Rock On!!!!

Wow! Put getting smushed up against the front row security fence of a high energy Christian concert on your list of things to do before you die!! The adrenaline was definitely pumping in that sea of teenagers and young adults when Thousand Foot Krutch came on stage! Third Day followed them and were equally as awesome.

It was so great to see all of those people lifting their hands in praise to God!

Bren rocked out from her seat on Dad's shoulders!

(yes, that is a winter coat she is wearing! We had about a week of really cool weather here ....by really cool, I mean that it dipped into the 50's by 9:00 pm.....I'm in trouble aren't I????...luckily, it's back up to about 70 during the day...sure to be Summer's last breath though.)

This sweet old man intrigued me and I just had to take his picture. He kept this expression on his face for the longest time. To me he looks fascinated by all of the young people enjoying the concert, and he really seems to be enjoying it, doesn't he?.....either that, or he was in shock over how much the Bill Gaither Trio had changed!! :)

Third Day sings one of my favorite songs... "God of Wonders/You are holy". I remember the first time I heard this song, I was sitting at a bonfire at Sycamore Canyon Beach with the youth group of EVFree church in Camarillo, Ca. Someone was playing guitar and we all sang that song. Hearing the roar of the waves and seeing the mountains all around us made that song so memorable to me.

Amusing Bren!!!

Well, it's really no surprise, but it seems we've got another thrill seeker on our hands!

We spent last Saturday at Six Flags New England and David and I were able to spend the whole day with Bren. It was like having just one child all over again...except of course for the phone calls begging for money that we kept getting from our other kids who were strewn around the park!

Bren had the best time and loved anything fast, bumpy or twisty! It was interesting though because while I was happy just to enjoy the sensations of the ride, she asked a million questions about why we were moving the way we were. "What is turning us?" "How are we twisting?" "Where are the wheels?" It seems that my happy-go-lucky attitude may have been lost on this one. She's definitely into why and how things are happening. At one point she was so fascinated by the gears she was seeing below us that she said, "Mom, you watch the trees, I'm looking at these turning thingies!" when I kept trying to draw her attention to the fabulous view we were getting from our vantage point high over the trees!

Checking out what is making her horse go up and down!!

This was Bren all day long.....hyper speed!!!!

If we stay in one place long enough, Bren has a tendency to adopt a grandparent or aunt/uncle. Here in Rhode Island, it's Mr. Dale. She LOVES him!!! When I ask her why, she says that he plays fun throwing games and makes her laugh when he catches the ball. And he did too...for at least an hour or two during a concert that we went to see at Six Flags.

And she enjoyed every minute of it!! Thanks Mr. Dale!!

Michael's Gift.....

I'm tellin' ya, this kid can RUN!!!

I've known it from the time he was two and I would spend my days chasing him around. Every season of soccer or football he played, we would always get comments about his speed and endurance. He's got a gift and I'm so happy that he's found a way to use it!

Michael joined Cross Country this year....actually on Thursday! He'd never run cross country or track before, but decided to give it a try. We took him out and bought him running shoes Thursday so he could make the practice that afternoon. When he came home we were all over him with questions...."Were you fast compared to the other kids?" "Did you like it?" "How far did you run?" We got a few grunts and I don't knows in response so we didn't push it.

His first meet was yesterday. A 2 mile course run with four other schools resulting in 60+ individuals. We took a general poll of where each of us thought Michael would place. David thought he'd come in 7th after seeing some of the other kids and hearing that one of the boys on his team went to Disney for Nationals. I said, "Top Five...no sweat!" Zach thought he'd be in the top 10. None of us really knew what to expect and we were just hoping he'd place high enough to validate the fact that we think he's got talent here!

The whistle blew and off they went.

The course took the boys down a slope where the spectators lost sight of them for 3 or 4 minutes. We waited to see the first boy's head emerge from the slope...then the second boy....then..... OH MY GOSH!!! There he is!! There's Michael!!!!! We were jumping up and down like maniacs!!

I was a little worried that all the excitement of his first race would cause him to wear himself out too early, but when he grinned and made a funny face at the camera, it was like he was saying, "Mom, I got this!"

He held on to third place all the way up until the final 20 feet of the race!!

We are SO proud of him and we are really excited to watch him improve. He came into this completely cold. No experience, no training, and no conditioning. It is going to be so fun to watch him shave those seconds off of his time and see what his personal best is!

Go, Michael, Go!!!!

There's no place like home....

I don't know why it means so much to me to go back and "touch base" with this place every 10 years or so, but it does. Maybe it is because I'm a military wife and the word "home" is kind of liquid to me. Maybe it is because this is a time when I can look back and say with certainty that we were happy and things made sense. Maybe behind that big white framed door lie memories that represent life before things got so complicated. Maybe it is just the simplicity and innocence of childhood that draws me back. Whatever it is...this is my base and I got to touch it last week. I'm good for another decade.

True Love Forever!!!

When I was growing up in Crownsville, Maryland, one of the best things about living on Wilson Rd was the thick woods! We had endless opportunities for tree climbing and fort making and we took advantage of them often! One such tree still holds a special place in my heart. We named her the "love tree". On her trunk are carved all of the initials of grade school crushes that my neighborhood friends and I had during those fickle elementary school years.

We visited this tree in 1998 during a trip to MD just to see if she was still there....she was! My husband carved a new entry into the trunk that year and my little brother who was too young to know the Love Tree when she was just a young sap, also made his claim to her by carving his initials into her trunk.

Last week my mom and I drove out to see the old neighborhood and we stopped to see if we could find the Love Tree. We were thrilled to find her still growing tall, proud and untouched right there in the woods between Jenny Savin's house and a newly cut road.

Secret crushes and declarations of best friendships are immortalized on her trunk and if you listen really close when you stand beneath her branches you can hear the laughter of little children in the rustling of her leaves.

Moms and aunts and grandmas oh my!

I love that I come from a family marked with strong, adventurous, compassionate, resourceful women who love the Lord and each other very much. There is a peace in knowing that the path I walk today was once trod by these women and that by their example I can step a little more confidently.

My beautiful mom!

Inspiring, loyal, funny, creative, loving, supportive, she lives life with such purpose!

Through every phase of life that I have watched mom go through, she has taught me well that God is in control and that He works all things out for good!

My beautiful Aunt Brenda!
Lively, spontaneous, down-to-earth, she goes for what she wants in life with awe-inspiring gusto! She loves life and the people in her life and we are better for it!
My daughter Brendell is named partly for my Aunt Brenda.


My beautiful grandmother!
Giving, strong, inspiring, thrifty, loving, she lives her life for God and desires for others to find a deep meaningful relationship with him. She is an incredible prayer warrior!
Brendell is also named for my grandmother Earscell.



My beautiful Aunt Janet!
Classy, contemplative, intelligent, kind, graceful, all my life I've admired Aunt Jan for her poise and grace.
She has a way about her that puts you at ease in her presence.


Who would have ever dreamed of the legacy that these three raven-haired girls and their mother would leave behind!

Thank you for staying on the path and paving it well making it an easier walk for those of us coming behind you!!

God is good!!!!