Families are the compass that guide us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter. -- Brad Henry

Sunday, June 28, 2020

Blueberries


The heavy rains this spring brought a huge bounty of berries!  Our 5 plants in the back were at the peak for picking this weekend.  We grabbed our baskets and started to work.


Picking was slow at first, mainly because we were eating more than we saved.  But it didn't take long to see our baskets filling up. 


After all bushes were picked, we filled a gallon completely full.  Thank you, Lord, for the wonderful rains and the fruit of these delicious blueberries!

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Missing College Life

It's been wonderful seeing our older children more than expected these past three months.  I'm cooking bigger meals, we enjoy more family time, and the house just feels full again.  I don't mind the extra laundry so much, as it's worth the extra convrsations, smiles, and occasional hugs (when they let me).
  

While I know they enjoy home cooked meals and a supportive family environment, it's just not the same.  You can tell they miss their life, their identify, and their routines back at college.  There are subtle hints I'm slowly picking up on.  One will head off to a Starbucks or Panera for several hours to study instead of their room (on-line summer classes).  Another will get up early to go for a run, and be back, before my work alarm goes off.


New items are popping up on my grocery list, too.  Good thing I have a recipe that needs Ramen noodles! 😂😂

Sunday, June 14, 2020

Kayaking Jocassee

It was a beautiful morning to be outside, so we headed to the cool waters of Lake Jocassee.  After renting a few kayaks, life jackets, and paddles, we were on our way.


This early the lake is still and quiet. So peaceful.  We could hear the sound of our paddles stroking the water, the birds singing, and an occasional motor from boats in the distance.  This is what I needed after a hectic week.


The two kids were in one kayak, while Eric and I were in the other.  Our oldest couldn't join us.  Kayakers were to stay along the shoreline and not go past the bouys.  But it often became challenging, if not comical, trying to row in tandem and stay straight.  We got the hang of it eventually.


As the photographer in the family, I usually forget to capture one of me.  It was nice of the little one to volunteer.  We just forgot to tell her to wipe the water off the lens first.


Attempt #2 ... a selfie.  


Our destination was the waterfalls.  We took our time getting there since it was so enjoyable and relaxing.


Whenever we saw an opportunity that looked fun, we stopped.  I don't think they were all designated as "jump" spots, but we made them into that anyway. 


With only a 2 hr rental, the distance yet to arrive at the falls, and having to paddle against the wind to get back, we contemplated what to do next.


The family decided to head back.  We're definitely going to plan this again, and for a longer rental next time.  Maybe bring some snacks, too.  Fun outing!

Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Awards Day

Awards Day was drastically different this year.  Like most events, it was done virtually.  Our 7th grader was eagerly watching to see which award she received.  Not all the students had their cameras on, but for those who did, it was interesting to see how many parents had tuned in with them.  I think our little one was the only lucky teenager to have BOTH parents watching!  😂😂😂  Such is the life of the youngest child.


The teachers did a fantastic job making the best of the situation.  They really missed their students and made an intentional effort to call out each award recipient by name to give them their "moment" in the spotlight and say a few words.  


Since the school shutdown hit over a weekend, none of the students had cleared out their lockers that Friday before.  Just imagine those lunch boxes left behind since March!  The school staff had the unfortunate task of cleaning everything out and putting in labled bins.  Then on pickup day, the students drove by the school in a car line to pick up their belongings, recieve their physical awards, obtain yearbooks, and return any uniforms, instruments, library books, or other school property.  Plus, they got to give a socially distant "hello" to the teachers.  


Way to go, sweet girl!  You worked hard this year and I'm super proud of you!

Sunday, May 24, 2020

Certified Scuba Divers

There has been a lot of talk, but not much action.... until last week.  Eric and Luke have talked about getting their Open Water Scuba Dive Certification for a while.  This certification requires several steps including classroom learning, pool skills testing, fitness evaluation, and successive dives over multiple weekends.  The certification takes an average person four months to complete.  With busy weekends, this was difficult to fit into both of their schedules.  That is why there was talk about doing this but no action.

With school out and vacation available, Eric and Luke finally got it done in 4 days.  The first day was online learning while the second day was classroom training.  Here is Eric testing his scuba gear.  The equipment weighs about 40 lbs. 


The third day consisted of three training dives in Lake Jocassee since the swimming pools are not open with the virus.  The first two training dives were shallow in only 10 feet of water.  The third dive was a little deeper at 20 feet.  The training dives tested skills such as water in their mask, the mask falling off their face, a lost air regulator, a safe buddy assent, and an out-of-air emergency surface event.  The air temperate at the mountain lake was 72°F and the water temperate at the surface was 65°F.  Here is a picture of the guys at the lake geared up and ready for their training dives. 



The fourth and final training dive tested all of the skills again, plus a new skill of a diver safety stop.   After this dive, the two were offically certified.  Next, the two went on an exploratory dive with the instructor at a depth of about 60 feet.  The water temperature was much colder and the visiblity wasn't great, so the group didn't stay down there too long.

Certified Diver is now added to their resume. Great job, guys!

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Family Videos

This spring, I've buried myself into a project I've needed to do for some time...convert my old VHS and VHS-C tapes into digital media.  
  


I found a converter on Amazon that was a little more expensive than I wanted to spend, but the reviews were good.  I wasn't disappointed.  The unit and all its components arrived perfectly intact and working great!  I had about 30+ VHS-C tapes to convert and 10 VHS tapes.  I took some days off work and decided to get this project done. Below are the links for family members wanting to view on-line.

Memories captured when I was growing up:


       Family Home Movies Vol 1 (c. 1970-1975) 27:25 min
       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYgfWW-wCNk

       Family Home Movies Vol 2 (c. 1975) 
5:04 min
       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzzds7IKyfk

       Family Home Movies Vol 3 (c. 1975-1976) 
27:34 min
       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkgbQJCsR6g

       Family Home Movies Vol 4 (c. 1977) 
21:51 min
       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72-zkAgrXuw

       Family Home Movies Vol 5 (c. 1978) 
6:05 min
       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h-Q1pV1ZlE


Memories of our wedding:

       Eric & Dana’s Wedding Vol 1 (1995) 
27:35 min
       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnVkCkb-wWE

       Eric & Dana’s Wedding Vol 2 (1995)
 4:14 min
       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UsFwYinIoU


Memories with just our first child:

       Ashlyn @ 0-3 mo. (Winter 1996) 
30:25  min
       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sz0kPYhYqQY

       Ashlyn @ 3 mo (February 1997) 
2:51 min
       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_3MqOV24aM

       Ashlyn @ 6-9 mo. (Spring/Summer 1997) 
26:05 min
       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMymbYelE_k

       Ashlyn @ 12-18 mo (Fall 1997/Spring 1998) 25:26 min
       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_BkWUwbrPw

       Ashlyn @ 2 yrs (Summer 1998/Fall 1999) 18:33 min
       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw76W2PDx_I


Memories with our first and second child:

        Luke @ 0-12 mo; Ashlyn @ 3-4 yrs (October 1999/October 2000) 
30:02 min
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61qObCK9EZE

        Luke @ 12-18 mo; Ashlyn @ 4 yrs (Fall 2000/Spring 2001) 
17:15 min
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3av0IZzrnPQ

        Luke @ 2 yrs; Ashlyn @ 5 yrs (May 2001/January 2002) 
21:47 min
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mijy17_qRXM

        Dana's Skydive Jump (April 2002) 
8:15min
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jgN4iJ4WQI

        Luke @ 2-3 yrs; Ashlyn @ 5-6 yrs (Spring 2002/Spring 2003) 
30:06 min
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixbGps7-1M8

        Luke @ 3 yrs; Ashlyn @ 6 yrs (Spring 2003) 7:58 min
        
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AE8oJd7tFg

        Luke @ 4-5 yrs; Ashlyn @ 7-8 yrs (Fall 2003 - Spring 2005)  29:45 min

        Luke @ 5 yrs; Ashlyn @ 8 yrs (Spring 2005) 2:37 min
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS-Py0cDu00


Memories with all three children:

        Julia 0-3 mo; Luke 6-7 yrs; Ashlyn 9-10 yrs (Fall 2005 - Spring 2007) 25:29 min
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNu8CnMxsK8

        Julia 3-15mo; Luke 7-8 yrs; Ashlyn 10-11 yrs (Spring 2007 - Spring 2008) 24:40 min
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS-Py0cDu00

        Julia 15-24 mo; Luke 8-9; Ashlyn 11-12 (Spring 2008 - Summer 2009) 30:21 min

        Julia 2 yrs; Luke 9 yrs; Ashlyn 12 yrs (Fall 2009) 12:33 min

        Julia 7 yrs; Luke 14 yrs; Ashlyn 17 yrs (Spring 2014) 16:54 min
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWczS3oS3RQ


I really enjoyed this project and am sad to see it end.  Those were such sweet moments in time when they were little.  I love them each day even more than the last, if it's possible, and I'm super proud of who they have become.  Although they would fight occasionally, they were friends more.  I pray they never stop supporting each other through life.  

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Quarantined, Part 4

As our community and nation begin to slowly open back up, we've been adjusting to what may become our "new normal".  We're wearing face masks to stores, going outside where there's lots of fresh air, and trying to keep holidays intact.  



First, we needed to get out.  We opted to do a family bike ride along the Doodle Trail since the Swamp Rabbit is usually crowded. We took one vehicle, dropped our son off first, then met him halfway to exchange keys.



It was such a beautiful day!  The ride used muscles I hadn't use in quite a while, but I really enjoyed getting out.



This picture is only to show that even with my "mom bike", I could still get ahead of them occasionally.  My basket and bell just made me look that much more awesome.



After the ride, our son picked us up along with treats from Arby's. A Jamocha shake sure hits the palate after burning a few calories!



I then opened "mom's hair salon" again.  I don't charge much except for a bit of their pride...I'm allowed to give them a hug and kiss and they can't fight me off.



May 5th fell during quarantine, a big celebration with my Texas roots.  One of the funniest Facebook posts was that Cinco de Mayo fell on Taco Tuesday but we can't celebrate because of a disease named Coronavirus. We decided to make homemade quesadillas and drink Corona beer.  I know, we're not original, but it was still fun. 


When restaurants started opening up, you could only eat on outside tables.  The kids were craving McAlister's Tea, so we met there over lunch.  Super delicious!


For Mother's Day, my son ordered me a special Army shirt that will arrive in a few weeks.  My oldest daughter took me to Panera, one of my favs!  The Little One made me a homemade card and poem that I absolultely love...


There's a little yellow note that says she'll buy me any item at Starbucks.  The cover was designed with outerspace, glitter for stars, and a black hole.  She knows me so well!


As I finish this last quarantine post, I'm hopeful things will be okay as we open our country back up. I miss my Catholic church and receiving the Eucharist (weekly YouTube just isn't the same), I miss giving hugs to people I haven't seen in a while (my youngest child is bearing the brunt of it all with my kisses), and I miss seeing smiles from random strangers (emoji masks are not a substitute).  But, we will get through this!