New York

Geoff had some meetings this week in New York, and last week on the way home from Idaho he and Tennie decided to make it a Daddy/Daughter trip. They took off last Friday and Tennie came home Tuesday. They packed in lots of good times.

It was beautiful and sunny and cold. They hit the Waldorf in honor of Eloise.

Over the days they walked a hundred miles around the city, exploring neighborhoods and cafes and the nooks and crannies of Manhattan.

  

They took a ferry around the Statue of Liberty and explored the immigration museum on Ellis Island.

They sampled The Met, which is all you can really do unless you have a week!

They sent a text while there, pictures of them in front of many of the great European artists. In response to the Van Gogh photos I mentioned wishing I could see Geoff looking at those, and how I could imagine him soaking up the paintings (he LOVES Van Gogh). Tennie immediately sent this picture. I love Geoff's love of things, and I love that Tennie captured it.

 

And I love Tennie's love of diverse things, big things, messy things, loud things and expansive things. While she would be equally as at home in the Amazon or the wild wilderness or a village in Africa, New York is a good fit too! She loved everything about it, again.

They hit Cafe Lalo, a place Geoff and I went when dating.

And they saw The Lion King.

And they went to night Jazz clubs and found a favorite little underground venue that they can't wait to show us.

They split ways and Tennie made her way to the airport for home and Geoff stayed for meetings, a short trip to D.C. and got home last night.

New York never disappoints.

Valentine's Day

Last year as we traveled from Thailand to New Zealand we flew right past February 14th. Yep, skipped the whole day. So this year we wanted to make this day of LOVE count.

Lately we've had a lion's share of contention around here. With Valentine's Day coming up, Geoff and I determined we needed to change the dynamic and reconnect and remember how much we like each other! We used to have little mailboxes near our bedrooms, and we would leave nice notes the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day, but the last few years that tradition sort of fell by the wayside. Besides, Geoff and Tennie were going to be in New York (more on that later) the week before, so leaving notes didn't involve all of us. Geoff had the idea of sending a text everyday, a text to each person saying something you loved about them. So starting last Thursday we starting sending love texts. Here is a sample of a few of them from this past week:

   

   

  

   

    

And of course the contention faded out as the love poured in. Ceci exclaimed in a text that she didn't want it to end, that she looked forward to turning her phone on to see what nice things others had written! This may be the beginning of a new tradition as we all spread out in different directions.

Our plants have all been looking a little sorry too. Maybe they were absorbing all of the negative energy around here. So a couple weeks ago I put the word LOVE on every plant in the house, just to see what would happen. (Based on the water experiment by Masaru Emoto where the word LOVE was taped to some water, which in turn created beautiful patterns in the water.) One of Adele's succulents finally bloomed some flowers! And the others seem to be doing well too! Even the word LOVE has positive effects!

This morning Ceci said she wanted to stay home to celebrate Valentine's Day. She remembered as a child (during our homeschooling years) having tea parties and reading and writing poetry on Valentine's Day. I completely forgot that tradition! Maybe we'll weave that in next year.

The girls all got a couple Valentine's surprises with their German pancake with berries and cream breakfast.

And Geoff sent pink roses from the road for all of us girls. 

It was a perfect, abundant holiday of LOVE around here.

Lucie's Baptism

This past weekend we took a road trip to Meridian, Idaho for our niece and cousin Lucie's baptism. Bits of families also made the trip, caravaning and switching up cars to make the five-hour drive go more quickly. Geoff and I stayed at a nearby hotel, while the girls, who in their youth can thrive with a night sleep on the floor, slept at Geoff's sister Ingrid's home with cousins. As is typical when we gather with Geoff's family, we didn't see the girls much!

Lucie is a very unique little human. She is 100% her own person; dancing to the strong beat of her own fantastical music. She is quirky and full of surprises, like doing a little dab in her baptism pictures. (And on Sunday at the pulpit when the bishop called her up.)

Her brother TK baptized her and it was lovely all around. There was so much love in that room, Geoff's mom present from the other side. It was beautiful.

After the baptism there may have been a little bit of rough-housing between Geoff and Tate...

Before the baptism we had a big celebratory lunch. I loved how the younger cousins carefully approached the chairs at the table where the big kids were sitting, hoping they wouldn't be turned away. They weren't. The older cousins are so good to their small admirers.

From the baptism we zoomed to Taeya's dance competition. Wow those are long! But we saw her perform twice, which was a treat. She is very talented. While waiting we hung out in the venue's hall.

In her final dance she was dressed as an old man. It was so fun.

After the quick,family and spirit-filled weekend we made the trip back home wishing it could have stretched on for a few more days.

January Wrap-Up

January was a quiet month overall. Adele had her birthday, and we had appointments and small commitments sprinkled here and there, but for the most part it was blessedly uneventful.

Tennie came home every weekend for one reason or another. One of those weekends, Adele's longest-time friend, Nina, was with us. We had a big snow storm and there was big fort building.

Notice Nina holding a restaurant mint. I'm pretty sure they ate a couple bags of those, burning their tongues raw. They had even gone through the drive-through at Cafe Rio asking only for a bag of mints, which they got! (For free!)

This last weekend Tennie and a friend came for the Sundance Film Festival. I didn't get any pictures of them, but Geoff, Adele and Ceci went to the showing of a movie in Park City, which had a little more fanfare as well as famous people. They met Seane Corn, a well-known yoga instructor, who talked to them for about 10 minutes. I do some of her yoga videos at home, and I like her even more now that I hear about her niceness.

They also met Miss Sundance. The Sundance Festival has a Miss Sundance? Who knew? She was really a cool, genuine person though.

Geoff and Ceci spent five days at the same home Adele, her friends and I went to for her birthday. They skied and watched movies and played games and read books and hung out, just the two of them.

Ceci, Adele and Geoff have been getting some treatments, including massages, for tight neck and back muscles caused by their car crash a month ago. Luckily it is nothing serious, just bad enough to qualify for some massages!

I wrapped up the month snowshoeing in Park City with two great friends from our Redmond, Washington days, Ashely (Nina's mom) and Heidi. So beautiful and such great company!

What's Next

After doing sales and project management for several years before getting married, I was ready to leave it all and become a full-time mother. That led into a full-time homeschooling mother, which required more sacrifice than I ever thought I was capable of! And looking back, those were the most magical and rich years of my life. After the girls were in school for a couple years we pulled them back out to travel. This year Tennie left home for college, Adele got her driver's license (a.k.a. wings to fly) and Ceci is fully engaged with school and friends. And I'm asking myself, "what do I want to do with the rest of my life?"

It never occurred to me that the at-home, non-stop motherhood phase would end, or that I would be at a place where I would need to rediscover my interests. I'm not the same person I was 18 years ago. I feel like I have way too many skills to go get a job at some store in the mall, yet I feel unqualified for a "real" job, maybe lacking a little confidence because of my lack of consistent experience. And while mothering is demanding every day while children are growing up, it is also flexible and meaningful. What can possible be as rewarding?

I've been asking myself these questions since school started last fall, but I'm not quite ready to answer them. I feel like I want some time to work on some personal and family projects that I've wanted to get to for years. I want to take some time to really reconnect with myself. Thankfully, Geoff is very supportive of allowing me time to focus on myself. And I DO still have two children at home, even if they are out with friends more and more. I don't want anything to take away from quality time I can spend with them. But in less than five years when the house is empty, I want to be ready to fill that void with something meaningful, and I want to take my time contemplating and discovering what that something will be.

This year, in an effort to reestablish habits of self-care, I am meditating every morning for 30 minutes. This has been AMAZING so far! I'm hooked. I'm also trying to get back in shape, so I'm doing yoga three times per week, walking, hiking, snowshoeing, and I even got some rollerblades for Christmas! Meditation and yoga have interested me in chakras, the power of breathing, and working on the discipline of getting my mind to be in the same place as my body (which I assure you is a monumental feat!) I'm working on mindfulness, more effectively managing my emotions and understanding the body's power to heal itself, all wrapped up in my understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Having the time to slow down a bit to give myself this time is a tremendous gift. I am so grateful.

Geoff's dad and his wife, Robin, gave us and all of his siblings an emergency preparedness book for Christmas called The Prepper's Blueprint. As a family we are working on one chapter a month, having a call at the end of each month to return and report. Each chapter has a good chunk of stuff to do, but it's manageable. I have been wanting to get ourselves better prepared for a long time. We peeked in our 72-hour kits at Christmas and saw we had size 4 clothing in there! It is time to update! This family project is a commitment of time, and it is our priority this year.

Geoff and I have a personal goal to learn to live by a budget. I mean, we've always known about how much we spend and where it goes, but we want to learn to be more aggressively accountable for our money, and we're trying to teach the girls as we go. Maybe I'll write about that more in another post.

Adele and Ceci both want to become active in their talent agency again. They are old enough to invest a little more into developing skills. This is a fun diversion as well as good, quick money. We've spent the last few weeks doing what it takes to reengage, and hopefully they'll have some fun opportunities soon.

So while life on the surface feels still, there is a lot going on under the surface. It is the perfect place to be during these winter months!

Snapshot of Adele – Part 2

Adele is totally uncomfortable with me writing about her. She isn’t one who likes a lot of attention. But I want to capture this time in her life! 

Geoff’s family has a tradition that we have carried on in our family. On one’s birthday, during dinner, everyone goes around the table and says something they love about the birthday person. We all do it in our individual families, but we also do it over text, or when we gather. I’m going to include what family had to say about Adele on her 17^th birthday:

Brittany

Happy birthday darling Adele! You are the personification of pure goodness. Your desire to do what is right, awareness of others and their feelings, and selfless nature is inspiring to me. You are beautiful inside and out and I love your effortless style and grace. I would always choose to be around you and love telling stories, laughing and spending time with you. You bring light into every room you walk into and I truly admire the woman you are! I love you sweet Delo!

Ingrid

I love all the things Britt said about you, Adele! And I love your genuine kindness to little kids and babies. I love your artistic talents and flair. I love your adorable handwriting. I love how much you love to be together with family. I love your good ideas and your commitment to follow through on them. I love your desire to make a difference and change the world. I love your wisdom and ability to assess situations. I love you so much, Adele, and hope you are filled to overflowing with how much this family adores you!!!

Ian

Happy Birthday Del!! You are awesome in so many ways. You are thoughtful and always mindful of others. You have a great eye for beautiful things and you are an amazing artist. You are funny and make others feel funny. It is always fun to be around you. Hope you have an incredible day turning 17!!

Erica

17 is crazy! I feel I just barely grew out of being 17. In some ways I can’t believe you are so old, and in others you have seemed so mature for so long that it seems like it’s about time that your age catches up to your soul.  You are wise and kind and thoughtful and creative and socially exceptionally talented. You bring people together in significant ways and are a remarkable power for good. You are gentle and sensitive. I love you!  Happy Birthday!

Booch

Happy Birthday Adele! I love your personality so much! You are such and incredible human being, your smile is contagious, your heart is as big as the ocean, your soul is purely golden good, your joy for life shines through your eyes, your love for adventure is unmatched, your love for your family is adorable, and your talents flow from every part of your being. You are so much fun to be around and you have a way of making everyone you talk to feel so special. We are so grateful to be in your family and honored to be able to watch you grow as a beautiful young lady. We hope this is your best birthday and your most amazing year yet. Love you always! Happy birthday!

Lucie (cousin)

Happy birthday Adele!!!! Also, this is Lucie ‘yo!

Nikki

Happy happy birthday, Delo!!!! I love SO many things about you! I love how much you invest in people. You love fully and unconditionally and fiercely! You prioritize people and experiences over everything else. I love how special and appreciated and awesome you make me feel every single time I come to your house or you see me. You really know how to make people feel like a million bucks! I love how thoughtful and kind and sensitive you are, and how you’d do anything or give anything in the world for anyone else. I love how passionate are about helping people and how determined and resourceful you are at finding ways to help people. I love how adventurous and fearless you are when you travel. You are one amazing chickadee and I am so grateful to be in your family. I love you so much. Happy day, sweet 17!

Poppop

Happy Birthday Adele. You are really a unique individual. It’s been a great privilege to watch you grow up and to be a part of your life. Thanks for your kindnesses and love. You have so many talents and great gifts. I hope and pray you feel good about the way you use them in your life.

  

Me

Adele has had many family and personal trials, all of which she has pushed through with such admirable grit and determination. She pushes, sometimes for years and years, without giving up, and has come through stronger and better for it.

Ceci

Adele is always really quick to apologize. Or if she sees that her mood or behavior is affecting another’s in a negative way, she is quick to change and say sorry.

There are some obvious themes through everyone’s kind words. I’ll let those speak for themselves.

But a few more things:

Adele loves lists – lists of things she wants to learn, do, tasks or any other possible list of something!

Adele loves little books and journals to practice lettering, drawing or to make lists and calendars.

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Adele LOVES plants.

Adele receives love by getting small, thoughtful gifts or notes. One time, a few years ago, she asked if she could give me some money so I could buy things and leave them on her pillow. Mental note taken. I didn’t take her money, but she gets small surprises on her bed often.

She also leaves very kind notes, or notes of apology frequently.

Adele adores our cat Mila.

She always has a candle burning in her room. And she always smells good.

Adele is not a time-waster. She likes to be DOING stuff.

In summary, to know Adele is to love her.