My life...just not on the road I expected (but it's still dang good).

Guess Who?

Just got back from the orthodontist and guess which one of these kids needs braces?

All three.

Ugh.

Vacation

Just a few random shots of my kids playing out in the rain last night. (Its been really hot and really dry this summer and we're totally smoked in due to 65,000+ acres burning in SW Oregon - so the rain felt like a nice little vacation for us.)

And we're having one of those temporary, but lovely 'vacations' from all the arguing in our house right now too. 

Seems like it happens every few months or so. I'll hear Courtney holler down the hallway to Cole, "I love you Cole!" and he'll holler back, "I love you too Court." and I immediately think, "Yes........We're on vacation!" Or when it's time to clean their rooms, they'll work as a team, cleaning each of their rooms together and as soon as I notice it, I feel a huge "Vacation!" smile come over my face. Or I'll hear one of them take full blame for something that was only partially their fault in order to spare their sibling, like last night when Cole and Annie were rough-housing instead of brushing their teeth and putting on their pajamas and when Cole saw me disciplining Annie for it (after I had already disciplined him for it) he stepped in and said, "It's my fault mom, I should have been setting a better example for Annie." and I just felt a flood of vacation-joy coming in to replace my parenting-frustration.

And I know it's temporary, but all good vacations are.

Doesn't mean you enjoy them any less though.

Pizza

I'm boycotting grocery shopping right now, so we went out to pizza last night...

Those are my red bedside tables (still) in the back of the car.

Courtney Lee, in the new tie-dye shirt she bought to help send a young guy we know on a mission trip.

Yans in last year's Christmas dress, because she loves to wear it, despite the season.

And Coley, who just got home from his Grandma & Grandpa's house. (I was trying to get a shot of him, but then he jumped.)

I think they found some sort of animal-shape in Josh's beer foam.

And then they were off to spend the four quarters their dad gave them.

That face on Annie (with a quarter in her hand) cracks me up.

That face on Cole is the feigned excitement of a smart-aleck.

And that face on Courtney Lee is the look of a girl who just fed four quarters into the same machine even though it had already eaten the last three.

Thankfully, the girl at the cash-register took pity on her and gave her four more quarters.

And then there was pizza.

And then on our way out, I tried my (unsuccessful) luck at a group shot.

And when that didn't work, I tried to to get a shot of just these two.

And then I gave up.

The Alameda Antique Fair

I had mentioned it before, but the Alameda Antique Fair has been on my bucket list for probably 10 years now.

I'm not even quite sure why I waited so long to go...Maybe because I didn't want to spring for the cost of a hotel? Maybe because I didn't have anyone to go with? Maybe because I always figured there would be a 'better' time in my schedule?

But then my friend/past student (Michelle) offered me a place to stay and someone to go with.

So we put it on the calendar.

And last Friday, I made the six-hour drive to her place.

I had visions of a leisurely drive down I-5, with tons of photo-stops along the way, but then my morning got a little crazy and I found myself leaving town at 11:00 a.m., when I had originally planned on leaving by 9:00 a.m. (at the very latest.)

So my leisurely drive turned into a rushed drive, with no stops other than to fuel up once on gas and to fuel up once on food.

I did manage to cram in a speaker-phone conversation with a friend I hadn't talked to in awhile, my first-ever trip to In-N-Out Burger and a six-hour sermon marathon (thanks to podcasts from Tim Keller and Ben Courson) before arriving at Michelle's house.

We talked non-stop while she cooked dinner and dessert.

I met her kids and her husband.

We stayed up late having one of the most enjoyable dinner conversations I've ever had.

And then Michelle's husband made us ice cream with espresso poured over it while we sat in the den and talked some more.

And when I put my head on the pillow in her guest room that night, I laid there for a few minute, wishing that I had taken the time to photograph it all.

We slept in a bit the next morning, took showers and then sat on her back porch drinking home-made lattes that her husband had made for us and eating Greek Yogurt and fruit (my favorite) for breakfast.

We were planning a day of antique shopping and waiting for another friend/past student (Aurora) to arrive. So when the door bell rang and Michelle opened it, I was caught off guard to see that it wasn't Aurora, but another friend/past student (Deneen!) instead. (They had planned the whole thing, but apparently, I wasn't in on that secret.)

And then Aurora (and her 4 year-old daughter, Halia) showed up and after sitting around, talking for awhile, I finally couldn't take it anymore and grabbed my camera.

That's Halia and her momma, Aurora.

That's my new BFF, Megan. (Michelle's 9 year-old daughter.)

That's Max (who barks incessantly, licks reflections and shadows non-stop and sometimes snuggles up next to you and then barfs on your toes without any warning.)

He seemed willing to overlook my many flaws though, so I decided to overlook his as well.

And that's Michelle (closest to me) and Deneen (in the background.) 

And a few more of Halia (because for some reason, I couldn't quit pointing my camera at her cuteness.)

And then we went to lunch.

And then we went to some junk shops.

I've got an old camera with a waist-level viewfinder like this at home and I'm totally going to do some more experimenting with shooting through it. (I saw some other photographer do this somewhere and am feeling bad because I can't remember the source to give her credit.)

I had forgotten how hard it is to shoot a lightening-fast, easily-distracted 4 year-old though. (I was trying to get a shot of her with her face poking through that fairy-face hole, but there was no way she was going to hold still long enough for that to happen.)

And while Michelle and Deneen are quite lovely, it was really the white corner-cabinet that I was trying to photograph in that last shot. (It was only $100...but I couldn't bring it home because I have no place to put it.)

I did leave with a new garbage can though, only to find out that it doubles as a great drum set when you put a four-year old behind it.

And then we went for ice cream.

I know there's a lot going on in that last shot, but there's just something I love about it.

And then we headed to the bookstore.

And then we took the only group shot of the day outside in the parking lot of Barnes & Nobles (I think that was on Michelle's camera though.) before parting ways.

And then Michelle's husband cooked us dinner and made us drinks. (Vodka, Sprite, cranberry and lime - my favorite.)

And then we all watched Top Gun in 3-D, with 3-D glasses on (I've never watched a 3-D television before.) which resulted in Michelle and I reminiscing about how old we were when we fell in love with Top Gun and all of us laughing through a few awkward moments (like Tom Cruise's stance while talking to Ice Man in the shower) and me pulling the blanket over my new BFF's eyes during another awkward moment. (You know the one.)

And then, when we called it a night once again, I kicked myself in the butt for not pulling out my camera all night (and fell asleep trying to think of a corner in my house or Michelle's house where that corner cabinet could fit.)

We woke up bright and early the next morning because that was the morning of the Alameda Antique Fair.

Michelle and I talked for a bit about whether or not we wanted to bring our cameras and eventually decided that shopping was higher on our priority lists than shooting, so we left them at home and headed out to Michelle's friend's house (Her name is Karen also.) to change cars (We needed a van big enough for five of us girls; me, Michelle, Michelle's cute mom, Carol, Michelle's funny friend, Stephanie and Michelle's wonderful friend, Karen and everything the five of us hoped to buy at the antique fair.)

And then we spent the entire day in heaven (aka, the Alameda Antique Fair) walking down isle after isle after isle of magical junk finds.

I got an old (but still in the box) red Coleman ice-chest from a guy who ironically lives just a few miles from me in Oregon, two red bedside tables ($55 for both of them.), a red metal dust-pan, a red metal recipe box ($5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), a white metal shelf and a really cute, turquoise jewelry-box.

I also got a sunburn, the best lunch ever (falafel salad) and a lot of exercise. (Michelle was wearing a Fitbit and said we clocked in just under 6-miles of walking/shopping and still didn't make it down every isle.)

And then we strategically packed the car (which in addition to my stuff included a metal shopping cart, a ladder, a side-table and a whole bunch of other little odds and ends) and headed to FudRuckers (I had never been before, but had a really great chicken sandwich and some fries.) for dinner.

And then Michelle and I sat on the couch, eating the best home-made peanut-butter brownies in the world while watching The Notebook, which pretty much felt like Heaven too - but since I already compared the Alameda Antique Fair to Heaven, we'll just call sitting on the couch, eating home-made peanut butter brownies while watching The Notebook after spending the entire day antique shopping, Heaven on steroids.

Went to bed that night with the same nagging feeling that I should have taken pictures (and that I was sure there was a corner in my house that I was overlooking where that corner cabinet could fit.)

 And then we woke up the next morning, took Michelle's kids to school (I miss you BFF.), got coffee (where we were briefly asked questions and had our photos taken by someone from a local newspaper), ran by WinCo (so I could purchase some wide-mouth Ball jars to use as drinking glasses and food storage containers...because I want to be just like Michelle.), hung out on Michelle's back porch and waited for her step-dad to show up with jumper-cables (because I accidentally left a light on in the back of my car for three days.) 

And then we loaded up my car and said our good-byes.

And then about 20 minutes into my drive-home, Michelle called me to say that I had forgotten my new wide-mouth Ball jars/drinking glasses/food-storage containers in the back of her car and that she was leaving the house to meet me with them.

And lucky me, she brought a plate full of her (Heaven on Steroids) home-made peanut-butter brownies for me to eat on the way home.

Or maybe she mentioned something about taking them home to my family???

I'm not quite sure.

Thanks Michelle and Daryl and Trevor and Megan and Deneen and Aurora and Halia and Carol and Karen and Stephanie for making it such a great weekend.

Count me in for a 2014 do-over.

The Pregnancy Center

My very first client's from the Pregnancy Center had a baby boy this week and invited me up to the hospital to see him.

She's a 17 year-old girl who is intelligent and kind-hearted and has a good head on her shoulders. Life has given her some experiences that have left her a little guarded, but in the seven months since I first met her, I've seen that guard slowly disappear when we're together, revealing one of the most lovely young women I've ever met.

And he's a 16 year-old farm boy with good, old-fashioned ethics. He's funny but quiet and spends every penny he earns on tractor equipment. 

And the baby is the sweetest, dark-haired thing I've ever seen.

They're a success story.

They've got a lot of support from their family. They know God. They're sweet with one another. They love this baby. And even though they're starting a family before they were ready to, I think they're going to be just fine.

Most of the client's I've seen don't have this kind of story though.

I've seen girls who are pregnant and on meth. I've seen girls who are being physically abused by their boyfriends. I've seen girls that were sexually abused from young ages by people that were supposed to be loving them and taking care of them. I've seen girls that never made it past the sixth grade. I've seen girls that are getting ready to have a baby and are homeless.

I've seen girls that are scared and hurt and confused.

But mostly hurt.

So hurt that they're just grasping for something - anything that will make the hurt go away.

Sometimes I know what to say. Sometimes I don't have a clue what to say. Sometimes I immediately start looking for resources for them. Sometimes I sit and cry with them. Sometimes I just listen. Sometimes I help them come up with a plan. Sometimes we connect immediately. Sometimes I can't seem to connect with them no matter how hard I try. Sometimes I have to stop myself from inviting them to come live at my house. Sometimes I feel so much hope for them. Sometimes I worry that there isn't any hope. Sometimes they come back and start our Earn While you Learn program (They watch videos and participate in discussions that teach them about labor and breastfeeding, how to quit smoking, how to prepare for their baby, how to look for an apartment, how to interview for a job and how to be a good mom and for each appointment they keep, they earn 'Mommy Money' to use in our store that we try to keep stocked with diapers and wipes, baby food, clothing, strollers, blankets, etc.) Sometimes, I never see them again.

All the time, I pray (sometimes with them, sometimes without them.)

And most of the time, I worry that I'm not cut out for this.

Every now and then though, I know that I'm cut out for it.

I just have to remember that no matter how much of a struggle it feels like sometimes, we're doing good stuff. We're helping a lot of girls, their babies and even the community by teaching them how to be good moms that are able to care for themselves and their children both emotionally and financially.

There's stuff that we need though:

1. We need hand-knitted infant baby booties. (Every girl that gets a positive pregnancy test gets a pair of knitted infant booties and a baby blanket.)

2. We need a Registered Nurse who is trained/willing to be trained in sonography to do our ultrasounds. (Our current RN just took another position.)

3. We need mentors.

4. We need gently used 0-12 month baby clothing.

5. We need prayer.

6. We need gently-used maternity clothes.

7. We need strollers and cribs and baby baths and bouncy seats and anything else baby-related that is in good shape.

8. We need regular and/or occassional volunteers.

9. We need $5 donations and $5000 donations and everything in between.

10. We need diapers and wipes.

And I feel awkward saying that we need these things, but we do.

So if you've got a bunch of old baby clothes piling up, you know how to knit or you've got some extra time on your hands, it would be so very much appreciated, whether its our Pregnancy Center or your own local Pregnancy Center.

We're at:

2019 Aero Way, #103, Medford, OR 97504

Thank you, thank you (thank you!)

Little Girl Stuff

Yans and our neighbor have been inseparable lately.

That means lots of little girl giggling, lots of little girl imagination and lots of little girl messes.

Here, they were 'fishing' out of the back of Josh's truck with a tree branch and a dog leash...

And wearing party hats as necklaces.

And turning fishing poles/tree branches into antlers.

And poking each other with barrettes.

And dancing.

And laughing.

And posing. (That's Annie's, "My-nose-is-itchy" face, which is a common sight around here since it's allergy season.)

And jumping.

And arm-wrestling.

And thumb-warring.

And that was just in 20 minutes of a four-hour play date.