Degrees of Separation...

It's funny those things that bring us comfort in certain situations.

Let me start by saying that we are a family that does most everything together. We're not big on time apart. That's not to say that we never do things apart, but it is unusual. If you've been following my ramblings for any length of time you'll know that my husband and youngest son are now involved in the Boy Scouts. My husband becomes the official Scoutmaster of the troop on the 7th of July. Well, the Scouts have regular camping trips. So, between camping trips, business trips, Ladies' Weekend Retreats, etc., our time apart has increased a bit. While not exactly thrilled, it's been ok - we've adjusted pretty well.

This week was a bit different. My husband had a 3-day, 2-night stay at Boy Scout Camp. No big deal, except, this trip he took his pillow with him. Pretty insignificant detail, right? Well, not to me. Each and every time I walked into our bedroom it was glaringly obvious, by the absence of that pillow, that my husband wasn't home. But there's more...I am in the habit of holding my husband's pillow close all night long whenever he's away. Well, this time there was no husband, no pillow, and even no children as Abbey didn't even bunk with me like she usually does when Dad's away. I was tempted to bring our dog, Trudy up but stopped just short - Kenneth is adamant about not having the dog in our room, much less in our bed.

When considering the degrees of separation, this week ranked pretty close to the top for the reasons I mentioned above. Add to that very poor cell service at the camp so we didn't even talk on the phone for 24 hours (a record in our relationship) and I was missing Christopher, too. Even Darrell was gone half that time at his sister's home.

This is not intended to be a whine-fest. It's more of an observation from my point-of-view. I was amazed how that missing pillow affected me; how this particular separation was tougher than usual. Just goes to show that little things aren't always so little.

No matter what, though, I count my blessings and thank God knowing that my guys will be home today. The pillow back in its place on the bed and my husband right beside me.

Camp Old Indian

I'm a much happier mom this evening. Our family piled in the minivan this afternoon and hit the road to Camp Old Indian to see our youngest son, Christopher, at Boy Scout Camp.


It was a lovely drive and the weather, while on the hot side, was beautiful just the same. Abbey and I both snapped pictures of the sign you see here as soon as we parked.





Within a few minutes of our arrival I spotted a familar head of bright blonde hair and the lanky gait that could only belong to my son. Best of all, he had a big smile for me and then I got a big hug. It was the best greeting I could have hoped for. My son had missed me - a little - but more importantly, he was having a great time and learning so many things.

Here's a pretty typical picture of our ham, er, son.

For family night we got to watch the troops in a parade/march (I know this is not the right terminology - bear with me - I'm still new at this) and flag ceremony. Each troop provided food for their scouts and guests. We had a nice dinner of lasagna, bread, salad, cookies and brownies (no jokes). We were in a shaded area and the worst of the afternoon heat had passed so the temperature was rather pleasant. We ate at picnic tables scattered around the camp area and chatted with the kids and other parents. Many of the boys were tossing a Frisbee around and enjoying the free time after dinner. They are keeping pretty full schedules both day and evening.

We chuckled over having to carry bathroom tissue with us when it was time to 'go.' Each camp area was given two rolls - if they returned an empty core the camp would give them a 3rd roll. Now, granted, I'm looking at this from a female perspective, but I just don't see how 2 or 3 rolls of tp is going to be enough for all those scouts for an entire week!

After dinner we trekked up to the amphitheater for a presentation of Indian dances and history of the Cherokee Indians here in the upstate. It was a wonderful presentation. Before we knew it it was time to say goodbye and make our way home.

The next 3 days will be easier than the previous 3 for this 'mother hen' to handle. I've seen my son and he's happy and having a great time with the guys. I look forward to hearing a bunch of camp stories when he gets home this weekend. I'm so proud of my Boy Scout!

Mixed Bag

Father's Day 2009 - Great group, huh? Yep - and I'm proud to claim each and every one of them, plus one more. Our oldest son had to work Sunday morning so he wasn't with us, but we got together later in the day. The rest of us assembled Sunday morning for Father's Day at a local restaurant with a breakfast bar. As far as the food went, we've had better, but having (almost) everyone together made up for it. A very nice waiter snapped two pictures for us - a little blurry but better than nothing.

Christopher is experiencing life away from Mom and Dad this week. He's at Boy Scout camp and I really pray he's having a great time. We'll see him tomorrow evening when the families join their Scouts for dinner and a bit of Indian lore.

Can fat women go hiking? I never would have thought so before, but I think we're going to find out. I've been researching the topic recently (Due in part to our involvement with the Boy Scouts, my weight-loss journey and more attention to fitness and health in general, and the incredible locations near us - The north GA mountains, upstate SC and western North Carolina.). The idea has certainly gotten my attention and my interest. I just don't think that summer is the best time to explore this - at least not for me. I really don't like hot weather. As a native Floridian I've paid my dues in that department.

I hit a slight bump in the road as far as my weight this week. I was up 1.2 pounds at my weigh-in. On the bright side, I have been doing this long enough to know that a one pound shift in either direction really doesn't mean much. It was a caution flag, however, for me to pay more attention to the food choices I make. It's very easy to let one's guard down and fall back on old familiar habits.

In the news...

Seems our Governor is 'this close' to being listed as a missing person. An awful lot of attention over a fairly insignificant event. The man wanted a few days of solitude - that hardly means he is MIA. I don't believe for a moment that he was unreachable. I do believe he left instructions that he was not to be reached unless there was an emergency. Pretty normal stuff - even if you are a Governor.

North Korea and Iran - both still make me wary and uncomfortable. These are dangerous times we're living in. I don't think Iran will be able to get the toothpaste back in the tube, so to speak, where their citizens are concerned.

We're saddened by the DC Metro collision yesterday. We're currently planning our next Washington trip for later this year and the Metro has been a major factor in many of our decisions. We've been fans of the train since our first visit in 2003.

Well, that's more than enough rambling for today. Time to get some work done.

Have a great rest of the week!

Weighed Down

Feeling weighed down by my thoughts today. Don't really know why. There's nothing too dramatic going on. Just day-in day-out 'stuff' of life. Lots to be thankful for, a few things of concern. but overall just plain blessed.

Our church has a new Worship Director, Chris Roberts, and I've really enjoyed his posts via Twitter and his blog, www.ChrisRobertsBlog.com His post of 6/19 was a great reminder for me on the importance of sharing Jesus with others.

We're guiding youngest son in packing for his week-long Boy Scout camping trip. This will be great for him - not so much for me. We have older kids out on their own now so I'm certainly familiar with these 'firsts.' Doesn't matter - it's the same with each one - it's still tough no matter how many you go through. Oh my...I just glanced at my son, growing up so fast, then at a picture of him on our wall as a toddler and - well, better to focus on the packing. Time for mom stuff later - without the kids or even my blog 'watching.'

Changing gears now...
Tomorrow is Father's Day. We traditionally celebrate with all the kids (and grandkids) at breakfast. I really enjoy these get-togethers and couldn't ask for a better start to a day, be it Mother's Day, Father's Day, or any day. This year we have two new dads in our family; Rob and Josh. I hope they enjoy their first Father's Day as Dads. On a less-than-stellar note... I didn't get anything in the mail for my own father. I have no idea how that happened. You can bet I'll be making a call across the miles tomorrow morning with "Happy Father's Day" wishes to my dad.

Time to close for now. I understand we're on our way to Mast General Store downtown. Boy Scout (and Scoutmaster) heaven!

Happy Weekend, Happy Father's Day, just be Happy!

A Patch of Old Snow

A Patch of Old Snow is a poem of Robert Frost's. It reminded me of a tidbit of a story my husband told the children this evening. Many years ago, on our honeymoon to the NC mountains, I saw snow for the first time. The highlight (as far as my husband tells it) was that I fell on my backside. That's the only info our kids got out of that story. A quick ha-ha all around and we were on to the next topic.

What they didn't hear was how excited I was to see that patch of old snow. One might say I was as excited as a child, but a child wouldn't have all those years of longing to see snow built up. I, as a woman in my early 30's, did. They didn't know that this was my first trip to the mountains. The MOUNTAINS! MOUNTAINS! and SNOW! I was prepared; a heavy jacket borrowed from my mother-in-law and a quick stop at the local Wal-Mart for snow gloves and I could handle anything. Ken pulled off the road and out the door I ran to that patch of snow - and down I went - onto that patch of (slippery) snow! Needless to say my new husband was getting a good laugh from my exuberance.

I wish they could feel the crisp, cold air I remember from that day. See the way the sun was shining making everything appear to sparkle in its light. Feel the excitement at finally seeing something you'd waited all your life for. All of this on top of the joy of being a newlywed on a carefree adventure! The laughter, the love!

So, while it's true I did slip and fall in the snow, it was worth it!

For those of you who stuck around for all of this here's a treat...

-A Patch of Old Snow -
by Robert Frost

There's a patch of old snow in a corner
That I should have guessed
Was a blow-away paper the rain
Had brought to rest.

It is speckled with grime as if
Small print overspread it,
The news of a day I've forgotten--
If I ever read it.

What's Cooking? Earrings and Soap, Of Course!

My kitchen has been getting a workout lately but there's been no food in sight...

Abbey has been creating "Abbey's Treasures," a line of glycerin soaps she's been making and selling recently. You'll see samples in the rotating slide-show on the right. She's quite the entrepreneur particularly for an 8-yr old!

Last night I baked up a pair of earrings... Kenneth said they're great - if you're a hippie. I'm no hippie but I do like the fun and playful feel to them. The polymer clay was baked prior to the wire and earring parts being added. I enjoy the creative outlet jewelry making gives me. It was a nice transition from the loom-knitting once the weather got too warm to think about scarves!

It's not very fashionable but one of my favorite projects was decorating a vase filled with beach sand and mountain rocks from California that Ken brought me a few years ago. I used beads to convey my take on the ocean and mountains. Basically it (the vase) has a double-strand necklace. Wow, that really sounds off-the-wall. Maybe I'm getting too carried away with all of this. Oh well...

Here's to Creativity!