My Home Acquires an Adjective

You know how it is when you sell a house?  All those things you've been meaning to do for years are completed in the blink of an eye, (comparatively,) and you wake up  one morning and see the house that you wish you'd lived in all those years.  You chide yourself for not doing all those things earlier so that you could enjoy them; you vow that next time it will be different.

In a way, that's what this week has been like for me.  Now, I'm not selling a house...I'm extremely grateful that I'll get to enjoy the fruit of my efforts actually...but even so, my home (in Tahoe [as opposed to my house (in Long Beach) which I still really like but it isn't quite as homey]) has gone through some great changes in the last month and it feels so nice.  (Actually, it feels Nice --with a capital N-- iykwim*)

The whole thing began when I was lucky enough to get a new bed & mattress for my bedroom in Long Beach.  That huge treat resulted in transporting the old bedroom set back up to Tahoe where it is SO much more comfortable living life as a Guest Room**.  Here's proof: (isn't it lovely?)

For a variety of reasons, when we came up to Tahoe for Thanksgiving week, it really struck me that I no longer live at home.  I haven't for 3 years, actually, but it turns out that denial is a tricky, sneaky friend who'll weigh you down without you even realizing it.

My home is no longer simply my home, it is my Vacation Home.  Now, I'm sure that sounds all glamorous and omigoodness-I-Want-A-Vacation-Home-TOO! ...and a good 10 years ago that's about exactly how I felt. But now?  Now, "Vacation Home" has a different connotation.  Where it used to mean 'a lovely spot in the mountains where I can unwind and appreciate nature' now it means 'my home that I only get to live on when I'm on vacation'.  It's different.

Regardless of the nit-picky particulars, a Vacation Home needs to function differently than the place you live all the time.  Namely, it can't be cluttered with STUFF because that Certainly Isn't Relaxing.  So Christmas break (a.k.a "Vacation") saw us back in Tahoe, with a bit of time to get things in order.  I've been blissfully enjoying a few days here myself whilst my valiant husband attempts to be mom AND dad in Long Beach for a week (mostly--our littlest (Audrey) is spending the week with my parents) God bless his generous soul.  I wish I could say that the bliss is due to an inordinate amount of reading and quilting and watching chick flicks, but it is actually due to all the stuff I'm getting done.

That makes me sound old.  Oh well.  Carrying on...

We've replaced carpeting and a microwave, we've pulled out a ridiculous amount of junk to donate to the yearly yard-sale fundraiser for Spread the Light Puppet Ministry (hi mom and dad!).  I've cleaned and cleared and now I'm finally on the brink of having a proper, well-appointed Vacation Home.  It's still home, but all those things that fell by the wayside before it acquired its adjective are being completed--how fabulous is that?

It's actually a bigger deal for me than it might seem.  For the first time in the last three years I'm able to fully enjoy my time at home, and more importantly I'm able to think about it with an overwhelming sense of thankfulness for such a blessing rather than only feeling sorry for myself that I can't be here more often. You see, I wanted my kiddos to grow up with an appreciation for the mountains and God's creation, and in my mind that meant having them spend their childhood in Tahoe....not living here for a few years and then growing up in the city.  I'm coming to see, however, that perhaps my concept of perfection isn't as perfect and fully-rounded as God's (shocker, huh?).  We were able to live here full-time for 6 years, and by moving back to Long Beach, I think that my children have been able to grow an appreciation that they may not have been able to otherwise.

In the end, I suppose I mustn't be bitter towards a simple little adjective.  That just sounds silly.  Besides, it's much happier to be happy.


*iykwim = if you know what I mean
** Guest Room = a.k.a. Timothy's room that he never sleeps in because he's a nomad at heart and much prefers a couch.  Seriously.  I finally caved and accepted the fact.

A Caribbean Family Vacation

At the beginning of November we took the kiddos to the Caribbean to celebrate Chris's brother's wedding.  Heat and bugs aside, it was a beautiful trip.  I don't have much to say, because it's been over a month and I'm deep in the middle of lists (gift-buying, party-preparing, trip-packing etc etc) but I thought (especially as today is a lovely rainy day) that a photo tour of our time at St. John would be just the ticket. Enjoy!

We flew into St. Thomas, and then Jon picked us up and we boated to St. John

Andrew in the water before the wedding.

Chris transported everyone from the villa to the boat to the beach (and back)
for the wedding.  

Michelle's mom, Pam, became one of Audrey's new favorite people.

Secluded beach wedding @ 11:11am on 11/11/11

Jon and Michelle, with his boat, Alcyone, in the background.

Andrew and Audrey were straight off-with-their-clothes-and-into-the-water
as soon as the ceremony was done.

Picture perfect couple--and a new sister-in-law! Yay!

The view from our villa--so lush!  It gets unbelievably loud at night, the
animals in the jungle are quite amazing.

Iguana in the tree top.

Quotables

I find such joy in discovering how other minds work, (well, usually...reading Lolita introduced me to a mind I could have done without knowing,) and every once in a while someone says something succinct that makes me pause.

Chris is usually pretty level-headed, rational, etc. but every once in a while he'll come out with a bizarre thought (like space elevators...which turns out to be more scientific than bizarre in some circles,) that leaves me giggling.  Recently, Chris expressed frustration at how much time he wastes in tying his shoes every morning...and how much cumulative time is wasted by everyone that has to tie shoes each morning.  He is absolutely certain that the world would be much more advanced if it weren't for being hindered by shoelaces.  We could be living in space right now if it weren't for shoelaces.

Someone who is always good to quote is Andrew.  Andrew always comes up with insightful observations.  Ever since he was a toddling 2 year old (or somewhere thereabouts) wondering about what was inside of blue (!!!), up until yesterday afternoon (a good decade later,) he's always impressed and entertained me with the way he looks at the world.  So we were sitting in our living room, filling boxes for Operation Christmas Child, when he said this: "War is such a small, simple word for something that is neither small nor simple.  It deserves at least a four-letter word."

Think about that for a while.  Very true, isn't it?

There's Always More to be Thankful For

because really, it's all a matter of perspective.  For every thing there is to be frustrated with or discouraged by, there is at least one way of seeing the opposite.

#1-26
#26-50
51.  That there IS a bright side.
52.  That there is rain to be distracted by...even though vehicular accidents are a common result.
53.  Pumpkin Spice ANYTHING
54.  Mexican food (have I listed that one already?)
55.  Sebastian Barry
56.  Willa Cather
57.  teenagers  (really.  mine caught a mouse in my house.  with tongs!)
58.  giggling girls (especially Melindas and Audreys)
59.  meow-meows
60.  apple blossoms
61.  not feeling guilty about not answering the telephone
62.  sewing machines
63.  quiet
64.  cursive handwriting
65.  clean water
66.  that it is snowing somewhere, even if I'm not there
67.  it is still possible to snail-mail a letter
68.  sleep
69.  waking up without an alarm clock
70.  bulbs peeping out of the earth
71.  flowers that you can eat (like artichokes--amazing flowers!)
72.  people in my life that understand me (like Andrew!)
73.  veterans
74.  the faithfulness of God
75.  scarves

In Which Hamsters Run Amok*

One uneventful day, Audrey and I walked into Centinella Pet Supplies to buy some hamster food.

No, let me back up.

When Melinda was 9 1/2, we--by which I mean I--bought her a hamster.  A small furry little Roborovski Hamster who was subsequently named Candy.

Candy lived a happy little life, for what hamster lucky enough to be owned by an adoring child would not live in bliss?  At a ripe old age of almost 2, she keeled over and breathed her last.  It was a difficult time for Melinda, but was helped when we brought home a new pet a few days later.  This time, we (ahem, I) with amazing argument-avoidance-foresight, bought two hamsters: one for Melinda and one for Audrey.  Two little female Robo hamsters that were used to each other, and no risk of being suckered into buying a different pet later on that required more cages and different supplies--perfect!

Contrary to what you may think, this is not a photo of a
 dead hamster.  One of them simply enjoys
looking dead whilst sleeping.

Thus Rosy and Snoozy joined our household.  They got on so well, and were such adorable things to watch.  For about a month or so.  At which point they started "fighting" (quotes necessary as you soon shall see--or may have already guessed.)  Fighting hamsters plus out of town trip equals very worried girls, and therefore more cages and different supplies.  Sigh.  Foresight not so foresightful after all, perhaps.

Everything seemed to be moving along quite nicely, and we went on our second out of town trip, leaving Chris and Timothy to take care of the house and all it holds.  One morning I awoke to a text:

*slaps forehead*

Quick research told me that Robo Hamsters usually have 4-6 babies.  We were blessed with 7, and Rosy was soon re-dubbed Peter.  We found a website that gave us the necessary information to become quasi-experts in rodent rearing.  A good friend took one of the babies, a teacher took another two, and now we have 6 hamsters total: 3 boys and 3 girls.  In our early baby-raising-phase we happened across an interesting scientific phenomena: how is that a small creature who can barely walk and whose eyes aren't even all the way open can somehow find a wheel and know that it would be a good thing to run on?  It is all very perplexing.  What did hamsters do before wheels??

Which brings us to the beginning of the story: One uneventful day, Audrey and I walked into Centinella Pet Supplies to buy some hamster food.  To Audrey's delight, we discovered that the store would soon be hosting Hamster Races!  We could enter as many hamsters as we wanted (for free!) and each would receive a free ball to race in.  Oh the anticipation!

It was quite a bit of fun to watch, actually.  Some hamsters just wouldn't move.  Some hamsters were about 800times as big as ours combined.  We ended up entering the boys: Peter, Cotton, and Fang.

A brag on my Linnie:  While we were there, Melinda noticed a boy and his dad next to us who were enjoying the races.  Something they said led her to inquire, "Are you just spectating?"  The dad looked at her for a few seconds and then said, "What?"  Melinda rephrased, "Are you just here to watch?"  Recognition dawned and the man nodded, answering, "Yes," with a smile.  (Aren't vocabulary/smarty stories the best? Who said eavesdropping is bad?  Eavesdropping on that conversation was delightful.)

Anyhow, Fang won 2nd place and brought home a fancy princess carriage for his sisters and momma to run in.  They've enjoyed learning how to run in their big huge orbs--something Shasta (Ana & Jack's dog) has greatly enjoyed as well.

But the story doesn't end there.  With all the excitement, the cages must have gotten bumped around because the next morning as Ana was leaving the house, she saw a hamster dart across the entryway floor.  Forget trying to catch it, those things scamper like nobody's business.  Sure enough, the girl's cage (which, by coincidence, is not the pink one--the boys get that pleasure) was housing only two furballs.  We figured she was gone for good, because the part of the house she was seen in the lowest portion, with insurmountable stairs.

There is, however, one section of the baseboards that had a moderately-sized hole drilled in it.  I had assumed that the hole dropped directly underneath the house, but started to get skeptical when two days later I saw a shredded Nerf dart in the adjoining room.  Sure enough, the next morning as I was stumbling back from my alarm clock duties, I saw a little hamster sitting outside the two hamster cages.  Hungry, I assume, the little one was caught without too much fuss and now we are back at full hamster capacity.

Anyone up for a little furry pet?


* (As an aside, the title of my post alerted me to the fact that amok is yet another English word in which one is allowed to choose whether to spell it amok or amuck.  Ah, the freedom of spelling choice--what fun!  Both variants derive from the Malay work amoq: "a psychic disturbance characterized by depression followed by a manic urge to murder".  Thank you dictionary.com, that was fun!)

Back to School

This year is the first time Andrew (12) and Melinda (10) have been in a classroom with over 10 students or a school with over 30 students.  This is the first year they have schooled outside our home in the big, sprawling city.  Little by little it is getting easier for me to drop them off and drive away, but I do miss them.  On the flip side, Audrey and I are enjoying our days together very much.

Timothy was a bit blindsided by the amount of homework he had in his first week of 10th grade, but seems to be getting caught up as his classes even out and get into rhythm.  He is regretting not having much time to work at Traffic Management, but did manage to go in all day Saturday, and put in a few hours after school on Wednesday.  He's done a fabulous job this summer with work and responsibility.  Chris was very happy to have him as an employee, if only temporarily.  Tim saved up enough to pay off a debt he acquired due to a stolen bicycle, and went on to buy himself 2 surfboards (!!) and an iphone (with money leftover to pay for those monthly bills).  He impressed me by being bold enough to figure out the city's bus system (motivated by a desire to get to the beach and surf) and now isn't intimidated by it at all.  He walks about a mile from our house to catch the bus to Bolsa Chica, and even manages to catch a bus back.  I guess he's really growing up.

The most difficult part of adapting to school for Andrew is waking up in the mornings.  Now he understands TGIF and the loveliness of weekends.  He has made friends (is going to a birthday party this weekend in fact) and enjoys his classes.  He's in 7th grade now, and the middle school he attends has only 7th and 8th grade (love that!).  One of his favorite classes is Novels...an elective for people who just love to read.  He says that the environment in that class is the best, since it is filled with people that are there because they want to be there.

Andrew hasn't had any problem in organization, and does an excellent job at getting his homework done without being asked.  He says that one reason he likes going to school is that it takes up part of his day.  His least favorite part of school is his math homework.  Not the class or the difficulty, but just how long it takes to show your work and do everything thoroughly.  The hardest part socially has been the direct exposure to people who are unkind or unjust to others.  Already Andrew has confronted 8th graders for teasing a boy for his looks.  I love that he isn't intimidated and is willing to stand up for others and what's right.  He amazes me, this one.  Brings tears to my eyes actually.  What a guy.

Poor Melinda was out of school for most of her second week of 6th grade with an icky Back-to-School virus...so far nobody else is showing symptoms.  She's back today, but a little stressed at the thought of trying to catch up (in fact she actually wondered aloud why she ever wanted to go to Valley in the first place--that's how you know she's stressed!).  She has some friends (mostly due to a summer craft day-camp she went to at the school) but is still working on finding her place.  The elementary school operates so differently from the middle school or high school that it has taken me some getting used to.  Melinda hasn't been very impressed with the hot lunch system, so we are going to have to do some shopping to aid our daily lunch-making process.

Melinda has decided to be in band this year, and is very excited to learn to play flute.  When I was growing up I felt like the only girl who didn't play flute or clarinet (always had a thing for the piano) so it's fun for me to have a flute in the house.  Math is going to be a struggle for Melinda the next couple of months as she tries to get used to a new curriculum (Everyday Mathematics, yikes) and new ways of thinking.  She's always been great at understanding the concepts, but some of her math facts still elude her.  She is growing into such a beautiful young lady, and is doing a wonderful job at handling the surges of conflicting emotions.  She loves people and loves to serve.  Wonderful things are in store for this darling.

Audrey couldn't wait to start school, and has really loved getting to spend the entire day with me.  It took her a little while to "get her math brain on" (as she says) but as soon as I told her that I'd scheduled extra math because she had liked it so much, and offered to decrease the amount, she perked up and plowed through.  She said, "Nope, that's okay.  I can do it."  And she has.  I'm using Math Mammoth 2 and Jump Math 3 for her this year, and she's doing great.  We used Math Mammoth 1 last year, and she had no problem making it through all the work (the program seems more advanced to me than others I've tried.)  She discovered regrouping in double-digit addition on her own...when I told her she wasn't supposed to know how to do that yet, she glowed.

Other things we are using and enjoying include Moving Beyond the Page (which I find to be too Social Studies focused rather than History/Geography focused...yes, there is a difference...but Audrey is enjoying it, and it is on track with what Valley is doing, in case she wants to give it shot at some point in the future.)  The photo above shows a 3D map that we made when we were talking about Communities.  We are also using Queen's Language Lessons for the first time, and I'm enjoying it so far.  I started her at a lower level in order to build confidence, which seems to be working.  We're doing 4 lessons/day right now!  At this rate we should be moving onto the next level before Thanksgiving.  I adjust the pace of her work as we go, speeding up or slowing down each subject to make it fit her just right.

That's about it!  The last two weeks have been craziness, but I'm sure everyone can relate.  We'll get settled in before long.

More Things to be Thankful For

I'm hoping I'll get around to posting more family happenings this week, but in the meantime I wanted to add another installment of things I'm thankful for.  It really has been a good exercise in changing my thinking around...there are so many little things to be thankful for.

26. thunder storms
27. snow
28. mexican food yummm
29. textiles
30. bird nests
31. dew
32. vacuum cleaners
33. brownies
34. choice in how I spell GREY
35. finished projects
36. organized garages
37. thimbles
38. artistic friends
39. lotion
40. elastic
41. pianos
42. trees
43. ponytail holders
44. the self-healing power of our bodies
45. comfortable couches
46. thermometers
47. water
48. fever reducing medication
49. band-aids
50. aloe