Recording Studio, Part 2...

I'm pretty sure it's safe to say we had no idea what we were getting into!  It was a lot of work and a lot of fun and definitely a learning experience!

Grace recorded all of the vocal tracks for her EP, today.  Now on to the mixing, mastering, photo shoot, replication, distribution, etc...

Lovin' every minute of it! 

 L.

Happy 14th Birthday, Seth!!!

Funny how birthdays are an annual thing!  You just can't slow the passage of time!  

Today Seth celebrated #14, and it was actually a relatively relaxed kind of day.  He chose Pizza Hut for his birthday dinner, sprite cake, and cookie dough ice cream.  I'm pretty sure he was excited about all of his gifts, since he kept saying, "This is good.  I'm getting stuff that was on my list!"  I'm also pretty sure he was not thrilled about being stuck in a tree for some of his birthday pics:

Happy Birthday, Seth!  I love you!

-Mom

Living The Legacy...

It can never be easy...

But we aren't called to do what is easy.  We're called to do what is right.

And so our family set off in different directions for the first district quiz of the season...  Because every middle school student who wants to participate in memorizing the Scripture, learning what it means, applying it to their lives, and enjoying fun, friendly competition over what they have studied ought to have the opportunity to do so...

I Hated Missing This:

 

And This:

 

And This:

And This:

 And Maybe Especially This:

But I Wouldn't Have Missed This For The World:

 Or This:

 Or This:

 Or This:

Congratulations to "A Girl and Three Guys" on their 2nd place team finish, "Durand B Awesome" on their 3rd place team finish, Grace on her 1st place individual finish, and Seth on his 2nd place individual finish (silly quiz off, you'll get her next time) on the Michigan District.

Congratulations, also, to "Metro/Plymouth/Howell" on their 2nd place team finish and to Caleb on his 9th place individual finish on the Eastern Michigan District.

Quiz on...

L.

My Past...

... does not define me.

But the truth is, it has helped to form and shape who I am.  And I am exceptionally happy that this is the case.  It's not a tragedy if our journeys have made us into the people we are today.  The tragedy would be if we didn't learn or grow from our experiences.

That said, I think it should be relatively obvious that if you put me in a position that is nearly identical to something that was devastating (yes, I said it, I meant it, I am not being dramatic, and it's true) to my life; I am, naturally, going to take a fight or flight approach.  That's self preservation.  And even though I am more than willing to give up my own life, again and again and again, for the sake of Christ; I am not willing to give up my own well being and emotional, mental, spiritual, and even physical health for the sake of the drama on which other people seem to love to build their lives.  It's just not happening.

L.

First Steps...

Oh my goodness, I really had no idea what it takes to record an EP!  Just sayin'!

Grace and I had such an amazing day at the recording studio yesterday.  We booked four hours, because somehow I thought that might be enough time to record six songs... Uh... not so much! 

Grace did manage to get all of the piano parts recorded for her album, and they sound amazing (and we've only heard the rough copy)!  We have booked four more hours, so in a couple of weeks we will be going back to record the vocals.

I am so glad Grace was blessed to have this experience!  I can't wait to hear the finished product!

Here's some pics:

L. 

First Day of School 2014...

And so it begins again...

  

Some of us know exactly what grade we're in...

Miah:

Ian:

Caleb:

And some of us...  Well, cut us some slack...  We're homeschoolers...

 

Grace:

 

Seth:

 Here's to an Awesome School Year:

 

L.

Labor Day Celebration...

... a day early, but it's all good.

It was a really nice day with grilled food,  listening to Dad read his journal, relaxation, and board games.

We used to play a lot of Chinese checkers with Phil's mom and dad.  It had been years since we had pulled out the box, but we sure had fun:

I did remember why I stopped playing, though:

Looks like we now have "Chinese Checkers: The Next Generation":

L.

Whenever Possible...

You should spend the last Saturday before school starts building Lego with your family:

Unless you're me.  Then you might find it more fun to build a bulletin board in your kitchen...  (I did get in on some of the Lego action, though):

L.

Vacations Are My Love Language...

Sometime this summer, I came upon a couple of photos on Facebook that made me chuckle and then caused me to contemplate the art of vacationing.

First:

I have to be honest...  I don't relate all that well to this photo.  But it does make a good point, at least to a certain extent.  This summer, we did a little bit of traveling, but we didn't really take a vacation.  I was feeling particularly crummy about this when a dear friend of mine started posting about the amazing family vacation her family was getting ready to take (read this, jealous)... a road trip out west, which is exactly what I wanted to do this summer.  (Kelly, if you're reading this, keep reading...  I got over it, and I looked forward to all of your vacation pictures and updates!  I loved them, and I can't wait to hear all about your trip, because we are going to take a similar one... someday...)

But here's the funny thing that happened to me.  As the pictures started showing up, I found myself saying things like, "St. Louis!  Oh my goodness, that was one of my favorite trips ever!"  And, "Hey kids, come look at this!  Do you remember when we had a view of Pike's Peak from our apartment in Colorado Springs?" And, "Check out the Grand Canyon!  Hey Seth, did you know dad and I visited the Grand Canyon when I was like 2 days pregnant with you?"  Our friends had an incredible trip.  And I just about fell apart when I realized that, in many ways, we had already lived it!  We have lived that kind of life from which you don't need to escape.  My goodness, the past 17 years have taken us an awful lot of places!  And I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Then, there's the second picture: 

And this is exactly it.  This is why I enjoy vacations so much.  This is why vacations are my love language.  You see, I have rarely seen a vacation as an escape from life.  Instead, I have viewed vacations as an integral part, days and weeks in which we clear our calendar of the mundane, ordinary tasks so we can just be together.  And even though it's not an escape, I do think it makes us all the better when we return to our ordinary lives.  Vacations are something special.  They are celebrations in the midst of struggles.  They are ceremonial.  And, dare I say it, they may even be sacramental.  

Live a life you love.  And let it include memory making in whatever form you can.

L.

It's Almost Time...

... to kick off year ten of our homeschooling adventure!  Where did the time go?

I feel amazingly well organized to start the school year this time around, which is kind of funny.  I have always wanted a "school room", but here I find myself in one of the smallest spaces we have ever inhabited, making it work.  A school hallway will have to do...  And it's doing just fine...

I am so thankful for the opportunity to educate my children at home.  I know it's not for everyone, but I'm glad it's for us. 

Time to learn about the world...  And hopefully make it a better place...

 

L.