One more graduate

Cole - May 2024

Well, my days as a homeschooling mom are coming to an end. Mr. C is super close to finishing his senior year. We recently had the Senior Sunday celebration at our church. So it definitely feels like we are winding down on the high school era. Keaton will be attending college in the fall. Cole is still unsure of his future plans. He will take the next year to work and try to hone in on something. 

Cole's pretty much dead center on stage

I really feel like we are in a sweet spot in our parent/child relationship(s). I know I often complain when they come in my room late at night and want to talk when I'm totally ready to go to sleep. But it's that sweet space where we can all discuss things as adults. We talk about faith. Politics. Culture. And I'm watching them mature into a place where it's not so much me telling them what to do, but me asking if they'll help me accomplish this or that. Weird. It's changing. But overall, in a good way.

Here's some other things we did in the last month....

Keaton and I did a quick explore at the "2nd largest canyon in the country". Palo Duro Canyon is about 2 hours from us. Lots of hiking trails there, which we did not partake of this time, but at least Keaton can say he's been there. (Cole stayed home.) Hiking here, is, well, hot. There is literally no shade. We basically drove through the canyon on a loop trail for cars (with the A/C on) and got out occasionally to take a few pictures. Then we drove to Amarillo to see their zoo. Took us less than an hour to walk through. Not much of a zoo, but we can officially check this off our list. 

We also reorganized the garage. Not exciting for you, maybe, but for us, it's so much better! It all started when Cole and I were looking for a box (from the move 2 years ago) that had my wedding dress, Eric's suit from the wedding, and Eric's leather jacket. It wasn't in the house. And we had looked through the garage more than once and still couldn't find it! But after we started clearing things away, there.it.was. And Cole REALLY loves the suit. Aldan wore that suit too for some occasion at church when he was in high school. It has seen better days for sure.

When we moved in, the shelves were quickly set up in the garage and things were kinda dumped on them just so we could unload quickly. Within a few weeks, after moving some things around, I was able to get my car in the garage, but the other half of the garage was never really organized. Cole was determined to get this done! And every day he walks through the garage now, he says, "I love our garage now." Me too, Buddy. Me too.

you gotta make a mess to get organized!

click here for a VIDEO of our special find

DONE!

A couple of other tidbits: 

Keaton got all 4 of his wisdom teeth removed. OUCH. 

It hailed. But no tornados here.

 

It's warm enough to swim!

Oh, and I've got a praise report!  - -  through a lady I met in Bible study, Cole made a new friend, Chris. He likes Star Wars and all things movies, just like Cole and Keaton do. He's also creative in that he likes to make costumes for cosplay. Cole had started making a Stormtrooper costume a few years ago, and Chris has given him lots of tips and ideas to help finish this out. Chris is also originally from the PacNW, so the 3 of them have really hit it off. Looking forward to seeing how this progresses. He came over to swim last weekend. Great kid. Thank you Lord, for one friend.

In general, you'll find me complaining about the scenery here, mostly due to lack of trees. And yeah, for sure I miss the ocean. But there ARE lots of what they call "playa lakes". Kind of an ironic term (if you speak Spanish) but that is what they call them. I recently found this one and it seemed so serene. I did see several pretty large turtles and some ducks. We don't swim in these lakes, but the wildlife seem to find refuge there.

So all in all, this last month we have basically been living life. A milestone is coming in that Cole is almost done with high school. My work is going fine. We are trying to serve others. We are learning to maintain our pool. I recently wrapped up a Bible study "Me, Myself, and Lies" by Jennifer Rothschild. The theme is just how to get a handle on our thoughts and how to remake and relabel them in positive ways. It's really amazing how we can trip ourselves up with "stinkin' thinkin". If you have this issue at times, and I do, here's a tip I shared with a friend today from that Bible study: 

When you have that icky feeling of despair or depression, ask yourself WHY am I feeling this way? Check the 4 legs of your "table" and assess each for ways you can improve that mood. Ultimately, we have HOPE in Jesus. We just need to remind ourselves of this.

1) Mental Leg - are you stimulating your brain with worthwhile things?

2) Physical Leg - are you moving and resting in equal balance?

3) Emotional Leg - every "feeling" is not a fact!

4) Spiritual Leg - most important leg, needs daily attention

I had several people contact me after April's blogpost and let me know they are praying for us. THANK you SO much. I may stress and struggle over the day-to-day stuff at times, but I know that God hears those prayers! The thing I need to tackle next is finding a decent 2nd vehicle. Keaton is working 4-5 days/week and will be driving back/forth to school in the Fall. I WANT one of those 4-door Jeep Wranglers. haha! But what we NEED is something reliable (other than my car that has 186K miles on it.) Keep that in your prayers.

Psalm 42:5 "Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God."

LEAP day!

Well, thank goodness February has an extra day this year! Gives me a chance to post an update  - - seems it's been 2 months since I last wrote in this space. Thanks to those friends and family who have reached out to double-check that we are still alive. haha! Yes. We are...

IN JANUARY : One sunny day we went for roughly a 2 mile trek on the open prairie north of town. It's home to another branch of Texas Tech museums (a free excursion if you're ever here visiting us) where they discovered wooly mammoth bones. 

IN JANUARY: I read several books. Why Do I Do What I Don't Want To Do? by JP Pokluda was pretty good. I had not read anything from this author before. It was a quick read. Easy to understand. Included some scripture. Laid out well. In the first half of the book, he goes over some ancient vices (pride, anger, greed, apathy, lust) and presents a cure for each (humility, forgiveness, generosity, diligence, self-control). They're only ancient in the sense they have been around for all time. I struggle with many of these...both ancient and modern. In the second half he tackles more modern wars (perception management, entitlement, busyness, drunkenness, cynicism) and thankfully gives the remedy for these as well (authenticity, gratitude, rest, sobriety, optimism). 

Started this book in December and finished in January. A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson. This one was also interesting! I had no idea that it takes so long to hike/backpack from Georgia to Maine. Mr. Bryson did not hike the entire trail in one trip. But he and a buddy hiked a lot of it. Humorously and (it seems) accurately describing the hike as sort of a how-to and how-not-to. Enjoyable read. I did not realize that when we were in Gatlinburg last May we were so close to a portion of the trail. We have done some day hikes, but nothing of this magnitude. Hats off to these trekkers!

Here's another book I completed in January. Fiction. Christian. Mystery/Suspense. What Happens Next by Christina Suzann Nelson. This story follows a popular podcaster as she heads back to her childhood summertime home (where her grandma used to live) to unravel the mystery of her childhood best friend's disappearance. I'm not sure where I got this recommendation. But it was a good read. I like mystery and it was clean. A sweet little romance, a-la-Hallmark, is also brewing on the side.

Final book in January. The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden. I actually know this author personally. I like her a lot. I'm not sure how I feel about this book. It's a little kitschy and has a few curse words. I mean it's not overwhelming with the curse words; I just wasn't expecting that from Rachel. The story is quaint and a little mystical. So if that's your thing, go for it.

How did I have time to read so much when my January was so busy?? Well, I have to get off the computer after so many hours or I lose my mind. That said, work-wise I got through January unscathed. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I think that a couple of strategic new hires with clients who took over some of the work made it much easier for me to focus on year-end tax prep instead of the year-end AND the day-to-day. So yay!

IN FEBRUARY: Cole finished his Lego Osprey project. Very cool model of the half-helo, half-plane that he just created on his own. Not an official Lego item.

My bulbs started coming up. Very exciting! This photo was taken 2.1.24

IN FEBRUARY: We also tried to go on a vacation. However, when we left town to drive south, Keaton was already feeling lousy. Feverish. Lethargic. He slept like this in the car for basically the whole 5 hour drive. And then we got there and Cole started coughing, had a fever, lethargy. 2 days later I succumbed as well. We were supposed to meet up with the Evans clan, but they judiciously steered clear. They had some other day trips planned to see Ellen's family in Houston and Austin anyway, so it all worked out. Keaton, Cole and I just laid around and tried to sleep.

 

We did try to go outside each day...safe distance away from other humans. The resort had a huge chess set. I beat Cole, but not on purpose. My chess strategy is totally defensive. I didn't even realize I had put him in checkmate until he told me. Ahhh well.

 

Around the resort there were lots of stray kitties. (Above) Keaton is petting one that came around our condo every day. (Below) we spent a few minutes the afternoon of Keaton's birthday visiting a nearby scripture garden. The walkways are covered with verses that tell the Gospel story, culminating at the empty cross at the top of the hill. There's also the "rider on the white horse" from Revelation among other sculptures. If you're ever near Kerrville on I-10, this is something to see: https://thecomingkingfoundation.org/

ALSO IN FEBRUARY: Keaton got his first job! Thanks to Uncle Dusty for that lead and the introduction to the owner. Ironically, he is working at a pizza place. Ironic because, as you may or may not know, Keaton has always been allergic to both wheat and dairy. Pizza is just not his thing. haha! However, the menu (LINK HERE) goes much deeper than just pizza, so we definitely need to go there and check it out some time when he's not working. So far, he's washed dishes, "fondled" pizza dough (ahem, I corrected him - the word is "kneaded") to make the crusts, and prepared jalapeno poppers. He likes working there overall, but currently is only scheduled on weekends when they are the most busy. 

FINAL FEBRUARY NOTES: I got a craving for crab melts. Funny how the seafood craving comes when you are completely landlocked. So Cole and I went to Costco, bought some lump crab (soooooo pricey!), gouda cheese, and a loaf of garlic parmesan bread. It was soooooo yummy! Problem was the bread had whole cloves of garlic which kinda grossed Cole out. Let's just say I have been eating crab melts for the better part of a week! Crab craving sufficiently satisfied. 

With some recent temps in the 70s and 80s, the boys and I also got some yard cleanup started. We were collecting sticks from around the yard and one night Cole and I lit them up in the chiminea. Fire is fun. Fire is great. UNTIL FIRE is wild. In the last couple of days there were brushfires raging about 2-3 hours north of us. Some places it was bad. The smoke was in the air for sure. Hoping today things calmed down because, this morning it snowed here briefly. As one of my friends (also a Washington transplant) quipped, "I guess only in TX!"

I've been reading in Jeremiah the last few mornings. And while the prophets are not always my cup of tea (lots of doom and gloom in their prophesies!) I tried looking at it from a different lens. That is, one of hope. I did finally make it to Jeremiah 29. There are so many promises throughout the Bible. God is with us. God is for us. Let us hold fast to this.

Jeremiah 29:10-14a This is what the Lord says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity."

Spring Break 2023

This year we drove to Tennessee for Spring Break. First stop was Little Rock, though. After a full day of driving and only snacking in the car, I wanted to sit down in a restaurant to eat. Even though they really just wanted to go to the hotel and relax, I convinced the boys to come with me for dinner. We hit the local Cracker Barrel. The wait was supposed to be 40 minutes! Obviously, the boys were less than thrilled. But wouldn't you know, it all worked out. We got seated in about 20 minutes, rather than 40. Then Cole and I played checkers at our table with sugar packets. By the time the food came, he had forced me into a draw. The food was good and I found a motto for the rest of the trip....NO Crabby Attitudes. The next morning we headed north to Searcy, AR to pick up Ethan and then east toward Memphis, TN where we saw the Bass Pro pyramid right off the Mississippi River.

Have you ever stopped at a Buc-ees? Oh.My.Word. Cole said the bathrooms were amazing. The billboards on the highway say, "Potty Like a Rock Star". I walked inside just to experience it. VERY chaotic. Huge. So many people. Walked right back out. haha!

Our final destination was Gatlinburg, TN to meet the Evans family. They graciously provided us a condo once again. We love vacationing with them. But I think what we were in awe of (and hadn't seen in awhile) was tall trees, hills, creeks, and green grass. The basic draw of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge might be the Smoky Mountain scenery, but honestly, it is a big tourist area. Reminded me a lot of Branson, MO. We had a great time exploring. I'll try to give you a brief run down. 

To note: driving through Arkansas was very familiar, almost nostalgic, as I went to college there. Also, my father was born in Tennessee and lived there much of his childhood. Plus, lucky for us, 2 of Eric's brothers live in South Carolina now. 

#1 FUN thing we did: Mountain Coaster

There are several of these mountain coasters all around. They boast single person cars (or you can ride tandem like Emily & Ellicia did) and on this particular one that we tried, you have complete control of how slow or fast you go. This was very fun! Even for Cole who is not a huge coaster fan.

#2  FUN thing we did: WALK in the park, by the river, in Pigeon Forge

There was also a nice restaurant where Keaton said he had the best dinner the whole trip. (Old Mill Restaurant.)

#3 FUN thing we did: ANAKEESTA

First, you ride ski lift up to the top of the hillside.  (I have to laugh at the Smoky "Mountains"; they really seem like hills in comparison to the Cascades or the Sierras or the Rockies to me...) Emily was my lift companion. The sun was so bright! A beautiful day to head up and see what we could see at the top. Next, you make your way to an observation tower (yes, you climb about 85 stairs) so you can look at the landscape in 360 degree full view. There are some rope bridges and treehouse-type things to climb around on. There was also a zip line that the Evans boys did. I think once Spring is sprung, the landscaping up at Anakeesta must be gorgeous. 

#4 FUN thing we did: Smoky Mountain National Park

Hiking with the Evans felt super familiar. We did start out with a waterfall destination in mind. The national park is literally just outside of downtown Gatlinburg. Should've been about a mile walk/hike in and out. Buuuuuuut, we decided to take another loop up to an old cabin. And our map did not exactly mention the jump in elevation. haha! We made it, but my boys were complaining the next day of sore muscles. It's not like there are many, scratch that, there are not ANY, hikes with hills in town where we live now. Guess you could say we are somewhat out of shape.

#5 FUN thing we did: hang out with Dave & Cindy

A couple of days into the trip, Eric's oldest brother David and his wife Cindy drove up from South Carolina to stay with us for a couple of days. The boys had a great time with their uncle. Thank you DAVID for talking science stuff with them...I get so lost with science concepts. We shared several meals with our family while the Evans were visiting friends in nearby Chattanooga. But the morning of this photo, we also stopped into an art gallery and David introduced Keaton to the proprietor. This guy was a retired pharmacist who learned to paint after a full career in pharmacy. His art was mostly realistic nature scenes from around Gatlinburg. Beautiful stuff. But he was so gracious, with a teacher heart. Keaton showed him some of his digital art from my phone and they talked like 2 old friends. This was so encouraging. Very special.

#6 FUN thing we did: Alcatraz East Museum

Best way I can describe this museum is just a history of crime in America. Obviously Alcatraz is nowhere near Tennessee. They did have some artifacts from Alcatraz and stories of criminals and punishments from the middle ages to modern day mobsters. There was a special section on 9/11 and mass murders. Some of it just breaks your heart - the depravity of man. It took us literally HOURS to get through this museum, definitely worth the price of admission. Boy, my feet and back were sore from all the walking/standing at the exhibits! While I did a LOT of reading, I did not take a ton of pictures. Here's a few...

The white bronco is the one OJ Simpson drove down the freeway in L.A. with an entourage of cops following after the slaying of Nicole Brown in 1994. I remember watching that trial while I was at work at Texas Tech. My boss set up a TV in the office! I also very vividly remember 9/11. The museum had a full wall devoted to notes written by museum visitors as to what they were doing on that fateful day.

#7 FUN thing we did: hang out with Brian & Kori

After the Alcatraz museum, Eric's youngest brother Brian and his wife Kori met us for Mexican food in Pigeon Forge. You'd think that eating dinner out, at a table for eleven, could be hazardous. But we all chatted like old friends, told lots of stories on each other and laughed a ton. They came back to Gatlinburg and stayed at the condo with us. While the Evans had a plane to catch the next day, the Neufelds all walked down the main drag in Gatlinburg, the boys chatting away with Uncle Brian about Star Wars something or other while Kori and I got to know one another a bit better. 

2 more fun things the boys wanted to do: Cole - Aquarium, Keaton - Celebrity Car Museum.

#8 FUN thing we did: Ripley's Aquarium

Who knew you could find a saltwater aquarium in the middle of landlocked Tennessee? They have to create their own saltwater for the tanks. As far as aquariums go (and we have been to several, including Monterey Bay) this one was pretty neat. There was a tunnel/walkway that let you view the sharks, turtles and rays from very close up.

Near the end of our time at the aquarium, the penguins took a little waddle through the crowd. Here is a video of that. 

#9 FUN thing we did: Celebrity Car Museum

For Keaton, this museum was a huge hit. He is all about TV and movies. I think the boys could talk about movies for hours and hours. There were Bond's 007 Porsches, the Terminator bike, several Fast & Furious cars, Herbie the Love Bug and yes, the General Lee!! 

A VERY memorable Spring Break. On the way home we stopped just east of Dallas to see some other Washington transplants. Was so nice to just chat with friends for an hour over turkey sandwiches before heading home. 

Philippians 1:3-6 "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ."