy or recognize his adorable date in any social media posts,  please know that they are just going as friends.  She was super kind to accept and I would expect that Happy will be on cloud nine for days. I am amazed at how brave he was,  and how handsome he looked!  Best part the dwarf friend took and sent photos so we will have the memories for a lifetime!

A call from Grumpy's work early, started to send my near perfect day into a downward spin.  On a Friday night at a pizza shop, no one should be finished working before 8PM...  As Grumpy is relaying to me that he needs picked up, I ask him, "Why?  Did something happen? It is so early!"  His manager hops on the phone to say, we were slow and he is first out tonight, but he did a great job while he was here !   Bam!  Yet another win for the day!!

As I sit here, I am rejoicing in the greatness of the day, and how blessed I feel.  Just as I think this day can't get any better, Grumpy, after showering comes down the stairs and congratulates Sleepy on her killer day today on the field, and congratulates his brother on the fact that the girl said yes!  Insert head shake here.  So out of character for Grumpy!

I have no idea what tomorrow will bring!  What I do know is today was filled with so very many sweet moments, that even if it all falls apart in the morning, I can recall today with a full and grateful heart! I praise the Lord for these moments!  Each one individually would have still been a win, but combined has made for a stellar day all around!  We have applauded and enjoyed each victory, including a big spontaneous round of applause a few minutes ago.  For now this is exactly what this momma needed.  God is good all the time!

You really can't make this stuff up!

How Adoption Changes Lives

In the summer of 1969 a young woman, upon realizing she was pregnant, had a decision to make. Clearly the most unselfish, and arguably the hardest decision she had ever had to make, in a era that frowned upon unwed mothers, she determined not to terminate an unplanned pregnancy.

There are no known details of the the young woman. Was she in her early teens, or was she older, was she tall or short, athletic or academic?  We have no idea what she was passionate about or what her dreams were.  There is no documentation (written or photographic) that shed any light on the circumstances in this young woman's life that lead to a pregnancy or that were endured throughout the pregnancy.  There is just no way of knowing.  There is no family history. No record of health issues.  The identity of the father is just a much a mystery as the identity of the mother.  There are no records of prenatal care, pregnancy concerns or issues leading up to or during the birth of her child.

What we do know however is that in the spring of 1970 a baby girl was born.  A baby girl that was given up for adoption.  That first many months of the baby's life are also a great mystery.  As a side bar, it is my opinion that some of the greatest unsung hero's of the world are the many men and women, regardless of the time of day, answer a ringing phone, where on the other end a hospital or case worker, is asking them to provide for a newborn child that the mother does not or can not care for.  Thank you to foster parents everywhere!

What we do know that within a year this child was removed from foster care and was placed in a loving home, surrounded by immediate family and friends that desired,  and wanted a child.  This baby girl grew up knowing and understanding security, unconditional love, structure, discipline.  She was nurtured physically, mentally and spiritually.  All her needs were met.  Probably most of her wants were met as well!  She was loved.

She always knew she was adopted.  It was not a secret in her house.  She also had a brother and no surprise there, he was adopted too.  Even the memory of adding a sibling to her home was unique. No one else that she knew, got to go to the courthouse, and sit up with the judge, and talk about how she wanted a brother, and then, there magically he appeared, strapped into an infant car seat and ready to go home.  How great to grow up knowing that you were chosen to be part of a family!

While growing up, no part of being adopted seemed unusual. Many times folks that the family ran into were surprised to hear that she and her brother were adopted.  Occasionally, when meeting someone new for the first time, she and her brother enjoyed listening to adults discuss,  how cute they were, and how they looked so much like their parents,  and then just at the right time, interjecting loudly, "We're adopted!", just to see the reactions of those in the discussion.

The years rolled on, and she had all opportunities to grow and thrive.  She learned to walk, to ride a bike, went to good schools, she struggled with math, she played sports, she attended and volunteered at church, she was outgoing, and friendly, loved to read, argued with her brother, had power struggles with her parents, got her license, bought her first car, went to college, fell in love and got married, had children of her own.

In 1969, because of one young woman's decision not to terminate her pregnancy, or attempt to provide for a child she knew she could not.  A gift was given.  This woman chose life.  Because she chose life for herself and unborn baby,  she changed lives.

She changed the lives of all those that her baby would come in contact with as she grew and matured over the years. She filled a gap in a husband and wife's heart and home for a baby they could not have.  Because of her selfless decision, that baby girl became a daughter, a sister, a cousin, a niece, a student, a friend, an employee, a neighbor, a co-worker, a volunteer, a wife, an aunt, a mom, and mother in law.

If there is one thing that I could share with the woman who chose to give me life, it would be simply, Thank you.

Thank you for doing the hard thing.  Thank you for your sacrifice.  On my behalf if you were scorned, or looked down on, know I so appreciate what you did.  My life is full, my heart is full, many call me mom, my husband adores me; and I him.  I have had encounters in my life that have made me the woman that I am today, because of you.  Because of the gift of life.

Every November I think of you.  National Adoption Awareness Month.  I praise God for you, where ever you are, with a grateful heart, for your sacrifice and dedication to a child that you would never know.    Thank you!

To be a football player or not to be a football player, that is the question.

He loves football.  He loves everything about football. He commits players stats and names and histories to memory.  He can recount injuries, and highlights along side his dad and brothers with a bit of accuracy... he has fatheads in his room, he has playing cards, he has the gear... he does not have the passion.

I am going to go back and start this story at the end of last school year.  Spring practice. Six weeks of voluntary practices.  Grumpy goes to every practice, because if you go and do not miss one, you get a steak dinner.  Quite the incentive I would say and one that seemed to work for the dwarf since while he ate steak, the other boys who did not make every practice, ate hot dogs.   He would come home tired and sore for the first couple weeks and as he got into shape we thought he was enjoying the work outs more and more.  We applauded his determination.  We praised him for not quitting and for doing the hard things.

Our summer this year was very short. Football practice summer workouts have begun almost simultaneously with break, and Grumpy was all in and going strong.  Said Dwarf is getting up and going to most of the four required days of the week training, and seems to be doing ok.  We were starting to think that maybe he finally had found that balance of being passionate about something and seeing the value in working hard and being part of something bigger than himself.

Then we start to see a distinct waining of interest.  I do now understand that to be a football player, you have to really be in love with the idea of hard work, in horrible conditions, pain, agony, and enjoy the repetition of drills and hard work.  This requires much more fortitude than the dwarf that I live has ever exhibited.

The wheels start falling off the bus about four and a half weeks into practices and said dwarf starts over sleeping, and not going to practices.  Occasionally, he would make a show about "working out" on his own at home, but when pushed about the next days upcoming practice and being up on time and ready, he was now non-commital and hesitant to go.  He started making up what we thought could be valid exceptions to the practice schedule, and although I always followed up with the coaches, Grumpy, as it turned out was only relaying the parts of the exceptions that he wanted to hear.  I know see me being shocked.   For example only the varsity players are attending this week and they are off site.  While varsity was practicing and they were off site, the rest of the boys were still at it in the hot Florida sun on the school campus.  All of them except Grumpy.

We thought we were encouraging him, telling him that we were proud of him for trying this sport,(and since the last time he played was pee-wee ball and this is clearly much more demanding) that we were fine if he did not want to be on the team, but that he needed to make the decision, we would not make it for him.

Here is what I know about Grumpy. He romanticizes so many things in life. Football was no exception.  In his world and mind, he is a star.  I have often heard people saying,  "in life if you dream it and you can become it", but what a disservice that does to special needs kids. Because of what is left unsaid in the middle of that statement.  "Dream it (work hard, be passionate, give everything to making the dream reality) and you will become it. "  In Grumpy's world he dreams about being the star, he is the star when he plays football video games, he knows the current day's stars because he reads about them and talks about them, so therefor they are his people.  He is associating in his mind, with the stars.


In real life however,  as we were dropping him at the gym for practices he is struggling with another area in his life, laziness.  He just wants to be the star, not do the hard work that would get him to stardom. He just wants to wear the uniform, not earn the spot that gets him the uniform, and if he can't be the star, then he would rather not play.  Instead of just using his words, articulating that he does not any longer desire to do the hard work and be on the team, he lies about where he is and what he is doing.  He comes home after a hard practice and fills our ears with all the "right" sounding things he did at practice that day. While we come to find out some days he was not even on the field. An example of this is for his position, he was to run an 8 minute mile (which for a 17 year old male of slim proportions and somewhat fit) should be simple.  To hear Grumpy tell the story, he has run this mile three times and each time has missed the mark by an eyelash.  7 seconds off, 9 seconds off.  Then he starts brainstorming with the Prince and I about strategies for running and shaving those seconds off. Maybe he should start slower and give a bit push at the end so he is not spent at the end of the mile....   But the truth we come to find out is that he runs an 8 minute mile in 91/2 minutes and 10 minutes.  Remember a star player would NEVER be 2 minutes over in his mile run!  So he not only lies to us, but to himself about his abilities instead of getting out there and doing hard things to decrease his time or just resigning from the team and saying "this is not my thing".

Another area of life that is a real struggle for Grumpy is pride.  Since he has written letters home to family and friends and told EVERYONE that will listen he is playing football this year, for that not to be the case is a reality that he can't spin.  Counter this with his low self esteem, as he assumes everyone cares what he is doing or not doing, he will skirt the truth or the reality for as long as he can.  If we drop him and the school for practices(even if he does not go), or he wears the teams logo clothing, there is still the thread of connection that makes him a football player in his mind.  It never occurs to him that the general populous does not really even care about his hobbies and activities. He assumes that everyone is going to be talking about him,  mocking him, or ridiculing his inability to make the team.

In our final conversation with the coach, sadly he was unable to follow even the most basic rules regarding summer practices, so on principle alone was not being asked to be part of the team this year.  The boys had to sign in on a log sheet to show they were at the summer practices. In order to be on the team in the fall they needed to be present for 11 practices. Grumpy was there for at least 14.   He signed in for 4 practices.  Again, in his reality, he had trouble accepting the truth and his response when confronted with why he did not sign in, was to blame the coach.  He said coach could see that I was there, so he should not have had to sign in.

While Grumpy sits and waits for the next sports season to begin, so he can be the newly discovered basketball star or the baseball star, that is all that he is doing. Sitting and waiting. Playing the NBA or MLB video game in preparation for the season. Still not grasping that to be a star takes hard work, ability and skills that need to be practiced and refined over the course of time.

We will continue to remind him, encourage him, all the while praying that the blinders would come off his eyes, and that he would mature to the point of understanding that just dreaming about something does not make it a reality.  That there needs to be a lot of sweat and tears that go into making greatness.  More importantly, at the end of the day, the Prince and I just want him to understand our vision of greatness for him is to be a man of character, honest, sincere and hardworking.  That is what would make him a star in our eyes.

On a side note, if saying I ran and 8 minute and 7 second mile makes it so... well I am just saying, my mile is pacing at 9 minutes and 36 seconds or more  and I would love to shave some time off that!!   You really can't make this stuff up...

Sometimes you just have to mix it up!

If you're unfamiliar with our story, it has been 2 years since our move to the sunshine state.  Well, actually at the time of the "surprise of the short man's lifetime",  it was 1 year and 359 days since Bashful had been "home".   

Since Bashful's enrollment at "camp" last October, he comes home to us every six weeks for 5 days for what camp calls home visits.  Home visits are intended to help the boys meet goals for reunification and restoration with family or friends, and to accomplish some fun activity during the visit. At our house, home visits usually go the same way. The day of pick up, Bashful is excited, and ready for the comforts of home and is calm and quiet and relaxes on the big comfy couch and watches some television in the air conditioning.  As the weekend wears on we all start to fall into bad habits and patterns of behavior that end up frustrating us each for various reasons.  In part due to the good reports we have been getting from the staff at camp and because of the length of time since Bashful has seen family, three months ago, the Prince and I decided to mix it up for Bashful and surprise him during his June home visit with a trip to PA.

While the Prince and I and all the dwarfs have had one or more chances to "go home" to visit friends and family since our move 1100 miles south on June 15, 2014,  Bashful has not been with us for any of them.  

In preparation for this weekend of Bashful and I spending a large amount of one on one time together, which typically does not go well for he or I,  I did a bit of planning to keep the weekend exciting and fresh for him, while at the same time attempting to create some opportunities for great memories that he could hold on to while he continued at camp doing hard things, six weeks at a time.  

To start the trip, six weeks ago, I plotted with the staff at camp to have him ready for pick up early, showered and dressed in some non- woodsy clothing by 9AM.  (Yes I am that mom... I snuck clothing socks and shoes to camp office during drop off,  for the occasion.)  After he got ready for pick up,  the boys at camp all thought he was dressed for a day on the golf course, and were trying to guess what his surprise was going to be!  When I picked him up I could tell he was a good mix of excitement and anxiety, but  he sure looked handsome! 

The day of pick up was a horribly rainy day courtesy of TS Collin, who was clearly upset about being down graded, and was just being a nuisance, drenching us in tons of rain...  I arrived at camp and as I stated, Bashful was ready to go. After our goodbye's we ran to the car dodging puddles and even with our umbrella, were unable to get to the car without being completely soaked!  Bashful still does not know what his surprise is, and frankly in all my other plans I forgot to figure out how the great unveiling of  the surprise would go.   (So much for greatest mom of the year award! Everyone knows a surprise is only as good as the unveiling.) 

As I was "killing" time, trying to think of how to share the news, I asked him to pull our his goal sheet for the home visit and start reading them to me. 

Well his first goal on his goal sheet was, " work on rebuilding my relationship with my mom".  I think there may have been a thunderbolt as he read this out loud because clearly it was a perfect segue way for the upcoming weekend's activities!   

Now because my technology skills are not so great, there is a video clip of him receiving the news of spending the weekend with me, but I could not get it posted here.  I will say that initially he seemed less than thrilled by the news of spending the whole weekend with his momma, but quickly things turned around as he figured out that we were headed to PA on a plane (of which he has never flown on) and he rallied his attitude and enthusiasm.  

We had some time prior to our departure. Since he has begun to show some interest in cars over the last several months, and older ones at that, I figured we could kill some time adventuring at the Muscle Car City a fantastic little museum in Punta Gorda!  What a great find! We spent about two hours just taking photos, talking about cars, and enjoying the collection!  So much that we lost track of time and really had to get a move on to grab a bite to eat and a few items we forgot to pack for the trip.  

Of  course all this traipsing around was still in the pouring rain. At one point we lost our car in the parking lot of the Walmart we were racing in and out of cars laughing so hard that tears were on our cheeks, but of course you could not see them because of the rain!

 Navigating the parking lot in the rain, the shuttle and the airport seemed to make Bashful a bit anxious, however, he did a great job listening, and doing exactly what I told him to do.  Because he was a minor he did not have to take off his jacket or shoes, so that made things smoother for at least one of us.   Additionally, our airport was super compact and user friendly!

Even better, was Bashful turning the corner after coming out of security and seeing a familiar face!  All of Bashful's anxiety seemed to slip away when he saw one of his chiefs sitting in the waiting area, for the same flight as ours!  God's perfect timing as I was flustered after realizing I lost my photo id, and was struggling to organize my stuff that I had anticipated organizing in the parking lot prior to going in.  I never considered it would not stop raining this day!  So Chief was a great distraction for Bashful and I both.

When I booked the flight, I wanted it to be really special for Bashful since it would be the first time he had ever flown... Front row, first seat by the window!  Even by his smile you could see he was a bit concerned about all the rain outside and wrapping his head around the actual flying part!  As we settled in, I tried to answer his questions, and distract him and by the time we were ready to take off, he was ready to look out the window and watch the ground beneath him disappear!  

Two hours and 20 minutes later when we arrived at our home airport, we were greeted by Bashful's cousins and Aunt, who made a sign to welcome him home!  We spent the evening with those cousins and more, having dinner with grandparents and his 92 year old great grandmother.  

Friday, the official start of the weekend, we spent a great part of the day at Hershey Park, getting our Hershey Park happy on!  We rode about all the coasters we could find, and the boys had a great time on some twirling rides that this 'ol stomach can no longer handle!  Everyone had great attitudes and did not seem to mind the heat, or standing in line waiting to ride the rides.  For one ride in particular, we stood in line an additional 20 minutes to get the front row!!   (As you can see below, the boys were having fun... me well I was having fun on the inside!!) Dipp'in Dots, soda, French fries... what boy could complain? 

Friday night came to a close, just having dinner and hanging out with grandparents and cousins in the yard.  More fun times on the trampoline, and just running and playing and being boys.  

Saturday dawned as the day I was most excited about.  The plan was to get Bashful together with some of his friends from home.  We got up early and went to buy donuts and fruit, juice and arrived at the park in our former neighborhood.   I think he was pleased by the turn out if his smile is any indication!  We had about 9 boys show up and a few special adults too!  

 We added some other small stops into the morning and early afternoon, and then ended up the day by hanging with another friend was on home visit from a sister camp in PA.   To say that a good time was had by all would be an understatement, swimming, basketball, video games, and a run... rounded out the day.   I think we both slept great that night!  

We knew departure day was looming, and we woke up Sunday and followed our "old" Sunday tradition of stopping at Sheetz for coffee and for Bashful a western omelet wrap.  Off to Sunday school and church to hug necks of some more treasured friends and family, worship with our former church and out to lunch with the great grandmother who conveniently needed a ride home from church that day! 

We met up with another set of grandparents mid afternoon for a ride to the airport, and to bring that grandmother home to Florida for a long visit. If there were not memories made this weekend, well it was not for lack of trying!   

Here we are set to head back to Florida!  

The rest of our family was missing us and could not wait to hear about our adventure! 

 I will say that sometimes it is great to mix things up a bit!   Bashful was surprised, and had a grateful heart.  He was on his best trip behavior. He was helpful, seemed to engage with everyone at appropriate levels and really enjoyed his time in PA.   It was our goal, that we would be able to encourage him, and provide him with some great opportunities to make memories to hold close in his heart and mind as he headed back to camp to finish the journey he is on.  

How is he doing at camp?  Great!  Everyone that saw him over the weekend say that noticed a great change in Bashful!  Besides how tall he has gotten, he has matured, and did conduct himself different from what they remembered two years prior. In the mixing it up, while I saw that there has been growth and maturity on his part, I also learned that once back on common ground, in a setting he was familiar with, we still have some work to do.  

If you are inclined to pray for Bashful (and us),  our hearts prayer is that he would be able to do the hard things he does at camp; lead, encourage others, and work hard, here in the kingdom.  At this stage of the game, progress is there, the hope is there, but here in the comfort of home, bad habits abd being around siblings, we find that old habits die hard, bad attitudes (his and ours) often take over in the midst of struggles and interactions with others, which lead to hurt, and unmet expectations.  For me personally it leaves me occasionally shaking my head. 

None of this process is going to be easy.  Bashful has to work hard, but so do the Prince and I.  So do we all.  Mixing things up, escaping from the hard things, is fun.  At the end of the day however we have to remember we are all broken cracked pots.  Not perfect, far from it.  Because of the love modeled to us by our heavenly father, we continue to pour into his life, grace, mercy and unconditional love with the hope that someday there will be a permanent and positive change in his life that will take him from ordinary to exceptional.  Bashful's footprint is huge (well it is a size 12 already) but what I mean is the place that he comes from, his story, the journey could potentially impact the lives of others in such a big way, it really is my desire for him to be able to use all of his life's experiences to change the world around him.  But even if God's plan for Bashful is less grandiose than mine, I want him to know that in all things he is loved. Cherished. Born from the heart not the womb.  Wanted.  Special.  

You Really Can't Make this Stuff UP!  Get out there and mix it up a bit!  

A special thanks to the staff at Gator Wilderness for their efforts in helping pull this off for Bashful. More over for picking up the pieces this week during that transition back to the world of doing hard things.  For their patience and diligence in not only working with my dwarf, but so many others like him.   We are exceptionally grateful for the sacrifices you make each day, we are aware of some of them but I know there are many that go unnoticed.  Your making a difference.  Our lives are richer because of your service to our family and Bashful!