Orlando, FL

"The requirement of Sabbath observance invites us to stop.  It invites us to rest.  It asks us to notice that while we rest the world continues without our help.  It invites us to find delight in the world's beauty and abundance."

~Wendall Berry

We learned a long time ago that when we make these big road trips, we need to pull out for one day each week to rest and play and catch up.

So we used some of our time in Orlando at the Wycliffe headquarters to exercise, paint,

catch up on reports,

read books, and practice cannonballs in the swimming pool.  

And when we pulled out, we were more ready to spend some time with our sweet colleague Cynthia as we began our journey north again.

DeLand, Florida

Looking back at how God wove together the people and places that have impacted our journey, our years in DeLand, FL, certainly stand out.  Attending a worship service at Stetson Baptist Church again, led by a friend from our college days, encouraged us.

I bumped into sweet Martha, who was in Stetson Baptist's youth group when Aaron and I served as chaperones,

and Nikki, the lovely pastor's wife, spent some more time with us after church over delicious bar-b-que.

Several former Stetson School of Music students and one precious prof joined us for a sweet afternoon of visiting.  Some of our kids came along, too, and listening to the raucous laughter produced by a game of Clue brought joy to my heart.

And if we're in DeLand, we must also make a stop at Rodeo Whip for the best ice cream in the world.

We sure do miss Mike, and our infrequent trips to our favorite ice cream place always remind us of him.

We can chart our kids' growth by the Rodeo Whip sign!  God's faithfulness shines as we look at how He grew us during our four  years in this little town, using a sweet little church and a whole bunch of incredible people who were willing to invest in a couple of college students from Arkansas.

Friends and Family

Last Saturday, we left the incredible McBrides and stopped by to see my college roommate's mom, Anne.  She welcomed us into her home with a delicious brunch.

 

Then we drove to the Wycliffe apartments in Orlando.  We're so grateful for a soft place to land and an apartment to use as a home base for the next few days while we drive around central Florida.

My cousin and his wife, who just got married the weekend before, are enjoying their honeymoon in Orlando, and they graciously joined us for taco salad and rousing game of Goatlords.  I could get used to seeing them every single weekend!

Next Stop...

...Pinellas Park, Florida.

Our dear friends, the McBrides moved since the last time we visited them.

They have added two beautiful grandchildren to their family,

and we enjoyed lots of toddler snuggles!

We spent time with their adult children in shifts because of those pesky work schedules, but we were so thankful for every single minute.

One of our favorite book series, "The Mysterious Benedict Society", just released a TV series.  We don't watch much TV, but we were super excited to enjoy the premier episode.  

We learned that one of the reasons that Barbara and James have mentored us so well is because Barbara is an Enneagram 9 (like me!) and James is an Enneagram 5 (like Aaron).  We share a lot of the same relationship challenges.

They took us to dip our toes in the Gulf, 

which delighted our ocean missing girls.

First stop...

 ...Birmingham, Alabama, to see friends that used to serve alongside us in a church in Arkansas.  We were thrilled to get out of the van after six hours on the road and to enjoy their hospitality (Mel was so kind to stock up on blueberries because she knew we missed them when we were overseas!).

The next day we drove a little more than five hours to visit our official adopted family from our college days.

They've been in Tallahassee for a long time, and every time we come through town, they graciously open their home, dive into thoughtful conversations, and make us feel like family.

On the Road Again...

Once again, our family has hit the road.  Our kids love the trip shoeboxes...family set of color changing tumblers and travel games and chocolate covered almonds only make appearances on the road.

We started back to school with only one student in the Choate Homeschool Academy.  This was the picture that went on social media:  all smiles and excitement for Algebra.  But the reality was more like this picture:

Big sister enjoying her graduation status while little sister begins solving for X.

The girls and I also embarked on the "Sweet Summer" journal on the Fruit of the Spirit from Risen Motherhood, one of my favorite new resources.

Olivia is getting some time at the steering wheel as she prepares to launch to college.  Aaron used his break from driving to stuff our prayer cards into envelopes and slap address labels and stamps on them.  Be looking for our updated cards in the mail soon!

Fireflies

Fireflies evoke memories of running around in the dark summer night, cupping my hands to hold the delicate shimmering creature.  I still find joy in watching these brilliant beetles light up the evening, and I'm loving all of the books, both fiction and non-fiction, filling up our book basket these days.

 Silent Sparks: The Wondrous World of Fireflies by Sara Lewis

Fireflies by Sally M. Walker

Fireflies in the Dark: The Story of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis & the Children of Terezin by Susan Goldman Rubin

F is for Fireflies: God's Summertime Alphabet by Kathy-Jo Wargin

Fireflies at Midnight by Marilyn Singer

Firefly Mountain by Patricia Thomas

The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle

Fireflies! by Julie Brinckloe

When Lightning Comes in a Jar by Patricia Polacco

Leo the Lightning Bug by Eric Drachman

Fathers' Day Weekend

Father's Day weekend found us taking what is likely our last road trip as a family of six.  Sarah and Benjamin took Friday off work and drove down to join us.  We discovered Chemin-A-Haut State Park 

with its trails and bayous and fireflies and chiggers.

 

Saturday morning, we piled into the van again to drive a few more hours to my cousin's wedding and a mini family reunion.

Those Schalchlins are special people.  Even if I weren't biased, they would still be some of my favorites.  

Jesus loving, book reading, joke telling, hymn singing kind of people.

The day after the wedding was Father's Day.  I knew when I married Aaron that he would be a very good daddy.  I just had no idea how good.  

He is patient and wise, godly and committed to his children.  A beautiful example of our heavenly Father.

Sunday morning, we joined our sweet friends, the Hibbards, at their church which was just a short drive from the cabin.  On the way to church, we got a text asking Aaron to preach because Ann was taking Doug to the emergency room.

So in addition to the gift of all the kids sitting on the same pew and singing together, we also got to enjoy one of the best sermons I've ever heard my hubby preach.

Our time with the Hibbards was short and sweet, 

but oh, how good it felt to hug Ann's neck again.

Our young adults spent six hours on the road, three days in a row, and they didn't have time to dilly dally in getting back to their homes.  So we waved them out of the driveway, and then got to see their faces one more time

when Sarah discovered she left her flip flops in our van and had to turn around and come back.  The vehicle slowed just enough for me to hand her the shoes and blow a kiss, then our fabulous weekend really was finished.

Berry Picking

I can NOT get enough berries.  Every time we come back to Arkansas, I indulge in berry picking and reading books about berries and cooking all of the berry recipes I can find.

We've never picked at Wye Mountain berry farm before, and we invited some orchestra friends to join us.  What a sweet morning!  We came home with plenty to eat and plenty to freeze, and I anticipate going back again before the season finishes.