Kids Triathlon

Saturday morning, I was a blubbering idiot.  I was so proud, excited, scared, for my kids.  This triathlon thing was way out of their comfort zone.  "Plus One" for sure.  More like "Plus Twenty"!





Hard things are easier to do when you have a friend along, and we had a bunch of great friends to share the joy of swimming, biking, and running.

Aaron's mom and my parents both came to cheer,

and was I ever glad we had six grownups to cover each of the three stations, take pictures,

and help with the two littlest ones who didn't get to race.



The whole morning was a fabulous experience.



We had no expectations, no goals other than to finish the race.

Did I mention I was a total basket case?



It was all I could do not to break down and boohoo as I watched these precious gifts of children push themselves and utilize the discipline they have been building for weeks.



That physical discipline is transferring to other areas of their lives, too.  I'm seeing more maturity in their spiritual, emotional, and mental selves.



And I didn't embarrass my kids by bawling like a calf when they came flying across the finish line.



Then it was time to celebrate!



And be goofy with friends.

And make lemon cheesecake morning buns for an easy and yummy start to our Sunday morning. 



Everything is more fun when you share it with a friend - triathlons and baking!

We're so grateful for this sweet family who is willing to stop on their long road trip to spend a couple of nights with us.

I guess when you have friends who are crazy enough to come visit in Marulaon Village,

then pausing on their way to the East Coast isn't a very big deal.

But it is a big deal to us!  Thanks so much for a fabulous weekend and lots of sweet memories.



Don't forget...

...about the Perseid meteor showers peaking this week!

 

 

 

 

Field Trip

We love living close enough to friends to make regular field trips together.  Yesterday, we met in the middle and experienced Heifer International's education center together.

So much of the displays - the mosquito nets, the buckets of water to lift and carry, the gardens and markets - were exactly what we live on the other side of the world.

 



 

And we share many of the same goals as Heifer International, except that our primary goal is to get the Bible translated into Lavukaleve as quickly as possible.

 

After a picnic lunch and lots of good visiting (did my heart good!), we decided to cool of with a trip to Loblolly Creamery.

 

So very cute!  And yummy.  And made right there in Little Rock.  And just in case you wondered, the cheesecake sundae is delicious.

 

And if you wanted to take some home, you could!  We didn't.  But we enjoyed walking around the shop and enjoying all of the other locally made things you could take home. 

 

 

Mugs, jewelry, coffee, things for babies, it was a feast for the eyes as well as for our tummies!



 

 

Our hearts were full, too, after spending the day with friends, and we look forward to the next field trip...

 

Super Sunday

Last Sunday, we were excited to share about Bible translation with two churches here in Arkansas.  Sunday morning, we spoke to a new-to-us church and met lots of great people.



 

After church, we drove to my cousins' home - four siblings who keep house together and opened their home for a delicious lunch and a lovely afternoon.



 

Their beautiful collection of garden spiders in the bushes around the porch astounded me!



Ultimate Frisbee took the place of a Sunday afternoon nap.



 

And technical difficulties didn't keep my amazing husband from updating the church we attended Sunday night.  This church has been a rock of support for our family from the very beginning.



 

My cousin even saved the day by loaning Olivia a pair of jeans since Olivia ran off without her "uniform" for the evening. 

 

 

The sun was setting as we gave our last goodbye hugs.  I'm so thankful that I'm related to some of my favorite people!



 

Isn't it lovely when your colleagues at work are also your friends?



Last weekend, we were so honored that this sweet family drove several hours out their way to come visit us at the beginning of their road trip.  They drove all night long to start a beautifully dry and cool (for the end of July!) Friday with us.  We played a fierce game croquet in our back yard,

 

 

then we took a picnic to a park where the grownups challenged each other to a game of couples tennis while the big kids played with the little ones who drew with chalk and blew bubbles. 

I loved the creativity that sparked the chalk princess and castle!

 
 
 

Julie and I went to the farmer's market together early Saturday morning.  Our friends had never eaten purple hull peas, so amongst other lovely food we bought, we came back with a bushel of peas to shell and enjoy.

 

Visiting with these guys is just so sweet.  You can just be raw and honest and they know you well enough to take the kernel and let the chaff blow away.  They are doing a great job of training their kids, so their kids are a joy to spend time with, too.

 

 

And in a few weeks, this handsome guy will be celebrating a birthday, so we had fun baking oatmeal chocolate cookies (at his request) Saturday night for an early birthday treat.



 

Servant hearts?  You bet.  We had to leave early Sunday morning to drive to a speaking engagement, and our friends cleaned up the kitchen before they continued on their road trip.  They spur me on to good deeds and a closer walk with Jesus, and I'm so thankful that, even though we no longer work together, God keeps crossing our paths!



Charlotte's Web

Nothing like living out our current read-aloud, "Charlotte's Web":

 

A spider can produce several kinds of thread.  She uses a dry, tough thread for foundation lines, and she uses a sticky thread for snare lines -- the ones that catch and hold insects.  Charlotte decided to use her dry thread for writing the new message.

 

"If I write the word 'Terrific' with sticky thread," she thought, "every bug that comes along will get stuck in it and spoil the effect."



"Now let's see, the first letter is T."

 



Welcome, August!

 

Fairest of months!  ripe Summer's Queen

The hey-day of the year

With robes that gleam with sunny sheen,

Sweet August doth appear.

 

~R. Combe Miller

 





 

Look what we found in our backyard!  Lilies always mean August to me.  I love discovering surprises in the yard from the sweet former owners of our house.  Our August is off to a great start - we're rolling along well with school, preparing for some road trips ahead, and beginning to get things ready for Aaron's departure for the Solomon Islands in a few weeks.  What does August look like for you and yours?



Good Neighbors

One of our concerns about living in America again was that we would miss the "open door" policy that we enjoyed in the Solomon Islands.  This weekend showed us we didn't have anything to worry about.  We discovered that our next door neighbor and the neighbor two doors down (for whom we were cat sitting) each had a birthday on Saturday.

So what was the proper thing to do?  For our next door neighbors, we decorated the porch and barely sneaked some cookies as they pulled into the driveway from their own birthday celebration. 

We took balloons, streamers, and a birthday carrot cake that Sarah whipped up to the other house.  We had a key so we could get in to feed the cats, and in less than five minutes, the kitchen island was decorated and the birthday cake was waiting for the family's imminent return. 



I have to admit that we decorated both houses with a little fear and trepidation because we know we've been forever changed by living in community overseas.  God quickly set our hearts at rest.  Within minutes, we had next door neighbors in our house, thanking us, visiting with us, and trying to help us figure out our sprinkler system.  And shortly thereafter, we got a text from the other neighbor telling us that carrot cake was his favorite.  A coincidence?  I don't think so.  Just another confirmation from our tender God who knows exactly what we need.

More birthdays in July...

 

For some reason, July is the biggest birthday month on both sides of the family.  On the Choate side, six special people have rubies as their birthstone, so, a few days ago, we drove over to celebrate together.



 

 We had such a great time playing in the water to beat the heat, eating the Italian Cream Cake that Sarah made, playing lots and lots of Wii amongst the cousins,

 

 

and trying to figure out how to put together the transformers that Aaron gave his little nephew.  The vintage toys were from Aaron's personal stash of childhood toys, and those little robots kept us busy at the table long after we finished our delicious birthday cake and ice cream.



 

Getting this crew together is a rare treat - cousins from Arkansas, Japan, and the Solomon Islands don't get to hang out together very often!