Much Needed Time Away .... Oregon Coast

I believe Josiah was just 8 years old when we first ventured to vacation on the Oregon Coast.  Then we stayed in a little house blocks from the beach in a crowded, ugly town.  It rained that trip ..... every day. But it didn't matter.  We were hooked.

The location has changed and the house is definitely nicer but, since then, we have come nearly every September to the Oregon Coast to do just this.  We sit. We talk. We contemplate and walk and listen and forget and just BE.

There is something magical about the endless waves, the colors of sky and sea melding together, and the silence amidst the roar of God's immense creation.

It calms me like nothing else can.  I love it here.

My girl and I go searching for treasures.  We rarely find anything noteworthy here in Oregon but we have, over the years, thrown back sea stars, come across beached seals, and found tiny keepsake shells that now adorn our homeschool shelves back at home.

This is the third year that my precious Dad and his wife have joined us.  It is the only time of the year that I get to see him and I cherish it.  We exchange Christmas gifts early so I don't have to send them over the border (my Dad is Canadian. I was born in Canada).  This year, aside from the usual Eddie Bauer outlet sweater purchases, we brought homegrown and homemade jams as well as 2 large quarts of our own dark honey to share with them.  They were tickled.  It is lovely to spoil them!

 My Dad and I meet in the chill of each morning to take long walks together, catch up, and share our worlds.  Aside from the waves and sand, this is what I look forward to most of all on this trip.  If you look closely, you can see my thyroidectomy scar.  It is healing nicely and, truthfully, the least of my worries.

My children are growing up and this year we truly felt the difference as the draw and lure of the beach is no longer as strong with my older boys as it once was.  Josiah was a good sport and endured numb feet for Isabelle's sake.  She is immune to the cold.

There were many efforts to both catch and escape the waves.  Our weather, albeit chilly (it never reached even 70 degrees the entire time we were there), was absolutely beautiful with blue clear skies all weekend.

Isaac, like his Mama, prefers warmth and had to spend some time in solitude to work up his muster to join the other two down at the waves.

I love this photo.  These boys couldn't be more different .... and yet, they still each make regular efforts to like eachother :-)

Football is more Isaac's style and the beach, nearly deserted now that the government schools have begun, is the perfect place for lots of running.

I think I took 20 or so photos trying to catch Isaac in the perfect pose :-)

EVERYTHING is funner when Dad joins in!

My sweet girl, having just endured a week of serious illness after contracting a parasite from our local pool, was just SO happy to even be here.  She and I had waved goodbye to our boys on our first "official" day of the vacation .... she was just too sick to make the 9 hour voyage.  We prayed that morning and through the day for a miracle so that we could join them later in the week.  

God answered our prayer.

Fully self-entertained, Isabelle never tires of the beach and all its diversions.

My crazy kids -- in frigid Pacific Ocean water -- splashed and frolicked as if they were on the Eastern seaboard!  Joe and I sat and watched while wearing coats!

So much fun.  They are growing so fast.

I am cherishing each moment.  Life is fragile.  I consider myself incredibly blessed.  God is good.

Garden Harvest

In spite of its lack of attention, my kitchen garden is thriving this year.   We have had a bounty of vegetables and fruit including tomatoes, Indian corn, squash, beans, and various lettuces.

I love the "volunteers" that become pronounced and help bring beauty amidst the tired plants come September.  Sunflowers and cosmos fill the gaps and truly shine in all their glory as the sun begins to change and the shadows grow longer.

My favorite all time garden vegetable -- the green bean -- has been a staple throughout the summer.  Isabelle and I nibble them whenever we are outside.  Delicious!

Of course, I must have bursts of orange throughout my yard.  This year's pick -- small zinnias which have been blooming for over 6 weeks with no signs of stopping.

I just read last night about the absolute nutritional and cancer fighting punch of Swiss Chard.  It has always been a favorite of mine -- something I crave actually, so I am glad to see it still growing strong as we approach fall.

A dear neighbor came over with her brood and helped us can homemade spaghetti sauce for the year.  Filled with my homegrown tomatoes, onions, and herbs, it is a treat to have on the shelves and such an unexpected blessing in light of my life right now.

This is the first of many years that I have not grown pumpkins :-(  I truly miss them and will have to resort to buying some this year instead.  However, my one consolation is the small patch of miniature pumpkins which are quickly taking over the north end of the garden.  These little spots of sunshine growing over my garden wall bring warmth and smiles to my days.

As peas are quickly eaten by the quail family which lives nearby, Isabelle and I resorted to planting mini-pumpkins in their stead.  Only the very tip top of the trellis peeks outside their hand sized leaves.

Bright and cheery, these cosmos fill in where brown and withering leaves are beginning to appear. These leggy flowers plant themselves every year.  They have become a garden friend I could not do without.

Our days are truly beautiful in Idaho right now.  Mid 80's during the day and reaching into the 50's at night.  This combination is sure to bring about some stunning fall colors in the weeks ahead.  God is so good to continue to give me strength to finish well what I started this spring.  Garden blessings to you this day!

Honey Harvest 2012

We had our earliest and largest honey harvest ever this year!  Joe has been so diligent in caring for his bees and his efforts have more than paid off.

This amount of work requires outside help -- especially with a wife puny and recovering from surgery.  Thankfully, we had great help!

Sweet friends, the VanderVorst family, came to the rescue and provided all the help needed to harvest and can 204 lbs. of honey!

It took over 7 hours of effort and cleanup (my garage will never quite be the same!), but it was worth it.

We now have 66 quart jars filled with honey!  It will serve our family and several others for the year (or more!) to come.  Bzzzzzzzzzz .........

On the Other Side

I am home recuperating after a 4 day hospital stay in Boise following my thyroidectomy.  God is good and has been so faithful to me over the past week.  My only complication thus far has been that my calcium levels dropped due to trauma to the parathyroid glands during surgery.  This necessitated my longer hospital stay as IV calcium was sometimes needed to give in addition to the massive quantity of oral calcium I am currently taking.  This has somewhat elongated my recovery --- calcium depletion leaves your muscles feeling tingly, shaky, and weak -- and keeps me living a balance of life on AND off my feet right now.   Of course, God probably allowed this knowing that "rest" is not exactly in my vocabulary :-)

A few tender mercies along the way have included:
-- my home town pastor (Kent Conrad - currently at Nampa First Church of the Nazarene) who baptized me as a teenager and married Joe and I -- just "happened to be sitting" in the pre-op waiting room with his comforting smile and sustaining hug when we arrived last Monday morning :-)  He shared and prayed with us before we entered this ordeal .... and has been praying for both Dyana and I from the pulpit for a few weeks now.  Such a blessing to have such amazing support and encouragement.
-- the pre-surgery male nurse who, in full boldness in Christ, offered me hope in a Lord who has a purpose for all things (he didn't know we were Believers at the time).  This was especially tender as, it was during this time, as he was reading to and clarifying with me exactly what was to happen that day, that it suddenly hit me all that I was to face .... and I began to cry.  The poor man didn't quite know how to respond, but did his best to bring comfort by sharing his faith.
-- my sweet surgeon (Dr. Matthew Schwarz) totally engaged as a physician, who daily came to check on my progress or digression and offered me, through a kind smile,  just the words I needed to hear as my hospital stay needed to continue, "Just go walk.  Walk all over the hospital if you need to.  I give you my full permission."
-- the nurse who one day, after seeing the traces of tears and watching me look longingly out the window, snuck me to a patio garden 4 floors down with benches and herbs and beautiful, glorious sunshine and heat.  I made a total of 4 trips to that garden, IV port still in my arm -- and laid on the benches, absorbed God's medicine, picked and inhaled the lavender, read my Bible, and wrote words of thanks to those who've loved on me through service.  That garden was God's gift to me this week.
-- a doting male nurse who stayed with me through my worst night as my calcium levels bottomed, my head pounded and ached, my blood pressure plummeted,  and my legs and arms tingled and shook the whole night through.  It felt so good knowing that I was being looked after in the midst of feeling so powerless and weak.
-- friends and family (old and new) who showered me with emails, flowers, phone calls, cards, and visits .... not to mention the myriad of servants who helped feed and love on my family this week.
-- my Mom who was willing to put aside her discomfort and instead chose to walk the unknown path of "substitute homeschooler" to my two youngest children during the week.  Thank you Grandma!
-- a lifelong friend who rearranged her entire week so that she could meet any needs that I might have -- speaking and emailing on my behalf; protecting my time for recovery; visiting and offering thoughtful gifts, opportunities to laugh and smile, and lots of hand holding and building up in the face of difficult circumstances.  I am so blessed.

Thank you for your prayers on my behalf.  God (and no one/nothing else deserves this honor or glory) has sustained me and given me peace beyond my years or my maturity.  He has answered our prayers, and of the 21 lymph nodes removed along with my thyroid, none had cancer.  I move on now to another phase -- eventual radiation and then thyroid replacement medication necessitating a lot of blood work and physician visits -- all likely within the next 6 weeks.  God is good and will continue to carry us all through these days of unknowing.

Another birthday!

Another year has passed .... Isaac turned 15 years old yesterday!  He is growing into such an amazing young man with strengths and talents which are uniquely his.  We praise God for Isaac and the life he brings to our family.

In spite of the circumstances surrounding his birthday, I was determined that we should wholeheartedly celebrate his birthday.  God was faithful and we were able to enjoy the day from start to finish!  So many of his gifts were "un-wrap-able" that I covered everything with a blanket and then he reached in with his eyes closed to pull out gift by gift.  It's not too hard to shop for Isaac -- we just head to the local sporting goods store :-)

His biggest gift was a volleyball net -- something we've wanted to get for a while.  This has been the game of choice for the youth of our church this year so both boys have played a LOT of volleyball this summer.  This set will allow them to play and practice together on their own now --- as well as provide yet another spot for fellowship with others.  Both Dads and sons played yesterday.  I'm sure there were several moans from different households this morning when these men tried to roll out of bed :-)

Once everyone was hot and thirsty enough, they headed to the cooled garage where a small mountain of boy-oriented games awaited (along with a boat load of chips and pop --- a rare treat for this special occasion!). 

It was a great day filled with games, fun, pizza, and hot fudge sundaes.  Happy birthday Isaac!  We love you!!

A Bump in the Road

It was just a week after writing that last post that my world changed dramatically.  It's funny the way that can happen so quickly, isn't it?
In the past 4 weeks I have walked through having my best friend of 30 years diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer (it was found only because she was having severe pain -- thinking it was gall bladder issues.  Instead it was cancer that had spread to her liver ....).
I have prayed and cried and rearranged our lives a bit in order to be with her in California prior to her beginning the long journey toward healing through chemotherapy.  I myself have been sick -- with worry and anxiety mostly but also some other physical symptoms which have brought struggle and problems.  It has been a month when I have been on my knees.
On the evening of August 6th, I learned of my own diagnosis ---  papillary thyroid cancer.  To say that this was not expected would be an understatement.  Tomorrow morning, I will undergo surgery to remove my thyroid and the lymph nodes near it.   In several weeks, I will begin what could be the beginning of several iodine radiation treatments.  It is a new journey over here.  We're all on it now ....

But in spite of all this (or should I say -- because of it!),  let me tell you why I'm thankful:

I give thanks because if I hadn't just walked through watching my friend receive this difficult diagnosis and walk beautifully in the grace of God, I am quite certain that my response to my own cancer would have been very different.

I give thanks because it was just a few months ago that Joe and I were realizing that our kids have never truly experienced suffering .... and we believe (as Scripture affirms) that it is only through suffering that one truly experiences God's presence and grows in godly character.  God, in His kindness, is allowing them to suffer through my suffering at this time.  He has been gracious to me in this as it would be 100x worse having to watch them go through this physically instead.

I give thanks because in a hundred different ways, God has prepared me for this day/month/year.  He orchestrated many decisions made last spring (small garden, few if any teaching responsibilities, open calendar) which have made it easy to accept this bump in our road right now.

I give thanks because even though I've nagged and cajoled, Josiah set his foot firm that he would not be looking for an internship or job until AFTER he had finished his college courses this summer.   Well .... this is his final week of completing his college courses.  And it appears that the Lord may have service to his family as his temporary opening job :-)  --- homeschooling in my stead, cooking, practicing violin with Isabelle, being Spanish tutor to Isaac, driving, and otherwise meeting unanticipated needs will all be ideally filled by him while I am recovering and going through radiation in the coming month.

I give thanks because God has worked out all the details, the timing, and the outcome for His glory and so that I might grow in perseverance which, when finished, will bring maturity and completeness in my life above and beyond what I've ever expected.  Through this, God promises that I will lack for nothing (James 1:2-4).  I take Him at His Word. 

Thank you for your prayers on my behalf.  They are so cherished.  Keep posted for updates in the days and weeks to come. -- Kristi

Summer Break

We've had an enjoyable and relaxing summer thus far.  We consider ourselves blessed!

What have we been up to?

Swimming -- lots and lots of swimming!  With so many opportunities to swim this summer, some in lakes and ponds, we went ahead and had a short private session with our swim teacher of 9 years just to make sure everyone could swim adequately to save their lives in the murky depths!  

All of the kids are actually advanced swimmers -- and do quite well.  In fact, Isabelle will be the demonstrating student in her next swim session with kids much older and bigger than she is.  After living through the drowning of a friend during my college years, it is really important to me that my kids are competent and confident in the water.

Isn't this location beautiful for a backyard pool?  We've come here for 9 summers in a row and I think I love it just as much as the kids do.

In addition to a hefty load of summer learning time this year (college classes, webinars on computer hardware, hunter's safety online, and a 'history of the horse' unit study for the horse lover), each of the kids has time to pursue his/her special interests -- particularly during the hot (104!) afternoons when the cool of the inside feels so good.  Isabelle's latest pursuit has been hat making for her doll "Felicity".  She spends hours with ribbons and lace and styrofoam bowls (yes, you read correctly -- styrofoam bowls!).

I have a very creative daughter!! 

July is the month when all of my favorites bloom including lavender and daisies.  They are beautiful and oh so happy!!  These pockets of sunshine bring a smile to my heart every day.

The garden is doing well.  Harvested thus far: garlic, zucchini, tomatoes, lettuce, swiss chard, spinach, beets, potatoes, yellow squash, and herbs of all varieties :-)

My first hydrangea plant (given to me as a surprise found in my front seat by a friend last fall) is blooming.  It is lovely and a sweet reminder of friendships near and far.

And then there was food.  Summer has its own tastes, don't you think?  Our annual "Frog Day" celebration with our church brings out loads of water fun as well as yummy food abounding.

Isabelle literally spent from 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. in the pond!  She loves playing with kids of all ages.  The boys enjoy the boats, jumping off the dock, and playing sports.

Volleyball is the game of choice this year it seems.  The boys are playing it weekly along with soccer and ultimate frisbee.  Lots of fun along with work, college classes, mowing (LOTS of mowing!), weeding, chores, renovating the barn, and camping ...... we've been busy at home and some away.  It's been a blessing!  I'll be taking a break from blogging until the end of the summer.  We'll see you then!
Happy summer y'all!!