Whirlwind Weekend!

 

Whirlwind Weekend is now behind us.  Our eldest son, Austin, graduated in a beautiful ceremony for which Rick and I were responsible.  There were a few snags, but the evening turned out to be very rewarding for the 145 graduates and their family and friends.  They felt loved, celebrated and prayed for! So worth it, in my humble opinion, to put on a grand celebration for homeschool graduates!  A homeschool graduation is a day to celebrate the parents who chose this often difficult educational route, the mama who toiled endless hours in subjects she’s not all that familiar with, the siblings who were right there in the thick of things and of course, the graduate who survived.  This child in particular, caused more prayer hours in my life…. so far….. please read the previous post to learn why we are so proud of him!

After cleaning up the church and scrambling home by 11:00p.m., we slept for four short hours and then jumped in the van to drive 17 hours to a wedding in Oklahoma.  Son number two has had his driving permit for one week…. no, not even.  Five days.  F I V E.  So we endured a few white-knuckled hours of experience for him during extremely uneventful stretches of flat highway across the top of Texas and Oklahoma.  How can he be allowed to drive?  He was chubby and cute and three years old just a few months ago???

The wedding was beautiful…. truly… as beautiful as a wedding can be.  Our daughter was one of the bridesmaids and it was such a joy to experience the love between the young couple starting their new life together! And blast it all, I didn’t take one picture of the couple together!

In the fairytale setting there was a fairytale swing… one of the tallest I’ve ever seen.  Nora had a few moments of terror after the ceremony.  Her scared belly laugh makes me giggle.  It’s the laugh she can’t hold in… throaty and deep.  I love it!

Above all, I’m glad to be home.  Home sweet messy home.

 

GOTCHA Day!

November 25th was Nora’s Gotcha Day.  We have had our little Colombian princess for one year now!  Hard to believe!  We celebrated in style…. purple style…. and ate Domino’s pizza… because that is where we ate in Cali the night we received Nora. 

We spent time going through her Colombian box that contains all the items and clothing she brought with her from her homeland.  We gave her a beautiful handmade dress from Cali, as well as a few American gifts… that were purple!

For two years I have been working on my third book…. Nora’s Story… her lifebook.  I was impatiently waiting for all the info during the first year… and then trying to find time to put it in the book this last year.  It tells the story of her life from the day she was born.  I’m once again so thankful that we took a day to go up to LaCumbre, the sleepy little town where she was born.  We were able to get a copy of the hospital report from that precious day… and it had priceless details on it that we would have never been able to give to her! Also included in her lifebook are copies of her birth certificates, her citizenship certificate and pictures of her foster family. 

After reading the lifebook, we watched the videos that were taken in Colombia.  It made us miss our sweet friends that we met in Colombia.  We all cried again as we watched ourselves crying tears of joy when we got her.  Awesomeness, for sure!  It was interesting for her to watch, because she only spoke Spanish then.  She was quite shocked at her behavior, which is a good sign!!!  She said, “I wasn’t a very good example then!” and “I talked a LOT!” and “I wasn’t very nice, was I?”  What do you say to that?!?  No, Honey, you weren’t, but we loved you anyway! 

We ended the evening by lighting sparklers and running around the backyard screaming like little girls.  Great fun!  Nora made us a darling card that said, “Thank you for adopting me!” and lots of other terms of endearment.  She is such a thoughtful little girl!  I told my husband later that night that I didn’t expect to hear her say thank you for adopting her until she was 35.  :o)  It’s been a year of blessing!  Thank God for our little girl!

Happy 50th Anniversary, Dad and Mom! (Wow!)

Please join me in wishing my parents, Ed and Grace, a Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary today!   Wooo hooo!  Yes, they were 13 and 12 when they got married. They are superb parents who have an impressive parenting resume with only a few mishaps, entirely at the fault of my siblings.  I was the child who ran around at 3 years old yelling, “I be good!  I be good!” and haven’t caused a day of heartache since.  :o)  (Fortunately for me, Mom and Dad can’t remember anything different.)

My dad lived up to his nickname, Steady Eddie.  I don’t know if that actually was his nickname, but he did live up to it nonetheless.  He is easy going, level headed, kind hearted, a Mr. Fix-It, has a great dry sense of humor, and cries at long-distant telephone commercials.  He has supplied his three children and their spouses with wisdom and a Godly example that we’ve all depended on.  Plus he’s kept Mom happy for over 50 years.  If that isn’t amazing in this day and age, please tell me what is.

Mom has been the life of the party, whether she wanted to be or not.  She has provided us with laughs and love and learning all the days of our lives.  We have fond memories of her orange, polyester karate outfit, her jazzy piano playing of Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy and her attempts at beating her children in fierce games of Scrabble.  She knows more two letter Scottish, Burmese and Taiwanese words than Mr. Webster.  She is a talented artist, home decorator and fashion shopping guru.

My siblings and I were truly blessed by being raised by these fine folks.  Thanks, Mom and Dad.

What else happened in 1958, you ask?  Let me expound:

The U.S. Army inducted Elvis Presley, transforming The King Of Rock & Roll into U.S. private #53310761

President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Alaska Statehood Act into United States law.

First International House of Pancakes (IHOP) opened in Toluca Lake, Calif.

The U.S. Congress formally created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Instant noodles went on sale for the first time.

The first successful American satellite, Explorer I, was launched into orbit.

Edward Nikander married Gracie Chauncey in a cheery, Valentine-decorated ceremony in Vancouver, BC.  The bride wore an off the shoulder gown with netted layers with v-shaped trim.  The groom sported a trim, white dinner jacket.  The couple honeymooned at the first motel they found that didn’t have weeds.  (If the establishment doesn’t take care of the grounds, imagine what the rooms must look like! ~ Mom’s lesson #47)