QUESTION OF THE WEEK

I'VE GOT 
LONE STAR LOVE
by Emily Stutsman
Movies As Literature Student

"There's something about traveling that unlocks the brain. It gets you out of your routine, it shows you a different way of life, the jet lag puts you in a creative fog." -Nathan

The summer I was 13 years old, as well as when I was 14, I traveled out to Texas. I rode in a truck with a trailer escorted by Ms. Bobbi Williams. I was so excited because it was my first time really being away from home for a long period of time. Another reason for my excitement was there, I would meet eight-time NFR team roping champion, Speed Williams (Ms. Bobbi's son).

We drove for 14 hours straight, all the way to Texas. When Ms. Bobbi and I arrived in that Lone Star state, we had to stop at Tony Bracin’s house and let the horses out to stretch their legs. His house was on a 2,000-acre ranch. It was the most beautiful, breath-taking place I had ever seen. It had cows freely grazing in huge green fields and a river running through the acreage. I plan to move near Fairfield, Texas when I have my career set. 

 
We were finally on our way to Speed's house in Llano. The minute we got there, it was all busy, busy, busy. I have always loved staying busy, so there I was, in heaven! We always had ropings to go to or horses to be worked! To this day, those two summers have been the best summers I have ever experienced and I praise God that I was able to do it. Texas is by far my most favorite place to be!

If you have a favorite place where would it be??

Are We There Yet?

I still remember asking that as a child amongst five other siblings, who inquired just as persistently and random as the last one. My poor parents... they did all the planning, preparing and packing, while we pecked away at them with that age-old question, all the way to our destination. The answer was always the same - "almost."

Now that I'm a parent, I see the torment that accompanies this simple scenario. Your innocent, loving children, with adventure in their hearts, sitting in the back seat, dreaming of what their destination will be like. Will it be wide open and spacious? Not like that of the car for the last 17 hours. Will they have to share anything? Maybe their siblings will somehow disappear into thin air. Will they be allowed to run like the wind with no boundaries and curfews in this new utopia?

On the contrary! My mind is conjuring up ways to keep them close, safe and protected in our new and strange environment. If they could read my mind as we come to the end of our journey, their dreams might be shattered. Now, don't get me wrong... I have a bit of a wild spirit myself and thrive on new adventures but my nature as a mother is to err on the side of caution.

So, what's the deal? Why do children feel the need to ask such an annoying question over and over? If they had any brains in their heads, they'd leave us alone and just let us drive. After all, when we get there, we get there. On the other hand, why do we as parents, beat around the bush when it comes to answering? If we were smart, we would calculate the miles on a GPS and give them an ETA. Surely this would stop the unnecessary badgering.

I've tried both ways and believe me, none of it works. No matter how vague or precise the answer, we still hear the questioning again and again. Kids have a kind of radar in their heads, constantly looking for a beacon from you to locate everything from the flight plan to when the plane will land and we are their air traffic control tower.

Not much has changed since I was that kid in the back seat of my dad and mom's 1971 Ford Country Squire station wagon. I've been asking Jesus the very same question. I have radar in my heart and I'm constantly looking for direction from my Strong Tower. I feel like my life is far from over with many more miles to travel but are we there yet?

What are your thoughts?
Cyberpsalmist - Chrissy Larson

YOU ASK, WHERE HAVE I BEEN?

Well, if you have a minute or two, I'll tell you. I've been packing, unpacking, and doing laundry!

After my last blog entry, I left for Orlando and attended the FPEA Homeschool Convention with my two youngest kids, Garrett and Lily. The seminars were fabulous and every type of book, curriculum, kit, and computer product was at my fingertips; each vendor ready to swipe my credit card.

When the convention ended, we were off to the University of Central Florida, Orlando, where the three of us attended an incredible science camp, hosted by Aurora Lipper of Supercharged Science. There Garrett and Lily worked on making robots, lasers, roller coasters and various chemical mixtures, including the combination of diet cola and Mentos. The rest is messy history. (See the photos in a previous post.)

Three days after we came home, I was on a plane for Kansas City. Not only did I get to hang out with my daughter who lives there as a prayer missionary with the International House of Prayer, I attended a very hands-on Worship Symposium. Our class had about 35 participants with 11 nations of the world represented. God truly unifies His people through worship.

The next week, after I arrived home, my summer taxi service began. Lily started Apron's Cooking School (in the chefs hat on far right) with Publix, where she created full meals from Monday through Friday. It included Italian, Asian, Mexican, and American cuisine. The doggy bags were fantastic. (Read the article and watch the video in the recent post.)

The next week we went back and forth from the Cummer Art Museum, where Lily had a very enriching experience with everything from clay and painting to paper mache. I think I finally satisfied her creative hunger as she showed no signs of boredom.

In the meantime, Garrett started getting involved with Boy Scout Troop 252. This has been the best thing for him, being the outdoorsman that he is. They camp on a regular basis, and are constantly working on merit badges, which is now consuming his time instead of other mindless activities. One of the things his troop did to raise money for camp this year was pick hundreds of gallons of fresh blueberries in Georgia. I've never seen this active child so tired!

It was all worth it though. The following week, the troop headed to North Carolina for one week of Boy Scout Camp fun. The adventure spirit in him was (temporarily) satisfied and he came home dirty and tired.

Just before he left, Lily and my husband took off for Wisconsin where they went on an "Old Home Tour." She had been asking her dad about his upbringing, her deceased as well as living relatives, and the old homestead in Wisconsin. Instead of telling her the details, he decided that showing her would be more meaningful. The trip was intricately put together by the Lord as their steps were perfectly ordered. On the plane ride home, she leaned over to her daddy and said, "This is a trip I'll never forget. Thanks, Dad."

If you haven't figured it out by now, I had exactly one week to myself. I slept in, watched movies, read until I couldn't, cleaned, did laundry and hurt my knee. That reduced my activity to more self-pampering, which included a pedicure before they all came home.

Lily was home for one night and left for 4-H camp the next week. Garrett left for a youth camp in Kansas City four days later. 18 days away from home is a long time, but I know the Lord will encounter him as he attends the Awakening Teen Camp, designed especially for this age group. (Plus the fact that he will get to chill with his sister, who is a counselor there.)

Lily is home for now but starts Sewing Camp on Tuesday. There she will learn the basics as well as make a pair of pajama pants. Garrett comes home in August, just in time for Boy Scouts to resume.

I look forward to having everyone together again but have to say, while taking a huge breath, I am forever grateful to the Lord for the opportunities He has given us. Compared to others, this has truly been the most enriching summer of all. We have enjoyed meeting new friends along with going to different places. Our hearts are full and our memories are forever.

I just wish I could keep up the laundry all of this has created!

How about you? Tell me about your summer . . .

Question of the Week

What happened on the best day of your summer vacation?

On the best day of my summer vacation, I woke up and there were no kids in my house.

My oldest son has been married over three years now but sometimes when I go into his old room, I still imagine he is in there (sleeping). I used to sit down on his bed and annoy him by slurping coffee in his ear until he woke up.

My first daughter is now at IHOP Kansas City for an internship but her room is still high voltage. Even though she is not around to order my day and eat sushi with me, her sister, who still occupies the room, is. The evidence is unfolding as to who was the cause of the continuous mess in the room.

Both girls have vacated the premises... one in KC, the other is at camp for one solid week.

That leaves the youngest son home (although I tried my best to talk him into going to camp, knowing secretly, I’d have one week to myself. But no chance. He was looking for some solitude as well but never admitted it.

Until -- the phone call came! He was invited to spend a couple of nights at a friends and I was looking at getting a little over 48 hours to myself. I cheerfully released him to his friends house and as I was walking up my front steps, let out a “yea-high” that I’m sure my neighbors heard.

So you might wonder what I did with my 48 hrs? I meticulously scrubbed the guest bathroom. Not even the ants liked the bleachy smell. It sparkled so much that I needed sunglasses. After I was through, I walked past it on purpose, just to get extra glimpses of my hard efforts.

Shortly after that, I began packing my bags for a well-earned trip to Savannah, which included a self-guided walking tour of the river front and some historical stops as well as a reservation at “Lady & Sons” restaurant with new friends that God has recently put in my life.

The fellowship was fantastic, the food was fabulous, the walking was wonderful, and the shopping was just too short.

When I returned home, the first thing I wanted to do was see my kids (hubby too.) It's true, I missed them the whole time. But I sure did have some guilt-free fun while they were gone!

A Three Hour Tour

So Long, Sweet Civilization!

Our family had a fabulous time camping this weekend, tubing down a 73 degree, spring-fed river. We all love snorkeling so we were out of our tubes more than we were in them. The park is called Ichetucknee Springs State Park and I highly recommend you visit if ever in the area. There are several options as far as the length of your journey. We had all day so we chose the three hour trip and started in at the headwater. With nothing else to do but daydream and enjoy the surroundings, I had time for a little rear-view reflecting.

Do any of you remember the 60's sitcom "Gilligan's Island?" I hurried home from school just to get in my best TV watching position, making sure all my after school chores were done so that my mother didn't even consider calling my name during that half hour of my life.

The show focused around the adventures of seven stranded castaways and their attempt to survive. They were shipwrecked on an uncharted desert island hoping to escape.

I don't know why the shows fans loved it so much as each episode went the same way... visitors unexpectedly came to the island, the castaways did everything imaginable to earn or bribe their way to a rescue, and then Gilligan would always screw something up in the last five minutes of the show so that they were stuck there until we could revisit them again the next week.

Those who watched were dedicated. We talked about it the following day at school. Life would be so good if only they got off that blasted island! But then why would we watch? I finally figured out that it was a ploy to control my life. (At my age, my mom didn't have the nerve to let me in on the advertiser's little secret.) I must have watched all 98 episodes. When the sponsors finally decided to call the show quits, they made three movie sequels which rescued them and brought them back to civilization.

As in the words to the theme song, " No phone, no lights, no motor cars; not a single luxury. Like Robinson Crusoe; as primitive as can be," I use to wonder what that kind of existence would really be like. Presently, it would mean no cell phone, email, blog, TV and certainly no Nintendo for the kids. Wow!

That pretty much describes our weekend and we didn't miss any of it. Days were spent hugged by the shores of a pristine aquifer that never ceased releasing waters from it's source, the Blue Hole Spring. Nights consisted of smoky fires, S'mores and endless rounds of hide-n-seek with kids from surrounding campsites. None of our cellphones had a signal and I also forgot to charge the DVD player before leaving so we played "Spoons" every night with the kids. The weekend ended by exchanging addresses with new found friends.

Although we weren't stranded like the castaways, we truly enjoyed our primitive weekend. The stale ice cream sandwich from the corner store freezer tasted better, washing dishes on my picnic table was much more pleasant than filling the dishwasher, the coffee was tastier in a blue speckled enamelware cup, and the foam mattress felt even more comfortable than my Sealy Posturepedic!

That's Campin'

That's Campin'

One of my favorite hobbies is by far camping.

The first time I went camping was in High School which was about 35 years ago. Since that time, I have not had many opportunities to camp but it made a huge impression on me.

I think my favorite thing about camping is the way it seems to turn two days into four, three days into six and so on. My entire family enjoys the time we can spend with one another, leaving many of the "time-suckers" behind.

I have a saying that I like to use while out in the great outdoors. It covers everything from mishaps to celebrations. Just learn to say, "That's Campin'" and any situation can be rectified quickly.

With a little preparation and a good attitude at the start, it is very likely you will fall in love with camping as well.

Cyber Psalmist