August | 2011 | itsawonderfilledlife

Archive for August, 2011

I’m Leaving on a Jet Plane

Posted in WONDER, tagged East Coast, Leaving on a Jet Plane, Life, New Brunswick, Vacation on August 15, 2011| Leave a Comment »

“All my bags are packed, I’m ready to go …” Listening to this song just makes the excitement bubble up inside of me 😀

Off, on my own to the East coast (aka my home of origin) to spend a few days (no doubt too few) with family and friends. And to celebrate my parents anniversary. And to watch the sun rise in the east. And to eat my dad’s biscuits, and drink my mom’s reboiled tea (https://itsawonderfilledlife.net/2011/04/14/re-boiled-tea/ ). And enjoy many, many, many steamed mussels. And maybe lobster! And a great donair at Greco Donair (oh my goodness … another ‘eating’ vacation … it will take me forever to shed these vacation pounds). And take my nieces to the beach. And enjoy the rolling hills. And be in awe of the big, big sky. And, and, and …

There is simply not going to be enough time to do it all!

I have to admit, I am secretly (or not so secretly, now) thrilled to be going alone. This means that I get to be where I want when I want (thank you rental car), and I get to do what I want when I want, and I get to be center of attention 🙂 … I think I might like this! Hum, I am sounding just a bit narcissistic … and I do not feel bad about it, not one bit 😉

At this point (as I am doing the last minute preparations before heading to board my jet plane) I truly want it to be one way. It is not that I want to leave my family, friends, job, life, etc. here … it is that where I am going just looks (through my pre-vacation rose-colored glasses) so darn great.

And really what a thrill to have that perspective, as I get ready to board a jet plane (I LOVE saying that) to head to my parents home, to spend time with them, and the rest of family, and friends. I know it is not always a joy for everyone to be taking vacation away from the things one wants to do to visit family, but I am thrilled to be going, and I am really thrilled to be going alone.

I really am so fortunate to have a great family to visit. They will drive me buggy, at points when I am there, but … I have my rental car 😉 and I plan to use it!

Anyway, I gotta go … I have packing to finish! And then the drive there, and then the hugs and kisses at the airport (this is where I have to pretend to really be regretting leaving them all home … NOT … and they are gonna love having no one in the house to remind them to eat their veggies, and get to bed at a good time … I know they will have a blast without me), and then … boarding MY plane … just me! Just … me … oh, how those two words are music to my ears …

So, off I go, to the land of lobster, Tidal Boar (or is it B O R E ?), and people I have to love … we are related! And maybe a sneak trip to visit Anne … with an ‘e’ (at Green Gables …).

I’ll keep you all posted as to how wonderful the week on my own is … cause … I’m leaving on a jet plane, I don’t know when I’ll be back again …

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It’s a Wonderfilled Summer Recipe Broccoli Salad

Posted in Recipe, WONDER, tagged Bacon, Broccoli Salad, Healthy, Recipe, Unhealthy on August 12, 2011| Leave a Comment »

So we got back from our vacation where the sights were purdy, the people were sweet, and the food (that I did not have to make) divine! And … I got weighed yesterday … sigh! So, because of that, you will have to suffer with summer recipes that are … sigh, healthier.

Today, I opened my recipe books to see what I could share with you that is healthier … and found myself being drawn to anything but! So, I have decided to incorporate healthy and unhealthy … all in one recipe 🙂 … I am thinking of it as the middle ground between the two.

Today I will share my recipe for Broccoli Salad … it is a staple salad at any picnic, BBQ and party! And, like all of my recipes, it is so easy peasie!

The first step is to measure 6 cups of broccoli florets into a mid sized to large bowl. I hate it when broccoli salad has chunks of broccoli that make it impossible to chew and talk (without florets spraying all over the face of the person you are talking with) at the same time, so I cut it into lady-sized pieces 🙂

Then, in another bowl (but I just use my large glass measuring cup, that holds all the ingredients, and I can whip it in there too. This comes from y e a r s of dish washing, as a kid, when I made sure that as few dishes as possible were dirtied, because I knew I would have to wash them. On a side note, my parents got a dishwasher … AFTER I moved out … coincidence? I think not! But, I digress) add 3/4 cup of mayonnaise (you could use light or fat free if you are looking to lessen your guilt OR give yourself an excuse to eat more), 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Whip these ingredients together.

Then chop up 1 small red onion into small diced pieces. Add onion and 1/2 cup of real bacon bits (this would be the ‘unhealthy’ part of the recipe … and the delicious part. You can slave over a grease splattered stove if you want, but I am … lazy, and I purchase the precooked, packaged variety) to the dressing, and mix together.

Pour dressing mixture over broccoli, and stir.

You can also add raisons or nuts (almonds or pine nuts) if you like … we do not like, so we do not add 😉 .

This salad really is better if it gets to sit, all mixed together, in your refrigerator for about four hours … I think it is so that the flavors can get to know each other better 😉

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In a Funk

Posted in life, WONDER, tagged Exhaustion, In a Funk, Life is about moments that take our breath away, Sunset, Wonder on August 11, 2011| 2 Comments »

I knew it would come, I just didn’t know when. And it came with a vengeance!

After a school year of joys and trials, after a couple of months of busyness, after a wonderful week away … exhaustion set in … today.

It all began in the morning with faux pas number one … getting on the scales (after a week of being ever so well fed, on vacation). Lets just say I will be getting reacquainted with foods that are green, and bidding adieu to anything beige! How depressing!

As the day wore on, so did my energy (despite doubling my caffeine intake). I forgot the scales when I chose lunch, and (the worst decision of all) I agreed to ‘do calendars’ with hubby. Not that doing calendars is such an awful event, but that, for me, to actually talk and write down just how busy we are, is a reality I prefer to not face!

And then, while discussing with hubby and son the possibilities of bedroom changes, I felt a horrible, uncontrollable fatigue and sense of overwhelming. There was no way that even I could imagine accomplishing all that needed to be done. I had to find something to accomplish!

So, I cleaned a couple of kitchen cupboards. You know, removed everything, wiped the shelves clean, and put everything back in an organized ‘everything has it’s own place’ kind of way (well everything, except for the mounds of stuff I still need to put … somewhere …).

It felt so good, but I was still in a funk … could be because hubby and I were heading to a meeting at a bank (the financial equivalent of going to the dentist). But that wasn’t really so bad … Mr. Banker had good news 🙂 and that was a miracle in itself.

Still in a funk, I insisted on coffee number three (which could be why I am writing this late into the night). Then I had a plan to take our International students for fish and chips and a walk at the water’s edge (honestly, it was not something I was doing out of love, or enjoyment, or even desire … at all … it was simply something to do … how is that for brutal honesty?).

The fish and chips were great. We played hangman with them (my son and I). Then for a walk to, and on the pier … at sunset …

And, as we walked towards the pier, with the sun slowly lowering itself into the horizon, something started to shift within me. Maybe it was the beauty of the evening. Maybe it was the sounds of the surf. Or the marmot nibbling on the cool green grass, as we walked by (and took dozens of pictures). Maybe it was the wonder of two teenage boys as they saw new sights, climbed a big tacky white rock, pointed at starfish, and watched boys their age setting crab traps.

I think it was the wonder of all of those things. Those moments that reminded me that life includes, but is not about weight loss (or gain), money or schedules or accomplishments or cleaning. But life is about the things that both give us breath, and take it away. And, as the sun disappeared into the trees, my spirits took flight .

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Life Stories

Posted in life, WONDER, tagged Heart Connection, Life Story, Listen, Stories on August 10, 2011| 2 Comments »

When you ask someone to tell you their story, you have opened up a line of conversation that is intimate, clear and overflowing … with emotion and with sincerity. Being willing and available to hear their story is like imprinting yourself into their heart (and into their life).

This reality became so very true to me as I did home visits for a contract job this summer.

Each day I would knock on the door of a complete stranger, and they would welcome me in. Most times, their welcome was guarded, uneasy and downright awkward … for them, and for me.

And then one day I was heading to the home of an older lady, who I had heard might not be very friendly. This was not a visit I was looking forward to, so I decided to go with a plan. I figured if she was older, there would be photos … so I would ask about the people in them. And I figured you ‘catch more bees with honey’ so I would compliment at every opportunity. So, I drove to her home with my plan in my head. And, lo and behold, as I drove up, I noticed a tree in her garden that I have, but I didn’t know how or when to trim it.

As she came to the door, I introduced myself, and thanked her for allowing me to visit. Then I launched into (sincerely curious questions) about the tree. We chatted outside, then went inside, where I noticed her many family photos … grandbabies, children at various stages, family photos, and her deceased husband. It was then that I forgot about my ‘paid’ purpose in visiting her, and I listened fully to her stories of how her husband died, events surrounding it (with tears welling up in both of our eyes), and then bits and pieces of their life’s love story together. Eventually we did get to the ‘real’ reason for my being there …

My plan in doing home visits, with an intent of finding a connection I could make outside of my purpose for being there, became my daily goal. It combined my paid purpose for being in the homes, and my ability to listen, to really hear people. And I think it worked.

I heard stories of great vacations, dear relationships formed with International students, illnesses (and I am currently awaiting an email to tell me what a ladies mammogram results were), deaths, many stories of family love and loss and separation. There were stories of joy and sorrow and everything in between.

I am sure I have never spent so many hours each day in prayer, as I did during those two months. Most days I would leave a home, and then pray for that person, that family all the way to the next visit.

And then, as I met up with many of them the other day, I was greeted by hugs, smiles and warm greetings. And I knew, our relationships were not simply all about business, but we had made a heart connection with each other. All because they were allowed to tell their stories. I sat and listened, and they poured out a heaping cup of themselves to me.

And I was blessed.

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Laughing at Myself

Posted in life, WONDER, tagged embarrassment, Facepalm, humor, Laugh at myself, Life, Wonder on August 8, 2011| 2 Comments »

Oh my goodness … my roots are blond (I mean before they were gray)! And today was a day to prove just that.

I awoke a few minutes before my alarm this morning, so I was able to be out of the shower by 5:45am … a great success, and a positive omen of the day to come. I had to have daughter number two at the local swimming pool at 6:20am, for warm ups for the swim meet she was to compete at.

As I was getting myself ready, I took all the essentials out of my bathroom cupboard, to ensure that I hit all body parts that needed morning attention. You know: toothbrush and toothpaste for the teeth (and for everyone around me), antiperspirant for the pits (and for everyone around me), brush for the mop of unmanageable hair, body spray for a pleasant scent, and hairspray to keep every hair in place.

So, I was preening and primping when I realized that I was about to spray my body spray on my hair … but … I had just sprayed my body, and it was with a different container … Oh crap! I had just sprayed hairspray all over my body (does this mean that my body would hold it’s shape all day long?)!

And, of course, I posted this on Facebook …

So, I knew my day was sure to have no place to go but up!

Until … at the swim meet. I was spending the day in concession, selling foods and snacks to the hungry swimmers and their families and friends. But, my sweet older daughter, was good enough to let me know when her sister was to compete, by sending me a text message when the time was soon. So, I received a message “1 more heat” followed by ” I’m hoping you’re watching” … Well I moved faster than you can say ‘you’ve got egg on your face.’ As I raced closer to the pool I could hear people cheering and yelling “go Christiana!”

Yikes, I was going to miss it, if I didn’t hussle my butt.

I turned the corner, and spotted her head bobbing in and out of the water, as she swam butterfly. I stood at the corner of the pool, feeling proud that I hadn’t missed her race, and cheering loudly for her … along with others cheering her on. And as I looked around I realized that the others who were cheering her on … I didn’t know them! And they were not from our team! And, as the race was finishing, my daughter, Christiana, was walking towards me with a look that said, ‘you are so pathetic, Mom.’ And yes, it is true, I was cheering like a banshee … for someone who was not my daughter. In the texted words of my older daughter, just moments later, “face palm.”

And, of course, I posted this on Facebook …

And this day of mine, the comedy of errors that it was, became the topic of dinner conversation tonight. And my kids couldn’t believe that I would post my stupidity for all my ‘friends’ on facebook to see … ‘why would you tell people stuff like that … how humiliating’ was their most common response.

And all I could say in response was, I’m okay with laughing at myself. And, I am.

There was a time when I would NEVER have admitted to such faux pas! I would have been mortally embarrassed, publicly humiliated and feeling a need to move to another country, to avoid being found out. But those days are over … in my ‘maturing’ (out of my natural blond for my well-hidden gray), I have been learning to enjoy the immature. I have come to the conclusion that the stupid things I do, and the ridiculous mistakes that I make … well, most people experience similar … and that the embarrassment actually dissipates faster when you give it light, and … a hardy laugh.

So, I expect that the weird and wonderful will continue to come my way, and you can expect that …

I will probably post it on facebook,

And maybe even write a post about it 😉

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De-light!

Posted in life, WONDER, tagged Beach, Children Playing, Delight, Playing, Sand Castles, Wonder on August 4, 2011| 2 Comments »

There is nothing quite like spending a day full of delight to fill a person with wonder! And the best way to accomplish that is to spend the day looking through the eyes of a child.

And that is how I spent my afternoon.

But, it didn’t start out that way.

We joined a family that we know through our daughter’s swim coaching, at their nearby campsite. The drive there was not all that delightful. Our eleven-year old son, and fourteen year old daughter had enough tension and complaining and arguing between them to start WW3! I finally threatened (oh, yes, I threatened … I reached parental boiling point from which there is no sense, and no turning back), that if they did not act as expected (and no, I did not define what was expected), they would be in trouble (and no, I did not define what the trouble was). And silence overcame the van (as hubby was making yet another UTurn, with the hopes that he was finally heading in the direction that “I was sure we needed to go” … it was not a stellar start to the day for me, relationally, with my family).

From the moment we arrived, the mood and minds and hearts that exited the van were very different from before we emerged from it’s frame.

We greeted our hostess, and wandered through the campground to locate the dad, and their kids. When we found each other, their children (a boy of five, and daughter of seven) came running with open arms towards my fourteen year old daughter, and I.

We returned to their site to have introductions made (as hubby one and hubby two had not met before), and smokies put on the fire.

For about two and a half hours we chatted, giggled, ate, took pictures, watched the kids ride bikes, eat smores with the most humongous marshmallows ever, and giggle some more. And then, we went to the beach.

For the next two and a half hours the four ‘kids’ spent jumping waves, building sandcastles, falling into frigid Northwest coastal waters, burying their feet, running into and out of the waves, and more giggling. And this is where transformations began …

All four of the kids (aged five, seven, eleven, and fourteen) p l a y e d like … kids.

The older two were no longer playing at playing, for the sake of the younger ones. The older two were as fully engaged in their own imaginations as were the younger two. They buried their feet deep into the sand, because the effects of the water rushing over the sand caused wonder for them. They jumped into the waves, not just because they were trying to steady the little bodies attached to the hands that they were holding, but because they were experiencing joy in trying to outsmart the nature of the waves. They built sandcastles, not because they were assisting the construction of the dreams of the younger children, but because they were building out the dreams of their own imaginations.

They were fully engaged in the delight of wonder … as the little children were, and as were the four parents, watching a few feet away.

We said our goodbyes, and drove the half hour trip back to our vacation home. And our drive home …

Our eleven and fourteen year old talked together, sang together, laughed together, and … delighted in the wonder that was planted by the seeds of children. Those children who were just being themselves, and who reminded all of us that we are never too old to play.

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The Call

Posted in GOD, life, WONDER, tagged Called, Creation, Hope, On Christ the Solid Rock, The Call, The Rock on August 3, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Morning number two … of vacation, in this heavenly place.

My internal alarm goes off at 6:43am … it has obviously been adjusted to va-ca time, as it more frequently starts to go off before six. I hop out of bed, and am reunited with my sweats in the bathroom, where I prepare for the day without a ‘plan’ that I am conscious of … I am simply responding to the call.

At 6:53am, I kiss hubby, and tell him I am going out for a walk.

Less than a minute later, my feet move my body as though they are moving towards and with an invisible force. A force that is calling me from my insides … out. It it an inaudible, but undeniable call, and there is nothing within me that desires to ignore it’s persistent force.

I reach the beach, and want to run with everything within me. My heart feels as though it might burst through my chest, with eagerness to reach the destination faster. I feel a need to consciously, but wordlessly, remind my pulsating legs of the pain that running a little over a year ago caused, and how my meniscus would not allow that … but I am sure that even my knees were joining in the call for a physical response of eagerness to the call.

I reach the edge of the water, the waves crashing onto the coast, seagulls crying out all around me, and my soul is singing “Creation Calls” as tears fall, without sorrow down my cheeks.

Then, after a time of songs and sighs, I move on … the call continues.

This call has existed for me ever since our first summer here, four years ago. Actually, it existed far before then, far before I was born. But the metaphor it provides for my visual-learner being stirs such an innate need to fulfill it’s call on me.

As I move down the beach, I feel such an excitement with each step closer I get to it. I increase my speed, as I just want to be there, to reach out and touch it, symbolizing my need to go to it, to be close to it, to physically touch it to confirm my reliance on reaching out to it.

And then, I am almost there, and my pace slows, and I feel the need to just absorb the process of each step. And I am fully awake, and the call is no longer forcing itself on me, but I am conscious, completely aware and choosing to make each step. It is not longer the innate call that brings me there, but an act fully of my will.

And I reach out,

and I touch The Rock.

And although all of Cannon Beach, and it’s visitors, call it Haystack Rock, I just call it The Rock. And when I reach my fully human hand out, each year, to touch it’s barnicle-covered surface, I am reaching out my heart, as an act of my will, to recommit, and reconnect with The Rock.

^“The rain came down, the streams rose,

and the winds blew and beat against that house;

yet it did not fall,

because it had its foundation on the rock.”

Matthew 7:25 NIV

“Hurts happened, disappointments came,

Then, when you thought it couldn’t get any worse,

all hell broke loose.

but, you were not destroyed,

because you were planted, not just on, but in,

The Rock”

Matthew 2:25 CS-WV

(Carole Smith-Wheaton version)

“How can I say there is no God, when all around creation calls …”

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Va-Ca-Shun

Posted in life, WONDER, tagged Adjustment, Break, Cannon Beach, Cannon Beach Christian Conference Center, CBCC, Rest, Vacation on August 2, 2011| Leave a Comment »

As the van backed out of the garage, my mind went … blank. It held … nothing. And that strange, new experience … it felt soooo good!

Five minutes later I was checking Facebook, and emails, and blog stats …

Ten minutes later I was simply unsure of what to do with myself. There was nothing to do, and nothing to even think about …

Fifteen minutes later, I had gone through ALL of the photos on my phone. They were organized and some eliminated.

Twenty minutes later … exhale … va … ca … shun!

The trees looked greener (more green?), the sky looked bluer (actually, it was bluer … most of the summer, so far, it has been shades of gray), the terrain more beautiful and the mountains seemed to pop right out of the landscape.

Twenty-five minutes later my (UNdiagnosed) ADD (attention deficit disorder) became apparent when I state, with a loud sigh, “I’m bored.” Hubby looks at me, flipping up his clip-on sunglasses, as if I have spoken a bad word, a foreign subject, an abomination! I crawl back into my iPhone hole.

When life has been busy, when demands and deadlines are weighing you down into ‘survival’ mode, when the day to day has become mundane and meaningless switching gears into a vacation frame of mind can be a huge adjustment. But, oh how I am willing to make the adjustment.

The destination of this ‘vaca’ is, as every year at this time, Cannon Beach, Oregon … also known (by myself and my hubby) as ‘a little piece of heaven.’ We didn’t arrive until late at night (like around 1am), and yet it still was beautiful.

And what does this week of ‘vaca’ at Cannon Beach hold for us? Well, did I mention I am NOT going to be cooking (although I might have to push the power button on the microwave, if I want to have popcorn)? We are at a conference center (www.cbcc.net), and so we get:

amazing accommodations,

thought-provoking and funny speakers,

“awesome, interesting, fun, extravagantly amazing” (to quote a couple of students I know RELATIVEly well),

friendships from all over the Northwest, that keep going from summer to summer to … infinity (and beyond),

tasty, chef-prepared, beautifully presented meals,

and a beach (that you can walk to eliminate some of the delicious calories you’ve taken in).

I am so looking forward to adjusting to this!

This morning, I was awakened by hubby, already showered (Cannon Beach must be heaven, because he is NEVER up and showered before I get out of bed), kissing my lips and whispering “va-ca-shun.” No sweeter words could be spoken. So, I did what came natural … I hopped out of bed, and woke the kids, because it was breakfast time … and I was not cooking!

Yup! I think that I can really make this adjustment. It is going to be a great vaca!

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