You Capture - Patriotic

Mark and I always wanted our own volleyball team.

Hence the four kids.

Well, not really...although the subject did come up whenever we discussed our desired family size. Volleyball was our game in high school, and over the years we've lamented the fact that we have no one to play with.

About the time that spring turned into summer this year, we discovered that a group of people from church play every week. We joined them and now not only get to satisfy our volleyball cravings, but we've also gained some really great friends.

We were thrilled that our volleyball friends were able to join us for the 4th of July. We had quite a crowd here and enjoyed great food, swimming, and fellowship. Afterwards we escaped to our park where a sand pit and a net awaited us. The kids were able to see and hear fireworks all around us while we played. A great way to celebrate Independence Day!







For one more patriotic picture and some thoughts on the 4th, see my previous post "What the 4th means to me..."

Bring Your Kid to Work Day

I was enjoying a Girls' Night Out some months ago, and we were all catching up by discussing our husband's jobs. After one of my friends finished explaining what her husband does, she pondered, "But what man likes his job anyway?" I said, "My husband loves his job!" I was met with some questioning looks.

It's true, though. He really does love his job. While he dislikes being away from his family, he does love to travel, so the traveling doesn't bother him. And when he's not traveling, he works upstairs, so he's right here with us. His job also affords him the flexibility to, if he has to be home to help with doctor's appointments or be involved in something with the kids, it's not a problem.

We are so thankful for Mark's job, and we totally get how blessed we are. However, his job does present us with a few concerns as we teach the kids. We've often wondered what, specifically, the kids' perception of a "job" is, a "real" job. I mean, they've never experienced life with a daddy who leaves before they've awoken and doesn't get home until they are in their PJs again. We talk about the variety of jobs and schedules that are out there on the workforce, but we wonder exactly what their expectations are for their future careers. It's a delicate balance teaching them respect for what Daddy does and at the same time teaching them that a job doesn't always entail airplanes, hotels, and hanging out around the house.

Recently, the boys have shown more and more interest in what their daddy does. In fact, a couple of weeks ago, one of them asked why Daddy had never had a "bring your kid to work day." What the kids don't realize is that, if Daddy's home, they are at work with Daddy. And all of those trips we take? I guess while we're at the museum or mall, they don't realize that Daddy is at work. Anyway, Mark wanted to allow the boys to participate in an Official Bring Your Kid to Work Day, so he arranged it with one of his customers.


When they got there, the company owner gave them a quick office/warehouse tour and even explained to them how air purifiers work. Then, lucky for them, they got to take part in a company barbecue.

The boys had a great time. In retrospect, though, and in looking at this picture, I suppose one thing we could teach the children about "real" jobs is proper attire and that flip flops are definitely not part of proper attire. Oh well, we'll get to that lesson next time.

I got some cute pictures...

Today was one of those days when I would much rather have been at the beach or something instead of being responsible. But there is the small matter of four kids. And the fact that I'm their mother. So we visited Grandma and Grandpa. And endured a park in the sweltering heat. Got some cute pictures...

What the 4th Means to Me

I haven't always been a proud American. Growing up, America was a place I visited for a year's furlough. Aside from good-byes from my MK friends, furloughs weren't half bad. A furlough was a year's time to enjoy the conveniences of America, to indulge in McDonald's hamburgers and a plethora of other treat options. Of course, furlough also meant a new school, new people, and a different church almost every week. I enjoyed my time here, but I was always thrilled to be heading back "home".

I still miss Africa, but I have now spent as much of my life in America as in Africa, and, well, America feels like home now. Even as I've learned to call it home, I can't say I have passed all of my time on this side of the ocean with a great deal of patriotism. But my patriotism has certainly grown over the last several years.

I can point to one specific thing that caused an inner awareness about my apathy toward this country and the freedom and opportunity it offers. Shortly after the bombs began to drop in Afghanistan in 2001, I remember watching some sort of Presidential thing honoring soldiers. In it was a slideshow depicting soldiers saying goodbye to their families, the background music of "I'm already there" (Rascal Flatts maybe??) adding to the poignancy of the moment. With tears streaming down my cheeks, I remember experiencing that sudden epiphany: These soldiers are sacrificing potentially everything for MY country, for MY freedom. What an awesome call to service they have.

The 4th of July used to be, for me, just a merry day for fireworks and barbecues. I get it now, though. I get that I live in a great country, a country where I can worship as I want to worship and teach my children in the manner in which I want them taught. Those are freedoms which have come at a cost, and I am grateful for all of those who have paid that price.

Right now I have two friends in my thoughts and prayers whose husbands have been deployed. They are sacrificing too. I thank them from the bottom of my heart. I thank them for what they give up so that their husbands can serve this country. I thank my two friends for their act of service in that sacrifice.

As the celebrations wind down. As the last firecracker pops. As we go about our normal routine tomorrow, I hope we won't forget the freedoms we enjoy here and the people who offer their service for our independence.

Tying Up Loose Ends

Well, I won't even bother listing the answers to my mystery photo shoot from yesterday (I called it a "photo shoot"! Ha!) because they were apparently really, really easy. If any mystery remained at all, just check TeacherMommy's comment in yesterday's post. She got them all...well, except for naming the colorful spiral bound books as the Hooked on Phonics Master Reader program. But I didn't expect that much specificity.

On another note, yesterday was my 14th anniversary. I'm grateful to be married to my soulmate. He's my best friend too. His parents are pretty great too and offered to watch the kids for us yesterday. We enjoyed a movie (The Proposal - very cute movie) and dinner at my favorite Italian Restaurant. And you KNOW I indulged in some chocolate mousse cake and brought a piece home to enjoy today.

Which brings me to my next point...this getting healthy and walking the Appalachian Trail stuff. I think I mentioned I'm a little bit competitive. But I'm also honest. So I'll admit that my sister-in-law is kicking my butt in this race (which, incidentally, is down the Appalachian Trail rather than up; I just assumed I'd be starting in Georgia, but I guess I'd rather end in Georgia so I'll be home at the end, virtually speaking anyway). I did log over 9000 steps yesterday which made up for my narrowly missing my daily 7500 goal on Wednesday.

I'm off to a fairly good start today. You'd think that sleeping in 'til 9:30 wouldn't make for a particularly good start, but I doubled my treadmill time to account for my laziness. Plus it took that long to watch last night's results of So You Think You Can Dance. With all of the housework I have planned for today to get ready for tomorrow's 4th celebration, hopefully I'll be able to log quite a few steps. And here's hoping my 4-hour volleyball game Sunday pushes me along the trail as well.

Well, if you need me, I'll be vacuuming my way down the Appalachian Trail.

Academic Close Encounters (also You Capture - Photographer's Choice)

Did I just write "Photograher's Choice" as part of my title?

Like I'm some kind of photographer or something.

In my defense, that is what this week's assignment was over at I Should Be Folding Laundry.

So this is what I decided to do...I'm gearing up for the 2009-10 homeschool school year, so I decided to get some shots of my preparations. However, I was thinking that looking at photos of piles of books may not be that exciting, so I decided to throw a little challenge in here. See if you can guess what these things are. Some are easy. Maybe they're all easy. Well, no. There's actually one that's not really fair because it's so specific. Anyway...I'll post answers tomorrow.

I'm on a three-month hike...

...up the Appalachian Trail. Are you impressed or what?

OK, coming clean. Obviously, I didn't just up and leave my husband and my 4 children for three months to climb mountains. Oh to have freedom like that. No, this is a virtual hike. Ain't technology grand? One of my friends rounded up a "team" of hikers together to do this thing in 3 months.

I've done a similar virtual hike before, but not with a "team" [of hikers]. The "team" adds just that ingredient I need to keep me going: competition. I will go to great lengths of achievement if there is competition involved. (And here's a little "Let's see whatcha got, Debbi" (my dear sister-in-law who's part of the "team").)

Problem is I haven't gotten a tremendous start. And, yes, I will attempt here to blame it on my pedometer. It's 8:28pm, and I have so far only logged 6482 steps. So here's my question. I walked at least a mile on the treadmill. I think there are 5280 feet in a mile, correct? I only advanced about 1500 steps after my trek on the treadmill. Am I stepping too large or what? Or is my reasoning just completely off? Anyone? (And, yes, don't worry...I will be sourcing my children OUT for upper level mathematics.)

Speaking of my children, they have taken great pleasure in making fun of me today...as I walked laps around the edge of the pool, as I walked in place during dinner. Anyway, I do what I have to, and I look forward to logging what steps I can conjure up later on tonight and comparing my walking day to that of my "team"mates. Hopefully, they all had a lazy day.

If you need me, I'm putting the kids to bed so I can enjoy the rest of my evening walk aimlessly around trying to rack up steps.