Joy Dare::October

 13,796. Anna and Isaiah doing school completely on their own
13,797. First ESL class at Immanuel
13,798. Aliza home for fall break
13,799. A life where I can drop everything and rescue Aliza
13,800. Caleb came and changed the tire
13,801. Giving myself a lot of grace when I don't feel good
13,802. I could not have pulled off Isaiah's party without Aliza
13,803. Leftover Zofran made all difference
13,804. Cousins celebrating Isaiah
13,805. Sleeping all night
13,806. "Dad Steaks" for birthday supper
13,807. Family evening
13,808. Fall crispness in the air
13,809. Redemption Ramen
13,810. Anna came happy from dance
13,811. Fall scented candle burning
13,812. Morning sun and brilliant blue sky
13,813. Weeding was satisfying work this afternoon
13,814. Reading Josiah's draft
13,815. My long to-be-read list
13,816. Aliza sounded good
13,817. Watching prayer answered before my eyes
13,818. Memorizing Scripture with Isaiah and Anna
13,819. Another beautiful afternoon
13,820. Serving ESL students
13,821. Making supper with Ashley
13,822. Weeded flowerbeds look so pretty
13,823. Isaiah
13,824. Painted back door

13,825. Saying Yes to hospitality
13,826. Sitting down to read at the end of a busy day
13,827. "You've Already Won" by Shane and Shane
13,828. Lunch with the Reed family
13,829. A good Bible study
13,830. Hard honesty
13,831. Giving myself grace
13,832. Anna was excited to go to dance
13,833. Josiah working so diligently
13,834. My coffee time with Elizabeth
13,835. Tuesday evenings at home
13,836. Making cookies with Maggie
13,837. Allowing our schedule to be flexible
13,838. Afternoon walk
13,839. Our van just keeps on going
13,840. A lovely spot in the mountains for a family weekend
13,841. 4 siblings very happy to be together
13,842. Fall colors in the mountains
13,843. Middle age life lessons
13,844. Singing our supper prayer
13,845. Moriah speaking truth to me
13,846. Pokemon cards and Starbucks = family time
13,847. Soaking up the conversations between the kids while they are playing Minecraft after midnight together
13,848. Church and Panera for lunch
13,849. Spending a little time with Austin and Edwinae'
13,850. Back in my safe place--home
13,851. Grace to stay calm with an out-of-sorts Isaiah
13,852. Long, good conversation with Aliza
13,853. How Josiah very casually told me he did really well on his Pre-Calculus test
13,854. Leaves slowly falling in the breeze
13,855. Refocusing on school
13,856. Morning sun in the living room
13,857. Anna did a hard thing and it turned out well
13,858. Listening and planning for growth
13,859. Listening to Audrey and Anna
13,860. Henry so happy to play with Isaiah and Josiah
13,861. Watching Josiah take a step of faith
13,862. Friday.
13,863. Playing Beyblades with Sean
13,864. Hearing about Anna's outing
13,865. A lovely ladies tea event

13,866. Fall colors in our yard
13,867. Suffering by Paul David Trip

13,868. 3 year olds are fun to play with
13,869. Bluebirds eating berries off the dogwood tree
13,870. Hearing Isaiah and Sean play
13,871. Organized for starting a new week
13,872. Keeping my patience with a bad mood teenager
13,873. A difficult situation feeling resolved
13,874. Planning for church growth
13,875. A field trip day with friends
13,876. Apple cider slushie
13,877. Isaiah getting to be a kid
13,878. Fall scented candle burning
13,879. The discipline of consistency
13,880. So many children at church
13,881. Tea and scones
13,882. Morning Bible reading with Anna and Isaiah
13,883. Interacting with ESL students
13,884. Soaking up the peak of fall colors in morning light
13,885. Good conversation
13,886. Feeling Anna's sadness over an emptier house
13,887. Pretty succulents

13,888. A day with no extra commitments
13,889. An afternoon for computer work outside
 

Fall Field Trip

 There are not many excuses for field trips with older kids and so when our friends with younger children invited us to go to Fifer's Orchard with them, I threw caution to the wind and we joined them for the day. 

It was a glorious fall day. The leavers were colorful, the temperature was quite warm and the sun was shining. 

We played and ate our packed lunch and played some more. 

Basketball was Anna's favorite. 

I was pretty good at rubber ducky races! lol.

The zip line was Isaiah's favorite. 

We ended the day with a Fifer's Orchard Apple Cider Smoothie Shake Up (to share)! Icy apple cider with vanilla soft serve ice cream, whipped cream on top and an apple cider donut on the straw! It sure was yummy!

I'm so thankful for our mini BFFs and their Mom! 

Fall Family Weekend

 It was a beautiful fall weekend to spend together. I cannot feel more thankful that our children enjoy being together and look forward to the times when they are all together. And especially when it is Josiah that asks when we see Aliza again or what time will she arrive, my heart melts. 

This weekend we went to Aliza and got to see her unit in the clinic. It's still a little surreal for me to imagine her being a real life dental hygienist! 

We walked around part of the lake at Rocky Gap State Park. After Grand Canyon and Zion, it was hard for us to call this a "hike!" It was a beautiful walk though and very easy! 

Isaiah is usually our fearless leader. When he read this sign as "no wadling" instead of "no wading", it was the joke the rest of the day. 

Saturday was windy and much cooler. We took "The Game" to Starbucks and hung out there until Anna told us how much she wanted to go to one more Pokemon card store. 

This particular afternoon, Jeremy and I were saying YES to everything we could and so we said YES to another Pokemon card store. 

It turned out to be the best YES. The kids spent a long time looking at cards. Aliza and Anna particularly enjoyed the bulk boxes. Joel came over to the store. His enthusiasm just fuels the kids' enthusiasm. 

At the end Jeremy bought them each a pack of cards. (See the theme of YES!) They came to the car, convinced Joel to sit with them and then opened their packs. 

 

Anna pulled a special card. She was SO excited! Like I cannot even explain in words the level of her excitement. 

On our drive back to the house, we had a really fun family phone call with a friend telling us about his new girlfriend. We've been cheering for him for a long time!

We had supper and then smores. Isaiah still has the touch for roasting a perfect marshmallow...and he's very proud of it!

We had hoped to be able to go to the church Aliza attends, but that just didn't work out this time. She was really looking forward to having us in church with her (there is nothing like sitting with your family in church) and so we settled for watching the stream of our church together. 

 

After church we had lunch together at Panera. Aliza headed northwest back to school and we headed southeast to home. Maybe one day I will be able to hug Aliza good-bye without crying. 

On our way home we stopped to have coffee with another friend and meet his girlfriend. He and the kids played Hearts while I chatted with the girlfriend. So fun! 

(While this feels more private than Instagram, it is still public platform and so there is a big story from this weekend that I have not included. If you haven't heard it and tend toward curiosity, you probably want to ask me!) 

 

Making Cookies

 I had the most fun making cookies with Maggie. Since Maggie did not have school on Wednesday, she got to come over with her brother. We had some extra time that day and so Maggie and I made cookies. While she was pouring the ingredients in the mixer, she told me that when she cooks with her Mimi she gets her own bowl of ingredients to play in. Made perfect sense to me! A little butter, sugar, brown sugar, flour and plenty of sprinkles and Maggie was a happy little baker!

Maggie decided that our cookies needed sprinkles too. 

I am positive that I had more fun than Maggie did. Having a 4 year old on a stool in the kitchen chattering away just made my heart happy. 

Meanwhile, Anna fed Bubs and put him down for a nap.  

 

Fall Break--Friday

 Fall Break was one of the semester milestones that Aliza and I were looking forward to...the halfway point. And now Fall Break was two weeks ago! It fell over the weekend of Isaiah's birthday which was something Aliza was very happy about. Aliza came home Thursday night and had been able to pick up 6 hours of work Saturday morning which she was also very happy about. 

Aliza mentioned to Jeremy that her car was really shaking Thursday night, but it didn't seem like an imminent problem and so Aliza went to work. Her assignment was to take the lady that she takes care of on an outing to the beach. Isaiah, Anna and I were doing school at home when I got a text from Jeremy at 11:30 that Aliza was at Assateague with a flat tire. Jeremy wasn't able to drop what he was doing and go and Josiah was writing a paper. I dropped everything and left immediately (without a plan, water or food) because I didn't want Aliza to be "stranded" at the beach with a disabled adult and I also knew she was on a schedule where it would be time for her to leave the beach by the time I drove there. 

I called my brother, but he didn't answer. It was a beautiful day so I thought maybe some of the Sheats boys were at the beach. I called my nephew, Caleb. He answered! He wasn't at the beach, but he was close enough that he could take a long lunch break and come over and put the spare tire on. 

I arrived and the tire was definitely flat!! It was time for Aliza to head back to Salisbury when I arrived. She took my car and I hung out with Caleb.  

I'm so thankful that Caleb was in the mood to be a hero and give an act of kindness. It made my Aunt Carla heart very proud! Caleb and I chatted while he worked and I asked him if there was any place to pick up a sandwich between here and home. He suggested the cafe at Assateague Surf Shop. 

Mission accomplished and I drove off slowly to find some lunch. Assateague Surf Shop was cute and the prices were high just as Caleb had said. I ordered a sandwich and a bottle of water, scarfed it down and made my way to pick up Aliza from work and take the car to the mechanic for new tires. 

By the time I got to the mechanic I thought my stomach felt weird. By the time I got home my stomach did not feel good. By suppertime food sounded terrible. The kids and I had plans with Laura for supper...the kids went to supper with Laura and Sean. I was on the couch, stomach cramping. I didn't get sick until almost midnight. I was still very queasy in the morning, but I could keep food down. 

Isaiah's birthday party was that afternoon and I had things to do to get ready! Like decorate a cake! All the things I would have done the evening before the party did not get done! Aliza made sure I kept eating and drinking. She was doing the things around the house that needed to get done. 

By noon I was crying because I just didn't feel right and fall break was passing quickly and there was a birthday party coming in a couple hours. And then I remembered that there was some Zophran in the house. I took a dose and it worked. I was able to decorate the cake (with Aliza's assistance) and host my family for a birthday party. 

Lessons learned: I'm not going to get a chicken salad sandwich at Assateague Surf Shop again. It was special to be cared for by my adult child. Jeremy sleeps very deeply and does not worry about me at all! 
 

Celebrating Isaiah

 The only request Isaiah had for his birthday was that I recreate the Minecraft cake and snacks I made for his 5th birthday. 

Grandma and Grandad, aunts and cousins that were available came over for a little while. It was a rainy afternoon and so there was more talking and a Nerf battle in the house. Usually the cousins spend all their time together outside. 

On Sunday, Isaiah's actual birthday, he took donuts to Sunday School and Jeremy made steaks for supper. We got Cookout shakes for dessert and then watched Kung Fu Panda 2. And just to make the birthday feeling last longer, Isaiah decided to take his birthday day off of school on Monday. 

 

Joy Dare::September

 13,707. Good first day of school
13,708. Good driving time with Anna
13,709. Last mango sweet cream iced chai for the season
13,710. Being available for friends
13,711. The yummiest coffee cake--that was shared with us
13,712. Beautiful colors in the sky this evening
13,713. Coffee and wedding pictures with Kaelyn
13,714. Aliza home for a long weekend
13,715. Jeremy so proud that his children laughed through Napoleon Dynamite
13,716. Isaiah worked through his angst
13,717. Aliza getting her brother ready for college
13,718. Linda is in the safest place
13,719. Afternoon on the beach with friends
13,720. Just being together
13,721. Finished a just-for-fun book
13,722. Lively, enjoyable Sunday School discussion
13,723. Everyone around the table for supper
13,724. Josiah had a social day
13,725. First hint-of-fall morning
13,726. Laughing at myself
13,727. Aliza got back to school safely
13,728. Josiah gave me a lot of grace this morning
13,729. Aliza really, really excited about a (free) new toothbrush
13,730. Bible reading with Anna and Isaiah
13,731. Josiah's first class went well

13,732. Baby smiles and snuggles
13,733. Late night talking with Anna
13,734. Homeschool PE connections
13,735. Hearing that my adult children choose to talk to each other on the phone
13,736. Cheering Aliza on
13,737. 9/11 phone catch up with Billy
13,738. Overheard "I'm already getting more comfortable with writing." -Josiah
13,739. Isaiah catching fish and kayaking

13,740. Spending the evening with our Sunday School class
13,741. Seeing some of my strengths in Aliza
13,742. Football season feels like fall
13,743. Josiah had the best time at his last youth event
13,744. Friend time
13,745. Computer work on the porch this afternoon
13,746. Encouraging Josiah 
13,747. Better sleep
13,748. Receiving Godly counsel
13,749. A beautiful evening to spend outside
13,750. Intentionally listening to the silly, seemingly meaningless noise of teenagers
13,751. Holding a sleeping baby
13,752. Isaiah excited about Kids Kamp
13,753. Asking for forgiveness
13,754. Reorganizing
13,755. Fresh air and sunshine
13,756. Planning for my new ESL class
13,757. Finding a real letter in the mail for me
13,758. An hour at the pool
13,759. New recipe that was accepted
13,760. Melted heart

13,761. Jeremy offered to pick up supper
13,762. Grandma and Grandpa live close enough for Aliza to visit them
13,763. Crisp grapes
13,764. Anna doing hard things
13,765. Jeremy's homemade pizza is the best
13,766. Getting a lot of little things accomplished
13,767. Vitamin C
13,768. Listening to Josiah
13,769. Candle flame on a rainy day
13,770. Holding space for Aliza
13,771. The tech conversations that Jeremy and Josiah have
13,772. Open windows
13,773. Wednesday supper at church
13,774. Kindle books
13,775. Mom and Moriah's visit
13,776. Cheering my kids on while they do hard things
13,777. Sticky buns
13,778. Just 3 children in the car can still keep the noise level high
13,779. Hugging Aliza
13,780. Family sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's house
13,781. A spontaneous idea worked and I got to see Christie
13,782. Learning humility is serving a subpar meal at my in-laws house
13,783. My college kids discussing life
13,784. Long conversation around the table with Joel and Amanda
13,785. Finding pictures on my phone

13,786. Unexpected phone conversation
13,787. When the Geometry lesson turns out to be easy
13,788. Mid morning hot tea
13,789. First colored leaves
13,790. Life long friend
13,791. A few fall decorations
13,792. Sun after rainy days
13,793. Kiddos knowing how to effectively delay school 

13,794. Hearing the story of Aliza's day
13,795. Grilled chicken salad