David, the Entertainer

These days, David helps me out in a HUGE way.  How?  By entertaining his littlest brother so I can...oh, you know...actually get something done that requires two arms.  :)  When Benjamin is extra-clingy with me and I am not able to pause everything and be clung to, David is the one I turn to.  

When I ask, "David, could you please watch Benjamin for a little while?", David grins and says yes, and then usually scoops up Benjamin and heads outside, much to Benjamin's delight.  The joy they get from each other overflows into my heart as I see them together.  I am so grateful for the sweet bond they have!

This evening after supper, David was in charge of Benjamin; and when I walked into the garage after weeding the blueberry bed, I discovered them in the minivan.  It wasn't on, of course, but Benjamin was having a blast, being a big boy as he sat in the front passenger seat with a real seat belt on.  

"Take a picture!" David said, so I grabbed my camera and started snapping, using the flash because of the dim light in the garage and thus capturing Benjamin's attention as he saw bright lights.

 The picture below makes me laugh.  :)

 Sometimes time seems to be rushing by so fast that I'm half-afraid I'll walk into the garage next week and find that David really is old enough to be driving the car, and Benjamin really is old enough to be sitting in the front seat.  On days when I grow weary of my role as taxi-driver for the various activities my kids are involved in, I look forward with anticipation to the stage of life when big brothers can give rides to little ones.

But when I'm honest with my heart, I know that I don't want that stage to come too quickly.  So for now, I'm quite content to have David only give pretend rides to his baby brother!  ;-)

How Long Have We Been Doing This Anyway? {Homeschool Conventions}

I've been trying to find make time to do a blog post about our trip to our state homeschool convention earlier this month, but I'm finding it difficult to actually accomplish that.  I decided to start by doing a little research to answer some questions that came up during our trip: how long have we been going to homeschool conventions, and in particular, how long have we been staying at the lovely guesthouse in the country when we go to the Richmond convention?  Thanks to my blog (which is a more trustworthy resource than my rusty memory!), I was able to pull together this portion of our family history.

2006 - Based on a recommendation that my wise friend Valerie gave me, I went to a homeschool convention in northern Virginia, rather than going to the big one in Richmond (put on by HEAV--Home Educators Association of Virginia).  At the time, Josiah was only four years old, and I was at the stage of needing to absorb a tremendous amount of information as I looked to the future of his education; and Valerie suspected that the Richmond convention might overwhelm me.  I'm sure she was right.  :)  The NoVa one was just what I needed, and I got to meet some wonderful speakers (including Yvonne Bunn, who besides giving some incredibly helpful how-to-begin seminars, was also so very friendly and down-to-earth when I talked to her; she's definitely achieved Homeschool Hero status in my mind because of how warm and encouraging she was!).  I got to stay with my friend Teresa whom we had known from our California days, and that was a blessing.

2007 - I again went to the homeschool convention in northern Virginia, and this time, I stayed with my college roommate Jackie and her husband Pete and enjoyed the chance to connect with them.  I think it was this year that Debra Bell was the featured speaker at the convention (and Jessica Hulcy was the previous year, unless I have that mixed up and it was exactly the opposite).

2008 - Tobin was a baby, born in January of that year.  Jeff went to Israel on a service project in July, so that was the big happening for that summer, but we didn't go to a homeschool convention.

2009 - I was hugely pregnant with Shav (he was born in July), so between that and taking care of my three older boys, I didn't venture too far from home that summer!

2010 - Jeff and I took Shav (who, as a nursing baby, was still eligible to go into the various workshops with me) and went to the HEAV convention in Richmond for the first time.  We stayed in a nice hotel which was maybe 10 minutes from the convention center (and was practically across a parking lot from an Olive Garden) :) and had a great time.  Our wonderfully thoughtful and generous friends, Becky and her family, kept Josiah, David, and Tobin for us (some pictures in this post from their time together).

2011 - We returned to the HEAV convention, taking Josiah, David, and Shav with us--and leaving Tobin with my parents.  For the first and only time, one of my kids spent the night with them at their home that used to be my dad's office.  We were so grateful for my parents' help!  Josiah and David got to participate in the wonderful children's program at the convention.

2012 - This was the first year we took all of our children with us--and this year, that included little Moriah, who was only two months old (and who slept through the night for the first time during the convention weekend)!  Also noteworthy: for the first time, we stayed in a guesthouse in the countryside outside of Richmond, a place Jeff found through Airbnb.  We LOVED it right away but didn't realize what a cherished tradition it would become.  I posted a picture of the materials we brought back from the convention.  Josiah and David were again in the children's program.

2013 - We again took all the children and again stayed in the guesthouse.  Most excitingly this year, Moriah took her first step there at that guesthouse!  She was *only* 14 months old--quite early, according to the "normal" schedule for our kids who all walked at 18 months or later!  ;-)  The Duggars were the highlighted speakers this year (along with many other speakers, of course, who gave sessions on a variety of topics).  As far as the children's program, I am pretty sure David and Tobin were in it.  Josiah was young enough that he could have been in it, but none of us remember whether he was or not!

2014 - All of us went again and stayed in the guesthouse; and although I apparently never took the time to record much about it on the blog, there is this post with a few pictures.  Children's program: David and Tobin, for sure.

2015 - This time, a new person came along with us.  I was pregnant with Benjamin.  :)  Again, I didn't write much, but here are two short snippets.  Ken Ham was the main keynote speaker, and Buddy Davis (who is one of the nicest, down-to-earth "famous" people I know) was involved, too.  This would have been the first year Shav was old enough for the children's program, so he certainly did it, as well as Tobin.  As far as David goes, we can't remember; but Shav thinks he wasn't in it.

2016 - I didn't record much from this year either, but we all went to the convention and stayed in the guesthouse.  For the first time, Moriah slept upstairs in the loft where the big boys sleep; and Benjamin slept in the playpen in the roomy closet (yes, the closet!) downstairs. This year, Vicki, our amazingly talented host, took me inside her home and showed me some of her absolutely stunning accomplishments: quilts, glasswork, fabric dyeing, and a basement wall she's decorated with mosaics--such a treat!  Children's program: Tobin and Shav.

2017 - Now that I have all of this information gathered in one place, I can say with confidence that it was our 8th time at the HEAV convention, and my 10th homeschool convention overall.  Now I know!  It was Moriah's first year that she was old enough to be in the children's program, and she enjoyed it very much, especially because Shav was there with her to teach her the ropes.  :)

There is, of course, much more to say about this year's convention trip; and hopefully soon, I'll be able to get a blog post finished about it.

Key word: hopefully.  ;-)

Late Nights in the Kitchen

And so it begins, this season of harvesting and "puttin' up" food for the coming year.

I suppose, to be strictly accurate, tonight wasn't the first night of this for 2017, since I did have a strawberry-jam-making session a couple of weeks ago.  But this was the first night that I took produce, grown on our land, picked by Jeff and the kids under the hot sun, and shelled mostly by the kids this afternoon while listening to Adventures in Odyssey episodes, and prepared it for the freezer, staying up late to accomplish it.

I don't know what unwritten law of the universe demands that canning and freezing projects be finished in the wee hours of the morning, but for whatever reason, I never can seem to finish at a reasonable hour!  And so I stay up, not really a hardship for my night-owl nature, enjoying the cool air flowing in the open window, relishing the peace and quiet, listening to music on my Kindle (my choice of music this evening was my country station on Pandora which features songs by Shania Twain, Faith Hill, Sara Evans, the Dixie Chicks, and similar artists...it never fails to bring back a rush of memories--and make me feel a little old, too!), working busily with my hands to prepare food for the freezer or the cellar, while my mind whirls with thoughts, dreams, plans, and prayers.

The older I get, the more the year seems to revolve, not just around the official 12-month calendar system, but by other markers--the birthdays in our family, for example, or the special activities that pop up at the same time each year.  The measurement I'm most in tune with tonight is the food we grow, prepare, eat, and preserve.  The various foods arrive with regularity, and as we circle around the sun over the course of the year, we also circle through featured foods.

This may be the month of June, but it could also be known as the season of peas!

How Much Love Can 20 Years Hold?

20.

20 years.

Twenty years.

T-W-E-N-T-Y   Y-E-A-R-S.

That's the kind of milestone that other people hit in their marriages--people who are, you know, kind of old.  ;-)

It's unbelievable really, but the calendar tells me that Jeff and I have actually reached that milestone.  And yes, it blows my mind.  But I was there ;-), so I can vouch for the fact that indeed, twenty amazing years ago, this guy...

...and this girl...

...decided to leap off the cliff of singlehood and splash down into the lake of delight called matrimony.

What a jump!

As I think back over the years, countless memories come to my mind--almost all of them full of joy, but a few tinged with aching.  In honor of the occasion, here are 20 of the moments that stand out in my mind with particular brightness.

1. Our baptism in the Bonita, California backyard of our dear friends Joe and Carolyn--such a significant step in our spiritual journey together!

2. Our early-in-marriage get-away in which we learned the disadvantages of spontaneity--namely, our inability to procure a hotel room in a sold-out town and our subsequent plan to camp in a nearby campground...only to be awakened very early in the morning by the sound of a train that was so close, it sounded like it was coming through our tent.  That's one of the most dramatic wake-up calls we've experienced!  ;-)

3. Our dinner date in a fancy restaurant at the top of a skyscraper in downtown San Diego, Jeff in a tuxedo and me in a formal gown.

4. Our stays in bed-and-breakfast inns and beautiful hotels in various places--it's impossible to choose just one, but I'll simply mention the inn in Coronado (not the Hotel Del Coronado, but the other one, across the street from it, which is much smaller and less impressive than the Hotel Del from the outside but had perhaps the most beautiful room I've ever stayed in on the inside).

5. The morning of January 1, 2000, when Jeff suddenly announced that he was ready for us to have a baby--two and a half years earlier than we originally intended!!  (I won't take the time to tell the tale now; but as it turned out, God apparently thought our original "let's wait five years to have a baby" plan was a good one, because despite our best efforts to speed things up, Josiah was born five years and six days after our wedding!)  :)

6. The conversation with Martin & Carmen and Joe & Carolyn in the little courtyard of the Boys & Girls Club in Chula Vista when they asked us to serve in the ministry full-time--such excitement!!  I even remember what shoes I was wearing.  ;-)

7. A sermon Jeff preached in Chula Vista that made my jaw drop and left me IN AWE of the man of God that he is and the call God has put on him...I still feel this way when he preaches.

8. The birth of Josiah

9. The call from Jordan M., asking us to move to Israel.

10. Our seventh anniversary, when we got to fulfill a long-held dream of mine and stay at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem...a magical time.

11. Our trip to the Galilee in March of 2005, in honor of our last get-away as a family of three...especially visiting Gamla and seeing with my own eyes the ancient synagogue where Jeff especially prayed that God would give me to him as his bride.

12. The birth of David

13. The last night we spent in Israel, sleeping on an air mattress on the living room floor in our bare apartment...and feeling such anticipation about what the future held in Virginia.

14. The birth of Tobin

15. The birth of Shav

16. The birth of Moriah

17. The vacation to the Outer Banks of North Carolina in September of 2012--the only time we got to experience a stay there at my all-time favorite vacation spot, with both my parents and Jeff's mom and all our kids (that were born at the time!).

18. Pinning his badge on Jeff as he completed his training and was sworn in as an auxiliary officer

19. The birth of Benjamin

20. The night Jeff hid my Klondike bars and acted completely innocent about it.  ;-)

Ah, so many more memories I could have shared!

But now, here we are in this phase of life, rich in the simple pleasures of a man and a woman who love each other deeply, love their children with fervent admiration, and love their God with endless devotion.  As we exchange amused glances at something the kids have said or done, as we watch each other across the room in social settings, as we work together to open our home to others and make it a place where spiritual growth happens, as we sit together to see our children perform, as we tackle household or gardening tasks together, as we dream about the future, I am reminded, time and time again, of the absolutely marvelous gift that Jeff has been to me.  I am so undeserving.

Twenty years.

On the one hand, it seems like a lot; but on the other hand, it is, by God's grace, only the beginning.  Because even though 20 years can hold an enormous amount of love, the geyser of love for Jeff in my heart isn't anywhere close to stopping.

As a prayer of gratitude wells up within me for the past 20 years, I whisper my longing, "Please, God, 20 more years.  And after that, 20 more..."

Extraordinary Ordinary

If you were to look at these pictures I took the first night we used our new-to-us fire pit that we got from one of Jeff's customers/friends, you might think, "Oh, what a lovely, peaceful evening for the Fisher family to enjoy being together."

And you would be right.  

Partially.

But what those pictures don't tell is that as soon as I finished taking them, I departed the family circle around the fire, taking dear little Benjamin with me to the other side of the house so he could zoom up and down the driveway in his walker (because lit fire pit + curious but clueless toddler is not the most wonderful combination the world has ever known).

Did I particularly want to be separated from the majority of my family?  Did I want to follow Benjamin up and down the driveway?  Was I having more fun than if I had been able to relax in the circle with the others?

No, no, and no.

But when Josiah came over to me on the driveway and expressed his sorrow that I wasn't able to enjoy the time around the fire and his recognition that this phase of life with Benjamin is rather demanding of my time and energy, I realized anew the splendor of, yes, this phase of life.  You see, when Josiah said, "Next year will be easier," I thought, "Yes, maybe so, but next year will mean we're one year closer to our family breaking up, in a sense, as Josiah (presumably) leaves for college.  I don't want to be one year closer to that!  I desperately want these three remaining years and would not like to fast-forward through one of them, leaving us with only two before our fledglings begin to leave the nest!"

And so I told Josiah that.  :)

And then I began to keep my eyes out for the joy that's found (but all too often, overlooked) in the everyday.  In the ordinary.  In the extraordinary ordinary.

In moments like...

...Jeff working with his sons to replace the "floor" (what's it really called?) of our trampoline.  After having it for 6+ years, a tear was developing in the trampoline--not in the net around it (goodness, we've had to replace that several times because they just don't stay in great condition for long!), but in the floor of it.  It wasn't the easiest job to get the new one on, but the guys used their muscles and made it happen.  And we have very happily used it lots since then, relieved to know that the floor won't suddenly split wide open and dump us on the ground!  :)

And in moments like Jeff playing poker with the older boys.  (No real money changed hands, but a lot of fun was had.)  ;-)

And in moments like the biggest brother holding the littlest brother so he could watch (boring to us, exciting for Benjamin) tractor videos on YouTube.

 Tractors are quite an effective cure for Benjamin's fussiness!  :)

And in Jeff cutting Moriah's hair...

 ...which fills my heart with GREAT joy because it is SO MUCH EASIER to untangle her hair now!!  :)

And in siblings playing foosball together (after I FINALLY cleaned off half of the porch--the half containing the foosball table--and got it playable again).

In a picture-perfect morning spent at a local track--just the thing for my aspiring runners who are preparing for a race in August (and just the thing for those of us who aren't preparing for any races but who benefit nonetheless from fresh air and good exercise!).  ;-)

In our church picnic on a gorgeous day...

 ...in which Benjamin pushed his stroller all over the grounds...

 ...and the kids--and even some adults--got to go down the inflatable slide, to the merriment of their spectators.  :)

And in moments, just today, that warmed my heart.  Like Jeff sending me an email this morning, letting me know that he had blocked off some time in his schedule and wanting to know if I would like to meet him for lunch at the Olive Garden restaurant that's newly opened in our town.  Would I ever!!  :)  And then after that, going to a thrift store to look for some clothes for myself and spending $26 to bring home two pairs of jeans, two other pairs of pants, two skirts, and one shirt.

In moments like David deciding to memorize the first 101 digits of pi...and succeeding.  And then him deciding to memorize a poem, so he chose "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost and got right to work.  When I walked into the bathroom later this evening to put away some clean towels, I heard him enthusiastically reciting it to Benjamin who was in the bathtub (being watched by David) and was quite a captive audience.  :)

And then I went downstairs and found Jeff and Josiah discussing various Bibles and commentaries, and then Jeff helped Josiah order a new Bible (one with extra wide margins for note-taking and journaling purposes), and Josiah got inspired to study Galatians more deeply than ever before (because he read The Silas Diary by Gene Edwards).  And I thought, "Watching my husband and our firstborn talk so earnestly about how to study the Bible is...well, it's just priceless.  No words can express how sweet it is."

That's pretty much how I feel about life these days.  

Even when it's tough, no words can express how sweet it is.

So I'll stop talking now.  ;-)

Riven Rock 2017 {Chapter One}

Our first trip to Riven Rock this year, and we discovered that the water was cold and deep.  Well, the water is always cold there, but this was the deepest we'd seen it for quite a while.  All the rain we've been having has not only kept our garden well-watered, but has also kept this mountain stream flowing with more force than it usually does.  The boys ventured in with more caution than they normally do (and Shav even chose to wear his life jacket part of the time), but neither the chill of the water nor the rushing power could dampen spirits.  It was a delightful afternoon.  :)

I took a million pictures, more or less ;-), so I'll post a bunch without saying anything.  Well, without saying much.  ;-)

 Tobin's body language in the picture below makes me smile.  It was definitely cold.  :)

 Benjamin's reaction to the cold water was somewhat less than enthusiastic.  ;-)  Not AT ALL like his big brother Tobin's was when he was the same age!!!

So much beauty!!

 Dear, faithful Jed.

 Shav was laughing here.  His laughter is one of the most beautiful sounds in the world.

 At this point, Josiah got sort of swept along by the water, much to his surprise.  He went under and wasn't in any real danger, but boy, was it cold...and the force of the water was more than he expected.

 We knew he was perfectly safe, so we felt free to laugh at him.  ;-)

 The next six pictures were taken by Shav.  :)

 Just one of the gorgeous butterflies we saw there.

 Benjamin loves to scoot around so much, but I didn't want him to because I didn't want him to tear up his legs...or his swimming suit, for that matter!  So I took things to keep him happy in a stationary position.  :)

After we played a while at our first spot, we moved down to the slab and enjoyed the rest of the time there.

 Jed got to do a little swimming, too.  ;-)

 David was eager to come up the river from our first spot to our second spot.  It took him longer than he expected, but of course, he was up for the challenge.  He thrives on it.  :)

 Moriah would only go so far before she wanted to be carried the rest of the way.  Her wish was granted.  :)

 Josiah is such a kind big brother.  :)

And that includes my account of our first trek to this cherished spot this year.  How grateful I am for the many happy moments we've spent there already...and the ones that will be added in the future to the treasure chest of my heart!