Boston!

This year, for Valentine's Day, Kev and I were actually together...when I thought all along that we were going to be apart because of his week away of training...but then, last minute I hitchhiked my way right into his trip to Boston...so we ended up being together after all...which was really really special....because I didn't think we were going to be.  But we were.  Whew.

I think I'm shleepy.
Yes, indeed.

So, when Kev got out of training on Thursday night, he found me waiting with bells on....(well, what I really mean is something other than yoga pants on), and we kicked it to a restaurant called Legal Seafood that everyone had been talking about all week long.

My red-hot, slightly fried from a week of learning, date!  Woot!

Oh Goodness.
Heaven on a plate.
 
I am a lover of all things seafood, so it was just a meal of all things glorious:  grilled scallops, shrimp, mahi mahi, swordfish, and salmon - along with choice of potato and veggies.  So delish.  And so much fun.  And absolutely no wait at all.  Major bonus.  On our way out the door, we heard the hostess telling people that there was a 2 1/2 hour wait to be seated for all those hanging out in the lobby.  Yuckadoo.

And then we finished off our festivities at a fun little self-serve yogurt place right down the road.  I love those places - where you can serve yourself whatever flavors of yogurt that you like and then top it off with about 30 choices of toppings.  That place was lovely.  And very delicious, too.

And then we rolled ourselves back to our room, put our comfies back on, and finished the night watching American Idol and drinking sparkling cider.  We're wild like that.  And it was awesome.

Training wrapped up around noon on Friday, and since the plan for picking up the boys wasn't until noon on Saturday, we figured it might be fun to go poke around and try to get ourselves lost in Quincy Market and the North End of Boston.  I called up my virtual tour guide - my cousin Jodi, who knows the place like the back of her hand, and who also was very accessible to the internet should we need some real help - and off we traipsed like two kids in a candy shop...

 ....which is very much unlike two kids on The Amazing Race, by the way.

A show that I would really, really love to go on someday....and a show where I think that Kev and I could make for some pretty good t.v.....with there just being one minor detail that could pose for one very major problem.

We are really, really good at getting ourselves lost.
Like, we're awesome at it.

This is Kev trying to get us to the North End....which supposedly was a very simple place to get to.  All we had to do was follow the outlined-in-red-on-the-sidewalk "Freedom Trail."  Only problem being, half of the sidewalks were covered in snow, and sometimes that Freedom Trail went in two different directions, and other times, we weren't sure if we were heading to the North End or down to Chinatown, for that matter....

But, we're also really good at asking for directions...and at having fun.
And, because we're both so super competitive, I still think that we'd have a decent chance on that racing show.  Plus, when I'm not gloriously great with child...I can run like the wind.  In my dreams, anyway...

It's on my Bucket List.
If that man would ever stop getting me pregnant...

Another thing that we're really good at is finding awesome coffee shops.
This dude was our coffee artiste.

He made these for us.
How very romantic, eh?
And super delish.  And cozy.
Kevy already slurped in his before the picture was taken...that's why his isn't as pretty as mine...

This was the name of the little shop.
Cute and fun.
It was my favorite part of the whole day.

We are also good at listening to suggestions from all knowledgeable ones on where to go for some famous taste treats.  And since everyone and their dog seemed to be walking around with bags that were labeled "Mike's Pastry," we set off to have a see....and a taste....for ourselves.

We split a cannoli.
The Florentine one with the crunchy outer honey coating.
Holy cannoli was it ever delish.
I ate most of it while Kev worked on getting us lost some more....

Mike's Pastry.
Go there the next time you are in Boston.
When we were walking around with our own little to-go box we heard a dude say:  "Hey!  He's got Mike's! Take him out!"  It's true.  I could've taken him.  I was larger....

Want to know one thing that we are both really, super horrible at?  History.  We both royally rot at all things historical that we should probably know to be historically accurate and true.  And since Boston is full of history....I felt like quite the dunce for most of our strolling about.  I took pictures of things, because it seemed the important thing to do...and because some of these places seemed to be important.

But, I'm not really sure.
I is a homeschooling Mama, yes indeed.

This is Paul Revere.  I remember reading about him.  I actually can kind of even remember part of a poem that we memorized about him.  "On the 18th of April, in '75, (or was it '79??) hardly a man is now alive who remembers that famous day and year."  Buuuuut, that's all I've got for ya.  I'm impressed I remembered even that much.....and something about "The British are coming!  The British are coming!"

Yuuuuup.
That's about it.  Now my brain hurts.

I am good at finding things and taking pictures of things that I know my Hoolies will be interested in, however.  Big long eels for sale is one of those things.  Just sayin'.  They thoroughly appreciated this picture when I showed it to them.  I got all of the proper "oooohs!"  And "aaaaahs!"  And "Groooooooss!" that I was hoping for.

Sweet success.

And super, super olde chowder houses that have been around for ions are also lovely to look at.
And historical, too....
Right?

Ah-ha!  It's true!  It's a historical landmark...

Sooooo, that about sums up the Kevin and Amy tour of Boston.
You're welcome.

We sampled our way through Quincy Market, too, but I had to put my camera away because my hands were too full of all of the little tasties that I kept trying.  I liked Quincy Market.  It was yummy.  And I liked the North End, too.  Sweet, little, yummy cobblestoned Italy, it was.

I did not like the cost for the parking garage....nearly $40.  Ho-ly Hannah.  We almost got an ulcer when we saw the fee.  Nor did I like the traffic on our way out of the city.  However, overall, our spontaneous little afternoon out and about and walking about 86 miles when we really only needed to walk about 10 blocks was well worth the trip!

We got exercise.
We got culture.
The weather was glorious.
The company was fabulous.
And we learned a little bit of history, to boot.

That last sentence is a total lie....

Lent for the Littles.

As usual, I am way behind in posting about things that could be currently helpful...but such is my life these days.  So, while Lent started last Wednesday, and we are now five days into the season already, I shall continue to embrace my "it is what it is" motto of life...and share with you a really cool "Easter Prep" of sorts that - if you like - you could either put a rush order on it to use for this season - albeit a few days late - or simply "bookmark it" as a potential idea for next year.

My apologies.
It is what it is...

Anyway, my Mom actually is the one to thank for this super sweet family devotional activity. It is called "The Messiah Mystery - Uncovering the Meaning of Lent."  Family Life is the company who came up with the idea, and Barbara Rainey - mother of six, by the way - is the author of this devotional.

Here's what I love about it.  She makes it super simple and only as involved and as interactive as you want it to be.  There is virtually no "work."  I hate work.  She has different sections highlighted in bold - and if your children are eight years and younger, you just read those sections....and she has other parts with much more detail - if your children's attention spans are longer.  Perfect for a wide gamet of ages, and I love that.

Growing up, my family personally never took part in Lent - although I think the idea is great.  In recent years, there have been some super sweet ideas floating around - several of which we have used like the "Resurrection Eggs," the "Resurrection Rolls," and the "Jelly Bean Jars" where kids can put different colored jelly beans with different meanings behind each color all throughout the Easter Season....and then on Easter morning, they will find the rest of the jar filled right up to the top with white jelly beans - symbolizing God's grace that covers our sins etc. etc.

All awesome ideas.  And many of which I will probably use again this season.  I love things like this - things that cement teachings into our children's hearts and minds but that are also super fun and interactive.

So, this is just another one of those things - another countdown of sorts - one that focuses on setting the stage, and preparing our hearts....following Scripture from clear back in the Garden of Eden to help us all remember our need for a Savior and to anticipate the greatest miracle of all time.

And I love that she makes this so super simple.  I am wretched at follow-through.  I love ideas, I love grand plans....but so rarely am I able to make it all the way from start to finish with something if it is too overly detailed.  Rockin' Mrs. Rainey knew this, so she wrote only six sessions - meant to be read every Wednesday before Easter...but with flexibility like that...one has an entire week to make sure they get it done!  So, this morning, for example, we did the very first session....that was intended for last  week - "Ash Wedesday," by the way.  But, no big deal.  I like this!

 Setting the stage....

Because the kids are supposed to pretend to be clue-finders, to set the stage, I sent them on a little scavenger hunt all around the house - with clues written in the tiniest of fonts, so that they would have to use the included magnifying glass to read them.  I had a tiny little prize at the end, Daddy read the first devotional, and then there is a paper chain you can make that's included in the package, to rip off one day at a time and add to a poster that you put up on the wall.  Each day we will fill in the picture a little bit more....and get ever closer to solving "The Messiah Mystery!"

So super cool.
And the kids love it.

"God's story in the Bible is actually a series of clues...one of the most mind-boggling mysteries of all time.  You see, with God, nothing is random.  Every detail is ordered with purpose, so His clues aren't haphazard or let behind accidentally.  They are purposeful and perfectly orchestrated.  In the Old Testament, written thousands of years before Jesus was born, God used real people's lives and things that happened to them to tell the world who Jesus would be.  These people's lives were living clues!  God was carefully, brilliantly giving the world directions to find Jesus.  Like a long, red ribbon that we can follow through the years, these signs lead us to God's Son.  The clues seem to say:  Here's what He will look like.  Here's what He will do...."  

 "...Watch for Him.  Pay attention.  He is coming!"

And so we are watching.
And we are waiting.
And we are counting down...

For more information:
1-800-FL-TODAY
FamilyLife.com

"...to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things." ~ Ephesian 3:9

Incognito.

So...this past week, my Love and I have been in Massachusettes.
It was a super, super - like really super - last minute plan...but we're spontaneous like that, so it worked.

All along, the plan has been for him to go away for a week of training for his new job, and for me to take the Hoolies and go up to my Mama's while he was away.  On Friday evening, he walked through the door and said:  "My boss told me I should bring you guys!  It's a nice hotel, there's a king-sized bed, and there's a pool.  So, what do you think?"

Well...if you know my Mama, she's already got the grand plans in the works for a week with her grandbabies, so I knew that was going to fly about as well as a sack of bricks.  And while Kev's meals are covered by the company, our three small garbage disposals would not have been...and that would have added up rather quickly.  Plus, with every child that I am pregnant with, Mom always wants us to get away for a "Baby-moon" of sorts before he/she arrives...."because you aren't going to be able to do that for a long time after she gets here, Honey..."  so says my Mama.

So....I gave a her a quick call and said:  "Hey Mom!  What do you think about - instead of ME and the Hoolies coming up for a few days...it just being the Hoolies?"  I'm real awesome like that sometimes.  For my Valentine's Day gift, Mom gave me several days away with my husband at a hotel....and for my Mom's birthday gift (which also happens to fall on Valentine's Day, by the way), I gave her three small children.

That right there deserves a "Daughter of the Year" Award.

But, in typical Mom fashion, she thought the idea was "splendid."  We were going to get our Baby-Moon after all....and so we all flew into high gear.  We spent the day Saturday shoveling ourselves out of a blizzard, all the while trying to get three Littles packed to head up North, get Kev ready for a business trip, get our animals all in order, and get me ready to travel with Him.  Slightly nuts-o, but that's how we roll sometimes.  We met up with my parents at a halfway point on Sunday to hand over the precious cargo, and then bright and early Monday morning, Kevy, me, and my Mama Guilt - well, we three headed toward Boston.

Crazy.
And for three full days and two partial ones...aside from one time when I took myself to the movies...I did not leave my hotel.....rarely did I even leave my room, for that matter...

A text I sent my cousin, Jodi.  This was big for me.  I don't do things like this by myself, usually.
This was a week-end of fully embracing "alone time!"

See?  It's true.  I was all by myself.  And then a guy walked in, so I texted her that I hoped I wouldn't get murdered.  But then two old ladies walked in, so I felt a whole lot safer...

Oh man.
It. Was. Heaven.
The whole week, really.

Kev left for training around 8:00 in the morning, and other than a small break or two throughout the day when he would sneak me up goodies from his sessions, we didn't see each other again until after 5:00.  And at least twice a day he would ask me if I was bored up there "all by myself."

My stash of goods.

B.C.?  Before children?  The old Amy?
After one day of being by myself in a room, I would have gone crazy, and Kev knows that Amy well, so he was worried.

I scrapbook only once a year.  It's the only time I EVER touch anything to do with pictures.  So TWO times this year?  Ah-mazing...

But A.C.?  The almost nine years older Amy?
Never once in those nine years have I had more than an afternoon of silence - or one full day, at best - where I have been able to be still.  And silent.  And alone.  And not at my own house, either.  This was different.  Had I had a week at home, it would have been a completely different story.  I would have killed the chaos, and I would have cleaned it and organized it from top to bottom.  I would have been a whirling dervish - never stopping. 

But at a hotel?  There's only so much of one little room that one can organize and clean before one is finished...and then has all the time in the world on their hands to do with whatever they wish.

Some of my "entertainment." ~ Info on bees, gardening, schooling ideas for Jesse, & purity stuff for Kaden.

So, this honestly, was amazing.
It really felt like holy, sacred time.

I wrote.  I read.  I went to the gym every morning.  I took baths in the middle of the day...just because I could, and I knew I wouldn't be interrupted.  I planned my garden.  I scrapbooked.  I drank my coffee while it was hot.  I watched something other than cartoons on the t.v.  I stayed up past 8:00 at night, because I knew I could sleep in until I felt like getting up.  I rejoiced in not washing a single dish, and in not cooking one iota of a meal, in not ironing a single shirt, and in not washing one blessed load of laundry for all the live long week.  And I did a whole lot of sitting on my rumpadoodledoo.

Garden dreams.  Whether this happens or not with our newest addition arriving at prime planting time remains to be seen.  One can still dream...

You know, really wild and crazy things like that...
It was divine, really.

And I had quality devotions which have felt very rare as of late.  Sometimes they tend to consist of "read while I blow dry my hair," or "get in a few verses while I'm on the potty."  I find it kind of hard to hear the Lord that way.  I find it easy to lose my way...

I guess that's what those few days were for me.
Some real time away to clear the noise and to hear His voice.
To do a little bit of assessing and re-assessing.
And to maybe fill back up a little bit, so that I could have more to pour out when I got home.

It was a luxury for sure...and definitely not "the norm."  And I would never want it for my normal life...I am so used to the full and the busy...the messy and the crazy.  It's "who" I have grown into and "what" I have become.  That is the life that I love...and the life that I honestly crave after having a few days away from it.

But, for those few days away, I am so very thankful. 
It was spontaneous and it was fun.  Kev and I went out every night after training and ate at a different place.  We ordered in.  We played Cribbage and we had some great quality time.

And my days alone for me were like my perfect version of a spa retreat.
It's amazing how one changes after kids.  It's the little things that feel like such huge gifts.
How a bath mid-day can feel so glamorous.
Or an entire cup of coffee drank while still piping hot is such a luxury.
Or hours on end - of silence and "still" - can be so rejuvenating.

But, this is the stage of life that I am in, right now -- and it truly is my most favorite, by far -- and I would not change it for the world.  I really do embrace it fully.  It's just that it sometimes takes me stepping away for a bit, to realize how much I have really changed from the "who" that I was so many years ago.  Spread out far more thinly than I ever have been in my entire life....but having love that spreads that much more thickly than I ever knew possible.

Helllooooo 28 weeks...and that blasted M&M poking straight out...

Living the chaos...but also knowing that I am living the dream right along with it.
Days of crazy messy....and others of utter monotony.....but days that I know are holy and sacred.
An unending season of never-stopping and always moving...but one that I know - in my heart of hearts, I know - will just as suddenly come to a screeching halt one day not too very far away.

And so, I am reminded once again - to slow, and to see.
To stop and to really, really hear what my Loves are saying.
To worry a little less, and to play a little more.

And to know that the season of mid-day baths, and piping hot coffee.... of reading "just for fun" and of sleeping in once again..... it will all come back again some day not too far off.  In the blink of an eye, we will be in another "season" - another "chapter."  But, until that time.....I want to live in this moment...and thrive in this season.  And take the get-away gifts when they come my way as just that -- gifts to be savored and surprises to be thankful for -- but not something to be mourned when it becomes just a rare pleasure as opposed to a part of the daily norm.

Because then it wouldn't be as special, anyway.
We wouldn't treasure it as something so sacred, as much.
We wouldn't savor it so well - if it was the usual, daily special.

And I think that's probably how I'll feel once my kids are grown and gone.
That's probably how I will wish that I always viewed this season of "right now" in my life.
Sacred.  Holy.  Fleeting.  A gift.
Because that's really what this stage of life is.....

Something that despite all of the messes and the madness -- a season to be savored.
And a life to be fully lived...

For Kevy...

We belong together.  For sure.

For as long as we both shall live....
       you are my one and only.

Happy Hearts Day, My Love....

Thank you for loving me well.
Thank you for making me feel worthwhile.
Thank you for teaching your boys, by your example with me, of how to love crazy, deep, and true.
Thank you for being my very best friend.
Thank you for your heart - and for giving me all of it.
Thank you for our children.
Thank you for our wild and awesome life...

And thank you for showing me - for really showing me - more than just one day out of the year...

For when Valentines Day is really hard...

Valentine's Day.

The obligatory "shout your love from the rooftops" day -- that just might really suck for some...

So, what about what's left of that young teen's heart who gave what really wasn't hers to give, to that boy-man... who took what wasn't really his in the first place to ever have?

And what about the girl who would practically sell her soul if only he would pick her...and tell her that he loved her....and really, really mean it this time?

What about the man who just heard that she no longer loves him...in fact - she's not really sure if she ever loved him in the first place?  Or the man who loved long and hard...only to have her taken away from him forever because her body couldn't hold that sickness inside any longer?

And what of the wife who has remained faithful for twenty years long - with little or no reciprocation from the other end - when all she's ever craved is that deep, husband love?

What about the forced smiles all around us with the marriages that are imploding by the couples who don't want anyone else in the world to ever see -- because imagine what that would do to our reputations?

What about the deep soul-tears that have taken place - the wounds so deep - that there just might not be any hope left to fix the mess that you're living right now... or a bandaid big enough to wrap around your heart that is bleeding right out?

What about when all of the second chances have run dry?
And what about the one who has been made to feel unworthy of any kind of love?

What about love for these people?
What about this crappy Holiday then?
.....Or what about any other day of the week, for that matter?

Is there any hope for any of these situations to ever be redeemed?
Isn't that, after all, the silent cry of the world?
Isn't that the question that we all ask?
Who will love me..... for me?

And what does "true love" really even mean in the first place?

Is it really just flowers and shallow sentiment?
Platitudes and easy lovers?
Is it just words wrapped up pretty, but something so cheap it can be thrown away when the feeling is gone and when life gets too hard?

In this world of messes and mess-ups....where we wear bitterness as a protective cloak...this place where our motto is "hurt me once, shame on you....hurt me twice, shame on me...?"  This life where sometimes it's just too painful to give another "second" chance.....

Where trust has to be earned...
and where one event can change the course of our life forever...

Where love is cheap...and where sex is even cheaper...

This space where talk is only just that....and where young girls have forgotten that they deserve to be treated like princesses....and where young men are not taught to respect.  Where girls give sex to get love...and where guys "speak love" to get sex....  Where she pledges her love but throws it away when a better option comes along...or where he says he's hers "forever"....but his definition of forever is really "just until I start to get bored"....

Where we are not made to feel worthy or even worthwhile...
And where we live in the land of the never-ending and always plaguing "if only's..."

If only...I was thinner.
If only...I was smarter.
If only...I had given him what he asked for.
If only...I made a bit more money...then she would have been happy.
If only...I met up to her expectations.
If only...I didn't have a past.
If only...I wasn't such a mess-up.

If only, if only, if only....

In this day where marriage is now believed to be archaic.
Or, at best, it's not really even worth fighting for...

In this world that we've warped and we've twisted...
And with these relationships that we perpetually are wounding and crushing and causing to bleed raw...

Who really would love me for me?....

 

 

The answer?

Who will love you --- for.....you?

 

Jesus will.

He can fill those soul holes.

He can close those gaping wounds.

He can take that sadness that's wearing a smile, and He can replace all of those ashes with real beauty.

He can take your barely tamed grief - because He knows sadness full well Himself - and He can heal.

 

It's kind of His specialty.

 

He can help us see through our pain and our losses - and see through to Him...

He can pick up all of the pieces of our mistakes, and He can put us back together.

He can make us whole.  He can make us like new.

And He can teach us what real love is. 

After all - He is its' Author.

 

And He is the only One who can ever do that.

Take hold of the gift.

Know love for WHO it really is.

 

Little Loves...

One of my friends often writes a little list of thank-fuls on the first day of every week, and she entitles it "Multitude Monday."  I kind of love that.  New day.  New week.  Fresh start.  And because His mercies are new every morning....there's nothing quite like starting a new week off with a thankful heart...

And there's nothing like seeing those same things that you see over and over again, week after week after week, with fresh eyes and with new appreciation.  Because I do believe it to my core that "the joy of small is what makes life large," and since all of life is just a whole bunch of little things, really - added up over time - if we can love and appreciate all of the little things.....well, that will make for one rockin' life, indeed.

And so, I continue on with my Joy Journey...
My never ending list of "thankfuls" that I hope to never, ever take for granted...

4272.  Things like healthy, homemade bread and
4273.  Freshly juiced fruits and veggies...

4274.  This little bit of pink who I babysit on Thursdays..
4275.  And for the soft little spot that each of my boys have for her.
4276.  For a bit of practice with the "other" gender.
4277.  And for her sweet parents who entrust her to my care.

4278.  For my middle boy's crazy creativity...
4279.  And for his grand plans for family time after supper.

4280.  For breakfasts...and sometimes for lunches of toast and homemade jam.
4281.  And for knowing that there will come a time when Mama's bread will no longer be requested.
4282.  But also for knowing that before that ever happens...there will be four pieces of toast requested when a sweet little sister joins our crew.

4283.  For crazy, Daddy love...
4284.  And for little boys so safe and secure...

4285.  For our local transfer station which we've aptly named our very own "free Wal-mart."
4286.  And for the super sweet stash that we just acquired during our last visit there...

4287.  For homemade smoothies...
4288.  And for little boys willing to try new things.
4289.  For a healthy baby growing...
4290.  And for my healthy body maintaining...

4291.  For long walks in the woods.
4292.  And for "daring explorations."
4293.  Snow that makes all things new...
4294.  And for reminders that His mercies are new every day.

4295.  For "new to us" wardrobes...
4296.  For hoodies that become the new fave...

4297.  For evidence of outside fun that was had...
4298.  And for cozy fires that keep us warm.

4299.  For evidence of his love for me before he heads to work...

4300.  And for Family Days where we leave it all behind.

4301.  For gifts from my girls...(and more bread consumed).....

4302.  And for outside fires and smores.

4303.  For constant companionship in the kitchen...
4304.  And for instilling the love of baking.
4305.  For coffee and Cribbage....
4306.  For slow mornings.
4307.  For stopping and seeing.
4308.  For looking and for noticing...
4309.  For messes and for the mundane.
4310.  And for the gifts.  The neverending gifts....if we would only stop to see.....

"The art of deep seeing makes gratitude possible.  And it is the art of gratitude that makes joy possible...And the feeling of joy begins in the state of thanksgiving" ~ Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts