It feels like I've been away for a very long time.
We are now in the month of August.
School starts tomorrow...
And I am officially the "Mother of a High School Senior" for the very last time.
Hard to believe, but true.
RANDOMNESS #1 - Tomorrow is the LAST First-Day-of-School The Faulkner Five will celebrate as a family.
Roxie will begin her Senior Year of high school in the morning.
We have been taking the kids to breakfast (or dinner) on the first day of school since the beginning of time...
Or since Austin started 5-K...
Also known as August, 1996.
Here are a few pics from the last couple of years.
We changed the breakfast to dinner in 2012 and ate at Costa's...
And we enjoyed Gigi's Cupcakes for dessert.
And in 2013, the tradition continued at P. F. Chang's.
RANDOMNESS #2 - You all know we went to the beach with Mikie on a business trip.
Business trip for him, but fun for us!
Well, our actual vacation (not a business trip for anyone) was this past week, and we rented a lake house in Guntersville for the second time in as many years.
I had tweaked the week-long lake vacation from last year until it could be tweaked no more, and we were going to be spending time in a BEAUTIFUL home on Lake Guntersville. (Location, location, location.)
And then the Saturday before we were set to leave on Tuesday we received a call.
A very upsetting call.
Due to circumstances totally beyond the owner's control, we could not have our vacation house.
The owner was as nice as could be and even helped us find some other properties to rent.
Mikie and I jumped right on it, but at the end of the day, we ended up having to not only change cabins, but we had to change lakes, too.
Logan Martin was the destination spot for our Second Annual Lake Getaway, and can I just say the weather and water at Logan Martin was just perfection.
Perfection, I tell you.
However, the cabin was not even close.
The following are some of the things we enjoyed during our time at Lake Logan Martin:
1. The water was clear and warm and wonderful.
2. The huge screened-in porch had a disco ball, a strobe light, a surround sound stereo system and a fantastic view of the lake.
3. Many wonderful people visited with us during our stay.
4. The fine people at Pell City Urgent Care helped Mikie remove a giant fishing lure from his upper lip (pics below).
5. Tubing, tubing, tubing.
6. Fishing, fishing, fishing. We caught fish on the dock AND in the boat.
The following are some of the things I will be tweaking before our Third Annual Lake Getaway already scheduled for next July.
1. The house must NOT make me feel in any way, shape or form like I am once again camping in a tent. I am 52 years-old, and I have already vacationed in a tent with bugs, rain and deflated air mattresses.
And I had a good time.
But at 52 years of age, I find I want something "more."
2. I want a shower I can stand in upright and bend over without losing vision in one eye after I make head contact with the ceramic soap dish.
3. I want big, fluffy beds and a huge eat-in kitchen and a personal massage therapist on call 24/7 beginning from the time The Big Gold Van pulls into the driveway until The Big Gold Van pulls out of the driveway.
4. And, most importantly, I want the vacation scheduled with at least a two-week break between Mikie's business trip and the Lake Getaway.
At one point, Roxie looked at me and said, "Don't get me wrong. I love y'all, but I don't want to see any of you for a few days after we finally get home."
To which I replied, "You're preaching to the choir, Sister!"
Roxie and Mikie.
Austin and Roxie trying out the disco ball and stereo.
The beautiful view from the ever-popular screen-in porch.
Josh and Roxie enjoying a little early morning cuddle time.
Ragan and Roxie tubing.
Roxie and Savannah.
Ragan and Alyssa.
Ally, Roxie, Savannah, Alyssa and Ragan.
Same girls, just upside down.
Captain Mikie and the girls on the Sunset Cruise.
Taylor and Roxie.
Mike after the now infamous fishing lure accident.
Puffy, but definitely not as bad as we first thought.
The cursed lure.
Just Mikie.
Melia and Austin.
I have a million more pics I'll share Friday!
Quotable Quotes
"Stress makes you believe that everything has to happen right now. Faith reassures you everything will happen in God's timing." Anonymous
Way Back When...
These two items were first posted in August of 2009.
Austin's college countdown is now down to three days... four if you count the day we move him in. It is so surreal. Right now, we're planning on going down Sunday and attending First Baptist Jacksonville with him... unless he meets some other kids planning on going Sunday morning. We're playing it by ear... Which is another way to say "spontaneous" or "go-with-the-flow" or "flexible." All of which are terms we all know do NOT apply to me!
Sunday night, after we went to see Night at the Museum 2, I was reminded why I liked the movie so much the first time Roxie and I saw it. I loved Amelia Earhart's attitude (played by Amy Adams... who I also love to watch). Everything was an adventure to her!
I know. I know. It's just a movie. But what would life be like if we woke up every Monday morning wondering what wonderful, exciting adventure was waiting around the corner. Wouldn't that be great? Would we be more likely to look for the excitement the day had to offer... or we would be disappointed at the end of the day when we realized it was pretty much a Monday like any other Monday (laundry, dusting, errands, meals to prepare, meals to clean up after, kids to drop off, kids to pick up, etc., etc., etc.).
Austin and I had a nice talk today, and I had to admit to him and myself, he's a little more like me than I had hoped. We're both very apprehensive about this new (and exciting) chapter of his life. We're both considering worst case scenarios all day long. And that's just plain wrong.
When Austin was 2 1/2 years-old, we lived in Cullman. His favorite thing to do at that age was to walk to a wooded lot at the end of our street. I would carry his favorite big stick and once we arrived at the lot, he would take his big stick and "whomp" the living daylights out of all the trees in that lot. He was a warrior! He was fearless! I would sit a safe distance away, and I let him "whomp" away. He would "whomp" until he could "whomp" no more, and then he would come to me smiling, hand me his big stick and we would walk down the street to our house to play with puzzles.
Was he slaying dragons or being a lumberjack or slashing his way through the underbrush looking for dinosaurs? Who knows. He never said, and I don't remember if I ever asked him. But it was exciting... It was an adventure. You could see it in his little boy face.
That's what I want to see in his face again very soon. The excitement. The anticipation of the unknown... not the dread.
"The Lord is my light and my salvation: Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?" Psalm 27:1. Good question. And wait. There's an even better answer.
"Teach me Thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a level path, because of my foes. Do not deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and such as breathe out violence. I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:11-14.
I think Austin's going to be okay... And maybe, just maybe, I will be, too.
School Prayer List
This will be a new Seasonal Tradition for our family. I'm starting a First Semester College Freshman Prayer Chart today. Every college freshman I know will go on this prayer chart. For the first semester of college, I will pray for each of them by name every morning. If I don't know of specific prayer needs for that student, I will pray for safety, wisdom, strength to fight temptations, etc. For each student I know who does have specific needs, those will be written beside their name.
By the end of the first semester, I will make an effort to talk with that student or student's parents to see how they are adjusting to college life and all that goes with it. If the student is doing fine, adjusting well, enjoying their new adventure, etc., I will put an "X" by that name as an answered prayer. If not, I'll just keep on praying!
My list is going to be pretty long this year, but I'm looking forward to starting my newest Seasonal Tradition (TODAY). (I'm even buying a special notebook to use as a prayer journal... college ruled! Get it?)
And it wouldn't be a tradition if I didn't do it next year... and the next. Whether I personally have a college freshman or not is irrelevant. These young men and women need to be bathed in prayer!
Pinterest Stuff
Back-to-School Traditions
1. You can begin taking a picture of your child on the first day of school by a young tree. Take a picture each year at the same time and watch the tree grow with your child!
2. Decorate a picture frame to hold that first of school picture! You can get basic unfinished wood, or even paper frames at craft stores, which your kids can personalize however they choose... paint, glitter, stickers, stencils, etc.
3. Have a big “School Playground Games” play date. Break out the schoolyard games (hopscotch, jump rope, kick ball, etc.) to get the kids in the mood for the first day of school.
4. Celebrate School Year’s Eve. We have ALL heard of New Year’s Eve, but have you ever celebrated School Year’s Eve? Why not turn the night before the first day of school into a party and give the kids a reason to celebrate? Putting up some decorations for a quick, impromptu back-to-school party is an easy way to set the mood and get the kids excited about the new school year.
5. Have a Back-to-School Fashion Show. Getting new school clothes was always my favorite part of going back to school. Let the kids show off their new outfits with a family “Back-to-School Fashion Show.” Set up a little runway in the living room and let each of the kids take turns strutting their stuff on the catwalk.
6. Introduce the First-Day-of-School Fairy. If your kids love the tooth fairy, they are sure to love the First-Day-of-School Fairy! If you leave the windows unlocked for her, she drops off fun school supplies and a little note of encouragement for the first day of school. What a fun way to make the first day a little more magical for the little ones!
7. Plan a School Supply Scavenger Hunt. Add a little excitement by sending your kids on a back-to-school scavenger hunt in search of their new school supplies. You have to buy them anyway, so why not turn it into a fun game?!
Have a fabulous Tuesday. I'll be back Friday with more lake pics, more back-to-school pics, a new very healthy chicken recipe and a very fun announcement.
Take care, and I'll talk to you the end of the week.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
Enchantress: I'm a bit confused. The 'things' you want in your vacation home, were those not present in the Lake Martin house? Bummer that there was a last minute cancellation on the Guntersville house. However, for those of us who have had zero days anywhere (lake, beach or otherwise) we are glad to realize that much of what you say is tongue in cheek, and we know YOU know how blessed you are to be able to have time away from the day to day drudgery of life. I like the idea of the Freshman prayer journal. Good idea.. Blessings on Roxie as she begins the countdown to graduation.
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