I Try Really Hard...

... to never step on my children.

I have this thing about special days and making sure that they are reserved for the people for whom they were intended.

That's why, in a rare break from my normal protocol, I am posting twice on this day.

Today, it was time for Caleb's 10th birthday party.  And, birthday parties are really important, special days in the life of our family.  I don't want to steal his spotlight... at all...

But today was a big day for me, as well...

Today I graduated from Northwest Nazarene University with my Master's degree in Theology/Spiritual Formation.  And I am proud of myself.  I worked hard.  I finished strong with a 3.85 GPA.  It wasn't easy.  And I am happy.

In my ideal world, I would have been there, in Nampa, to walk across that stage, but let's be real...  most of the time we don't get to live in our ideal worlds...  However, I am feeling blessed beyond measure that NNU has a conscientious faculty who did everything possible to make the commencement activities available, via a live stream, for those of us who couldn't be there in person.

Yesterday, I watched as my name was called at the graduate lunch.  This afternoon, I participated in the baccalaureate service, and late tonight, as I was getting Miah to sleep, I sat down to watch the commencement address.  It was actually a pretty cool feature to fast forward through all the graduates I didn't know, but I did stop to watch my friends from my cohort cross the stage!

The messages in these events were amazing, and at many points I felt that they were just for me.  Let me share a few quotes:

From Dr. Alexander:

"Seek to serve.  Don't spend your life on yourself."

And the next several quotes, from Dr. Schandorff:

"Embrace your real life.  Your real life is the one you're actually living.  Not the one you imagined or even the one you dreamed you might be living.  Your real life does not start tomorrow.

"Build community...  No matter what your mother told you, you are not special.  Today is about you.  Tomorrow needs to be about someone else."

                

"This is not only a call to invest yourself in the lives of others but also a call to allow others to invest their lives in you.  Community happens when gifts are given and received."

"Keep learning.  You are a learner.  Our ongoing education is more about the way we see others than the way we see ourselves.  There is no one in this world from whom you cannot learn something.  The day you decide this is not true is the day you begin to become a smaller, less relevant version of yourself."

"Don't let these years become the best years of your life."

And last, from John Wesley, quoted by Dr. Schandorff:

"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, in all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you can" -John Wesley

This is exactly why I am proud to call NNU my Alma Mater...  although, as long as I'm being honest, I wish they would do something about the school song...

L.  M.A.

Waving Good-Bye...

It's funny, but this school year has been so full of "firsts" for our kids that I almost... almost forgot about this "last".

Yeah, I was a little choked up at the Upward Awards Celebration, today.

Grace has had such a good time these past three seasons, and I would be completely remiss to not throw out a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has been involved in her Upward life... but especially to Coach Lindsay, who has done nothing but love on my spirited, crazy, wonderful daughter for every season!  It's been fun...

These Girls Were Great! 

 

L.

Welcome Home…

Today has been a really fantastic day.  My emotions are running exceptionally high, which is sometimes resulting in tears, but it’s all good.

Ready to Start Our Day:

I’m not sure what I expected to feel like, returning to my home district, EMD, after so many years.  I was pregnant with Grace when I last quizmastered on EMD, and of course it was quite a number of years before that when I last quizzed.  I felt exceptionally old when asked, today, how many years I had been involved in teen quizzing.  Nineteen.  That’s a big number, especially considering even the oldest kids on the seats today were not yet born when I started quizzing!

On our drive to the quiz, we passed my High School, and the town is just unrecognizable.  I have driven by a few times in recent years, but it’s always a little bit of a shock.  Things change.  Life changes.  But today, although many things were new and different, I got a glimpse into a few rare moments of feeling as if things stay the same, too…

I love old friends.  I know I mentioned this a couple of weeks back, but today I got to see quite a few old friends, and there is just something special about a hug that comes with the understanding that even though years have separated us, and even though we don’t look young… or thin… and even though our hair is turning gray now, there are still common bonds that can’t be broken… things that keep us together and that span decades…  decades…

So… today I was in my element.  I was home.  And I even figured out the new software in about 2 ½ minutes, with a little help.  Having an amazing day is always good, but avoiding embarrassment doesn’t hurt, either!

How did the quiz go?

Seth and Grace did really well, as has become their M.O.  Grace found herself in a tie for 1^st/2^nd place with an 86.67 average and had to participate in a 5 question quiz off, which also ended in a tie.  This resulted in sudden death, and although she took a great jump and came from the right passage on question 6, she couldn’t quite pull it out.  So, she finished in second place and brought home a $750.00 scholarship to Olivet Nazarene University!  Let’s not forget she is 11!  No shame in that!  Seth had a 61.67 average, also very good.  He also received recognition for his willingness to jump (see below)!  The team entered the tournament seeded 10^th and finished in 6^th.  Now, if we could just pick up another quizzer… or two… or three!

Seth being rewarded for his 13 (out of 18 possible) errors

Hey…  You can’t get the right answer if you don’t get the jump!

Top 15 Individual Quizzers:

After the quiz we met up with Phil’s childhood friend, Chuck, and his wife, Allie.  Had a great time just hanging out and catching up at McDs, and then I admit we picked up some Gus’ breadsticks on the way back to Phil’s Mom and Dad’s house.

This is a phone pic. of us at McDs...

Uh... and my eyes are closed!

At present, three little people are sleeping and I am assuming that Seth and Grace are still debriefing.  I don’t really know, because I’m hiding away in a bedroom to type this!

Favorite quote of the day, after our friend Steve watched the kids quiz, in reference to Grace, “She is just like you!”  For better or for worse… in top finishes and meltdowns… that’s my girl!

L.

A Sobering Thought...

Recently, I made a post on facebook encouraging "kids" to go to college in the first four years following high school graduation and to actually attain their degrees during that time. I'm going to stand by that... for everyone else...

But as I sat down to work on the final week of this semester... and as I started thinking about how after this course I will have only three left until I hold that all powerful piece of paper in my hand... I also started thinking about how my life would be different if I'd done this in a more "traditional" way...

And it occurred to me that that just never would have worked. Because I wouldn't have these:

And "these" are more precious to me than any "normal", "traditional" life ever... EVER could have been...

And so let me make it clear that I wouldn't trade taking 15 years to get my bachelor's degree for anything... ANYTHING in the world...

But I'd like my Master's in two...

L.