10 million miles

I’ve read the first chapter in my Nikon D40 book and enjoy the luxury of snapping some photos when I happen to have my camera and two free hands available. I’ve been picking up some tips from timely blog posts. Heidi at Mt. Hope Chronicles has inspired me by capturing creative (and gorgeous) shots of her day-to-day. Today, she listed several photography pointers that I found simple and do-able. (You can check her site out as long as you promise to come back to mine and keep your standards low!)

I call today’s photography portfolio, “(If I Could) I’d Buy 20 of These Bud Vases from Pier 1 Imports; Little Girl Waking Up From a Nap In Tears Because She Thought Ants Were On Her Pillow; and Which Way is Down? at McDonald’s PlayLand”.

***

After comforting her and checking inside-outside to show her that there were no ants on her pillow, I decided to cheer Vivienne up with a photo shoot. Then I experimented with the “Color Fade” feature in the iPhoto editor.

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Who wants to hear their child scream “MOOMMMY!” from the top of PlayLand? ‘Turns out, Vivienne couldn’t find her way down…

Until her helpful big cousin showed up… (good thing, too, because I was busy taking photos!)

And Viv cheered up a little…

And cheered up some more…

And popped back to her cheery self again.

Here are the two little pals at lunch

And here’s where Lia was snuggled up while the big kids played: in Grandmom’s arms.

***

And this is my favorite picture of the day.

Did you know…

That a study in the American Journal of Public Health found that feeling fat can be even worse for mental and physical health than actually being heavy?

(’Read this in my recent Eating Well issue.  They list more “mind over matter” tips on their website.)

Thanks to you, I’ve got a whole list of possible projects to devote myself towards…

* gardening

* learning Spanish

* pottery

* photography

* playing the piano

* writing a book

* joining Facebook

* baking cakes

All amazing suggestions. Quite honestly, I’d love to choose all of them if I had more than one hand available during the day. (Note: I did notice that people seemed to suggest I do things that they wanted to do themselves. Hmmm…)

Most recently, two people independently suggested that I pray about what my ministry should be at this point in my life. So, I’ve been a-prayin’ and I have noticed that one noble aim seems to come to my mind over and over again. It’s a great, big, intimidating ministry, but I think I’m ready to make it official by telling you. Wanna know what it is? Drum roll please….

Well, actually, I don’t really want to tell you what it is because you will all be able to notice whether or not I’m doing it and I’m not sure I want that level of accountability… (You know, it’s like announcing I will lose 200 pounds; wouldn’t you secretly be checking me out to determine whether or not I’m living up to my lofty claim?) At the same time, I realize that if this is work that God does want me to do, He’ll give me strength to do it - despite the ups and downs that will come. So, I will tell you because I know that sharing things like this will help me to stick with it. (Besides, I roped you into this whole thing; you deserve to know the out-come, don’t ya think?)

SO, I’ve decided that with the dawning of my thirties, I’d like to learn how to be a fabulous, fun, thoughtful, supportive, “go! go! go!”, helpful wife.

Yup.

A good wife.

That’s what I really want to learn about at this point in my life. I’m convinced that, whether I choose to pursue it or not, it’s the biggest ministry God has provided for me to do.

How can I ignore the fact that I am the one little person in the whole universe - out of all time and space - that God has chosen to bring one certain Ryan-man great joy, honor, and help? No one else has the potential to promote and encourage him like I can. (Or discourage and destroy him, for that matter.) In fact, my decisions towards him are so powerful that they can influence the quality of his entire life. Crazy thoughts, but true.

“Being a good wife” is certainly not a popular ministry these days, but I have a hunch that, when it’s all said and done, it’s probably the most worth-while art I could pursue.

The game plan: I’ve already started a personal journal specifically about this adventure. I’ve written down the nitty-gritty of “how things are” today and will just jot down the changes I see in our lives each day as I ask God what He wants me to do to bless Ryan.

An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.

Proverbs 31: 10

(The fun bonus: so many of the things I wanted to do will happen because I’m learning little-by-little to be a good wife. Like, training for the Philadelphia Half Marathon together, playing music together more often, reading aloud, raising tomatoes, and plain-ole’ enjoying the incredible gift of our family. I’ll keep ya posted…)

* A Song

When I think about some of the qualities I want to pass on to my children, I think about this song. “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynryd. It might not have all of its theological i’s dotted and t’s crossed (or it’s hair cut), but it’s a poignant song worth consideration.

Mama told me when I was young
Come sit beside me, my only son
And listen closely to what I say.
And if you do this
It will help you some sunny day.
Take your time… Don’t live too fast,
Troubles will come and they will pass.
Go find a woman and you’ll find love,
And don’t forget son,
There is someone up above.

(Chorus)
And be a simple kind of man.
Be something you love and understand.
Be a simple kind of man.
Won’t you do this for me son,
If you can?

Forget your lust for the rich man’s gold
All that you need is in your soul,
And you can do this if you try.
All that I want for you my son,
Is to be satisfied.

(Chorus)

Boy, don’t you worry… you’ll find yourself.
Follow your heart and nothing else.
And you can do this if you try.
All I want for you my son,
Is to be satisfied.
* A Quote

When I think about the Carly Simon quotation “The sound of birds stops the noise in my mind”,

I think about how the sound of live running water hushes the noise in my mind.

* A Scripture

When I think about Proverbs 23: 6 - 7

Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy;
do not desire his delicacies,
for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.
“Eat and drink!” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.

I think about how I don’t want to give with a reluctant hand.

This morning, we finished Charlotte’s Web, saying good-bye! good-bye! to the magical story… just like Charlotte’s own children do as they fly away from the barn.  At the same time, we’re saying hello! hello! to the emerging spiders in the corners of our own home and the webs that glisten in our outdoor railing every morning.  (That’s not to say that we don’t promptly say good-bye! good-bye! squash when they fail to mind their own business…)

Vivienne’s favorite part: “That Wilbur had his little baby spiders because it’s joyful and relieving.” (I’m not kidding; that’s what she just said.)

This post is dedicated to my dear writer friend who is patiently enduring her daughter’s new-found fear of spiders.  I especially think about her as the book ends, “It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer.  Charlotte was both.” 

While Lia slept off her 2-month shots, Vivienne and I waited along the highway in the McDonald’s parking lot for the Barnum and Bailey elephants to take their long walk into town. We showed up at 5 (most people claimed their spots at THREE THIRTY!); the elephants didn’t show up ’til 6:30, so we…

Ate top-rate food…

Chewed on plastic straws…

Watched the cars zoom by…

Took pictures of McDonald’s parking-lot dirt-clumps…

Met a shadow…

Danced…

And shared boo-boo stories with new friends.

Until finally the animals paraded by…

…and then they were gone.

I will show you love like you’ve never loved before
I will go the distance and back for more
If you just say the word

‘Cause you will come alive again
Call to trying times your friend
Pain that you have suffered through
Will never get the best of you
You will hope in something real
That won’t depend on how you feel
When you call my name
Then I will answer, answer

‘Cause I am on your side
Though the wind and waves
Beat against your faith
And you were on my mind
when the world was made
Trust in me my child
Trust in me my child

Walk out on the water
Where you have no control
Scared to death of failure
You sacrifice your soul
Please let that go

‘Cause you have climbed
An uphill road
You have worn a heavy load
You have cried through endless nights,
nearly giving up the fight
Watched your dreams like falling stars
and heartache made you who you are
now looking back you see
That I have always been there

‘Cause I am on your side
Though the wind and waves
Beat against your faith
and you were on my mind
when the world was made
Trust in me my child
Trust in me my child

Where’re you gonna hide?
Where’re you gonna hide from me?
Where’re you gonna go?
Where’re you gonna go, that i can’t see?

‘Cause I have heard you cry
And it breaks my heart, for I love you so
I would never lie
This is not the end, there is still a hope

And I am on your side
Though the wind and waves
Beat against your faith
And you were on my mind
when the world was made
Trust in me my child
Trust in me my child

(Thank you, Erin, for introducing me to Kendall.  Her music has already greatly encouraged me.)

Friday night:

* a picnic with our neighbors in the park

* a surprise NIKON D40 (!!) in my backpack (thank you, thank you, thank you, Ryan!)

* my sister, Emily walking towards me with a pink bow on her head and her darling roommate, Molly, who drove with her from Liberty U, at her side.

Saturday:

* a hike up Mount Nittany

* my mom throwing a bag of balloons and confetti on Emily, who opened the front door when my mom, Julie, and Erin knocked to surprise ME, who was nursing Lia on the couch, but the plan still worked because Emily was also there as a surprise to my mom, who was as surprised that Emily was here as I was that they were here (hmmm… ’sounds like the twists and turns of an Oscar Wilde story). None of them were surprised that I was here.

* the chop-chop salad and a glass of white wine at Kelly’s Steakhouse

* a pedicure (and nap!) at my favorite spa downtown

* nursing Lia in the back corner of a sweaty pizza shop while listening to the rapping raggae rabbi (why no one took a picture of this monumental moment, I’ll never know)

* a bit of shopping (during which I found very few articles of clothing that I could even try on because, well, it’s summertime in a college town and the co-eds are either sporting spaghetti-strapped Kleenex or “dresses” that are actually left-over maternity shirts, which I refuse to wear unless I’m extraordinarily short. (Of course, I could wear them as the shirts they are with jeans underneath, but I refuse to do this unless I’m pregnant. Because they are maternity shirts.) I did find a beautiful burnt orange top and two pairs of earrings that I liked, so the trip was successful and super fun

* some down time at home

* Olive Garden take-out (My favorite: The Beef Tortilini)

* A surprise gathering of Ryan’s and my sides of the family and our dear neighbors at Ryan’s office for my dearly beloved Wegman’s fruit-tart

Sunday (my actual birthday!):

* waking up at 7 a.m. and realizing that I hadn’t seen Lia since midnight (HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!)

* church (at which we sang songs of gratitude and Heaven, such wonderful birthday meditations)

* left-over Beef Tort and Fruit Tart

* reluctant good-byes as the rain drizzled on

* all four Booz’s taking naps (bliss)

* buying socks at Target

* opening Vivienne’s present for me: a beautiful perfectly-blue necklace and matching earrings. Ryan said she was insistent that they were just want I would want (and she was right: they’ll be a way for me to always remember my little blue + necklace-loving girl).