Proof that it's never too late to teach an old dog new tricks. The end of March was my two-year tennisversary.
Until two years ago, I had never played a single game of tennis in my life. Three other friends & I (none of them had played either) found a sweet lady who gave us weekly lessons for several months. As in beginner, what you teach the kids, from scratch, kind of lessons.
From there we all joined a recreational doubles league. And from there, my new love was born. I can honestly say I love it. Having never had a real hobby or sport...ever...this is all new territory. Sure I've signed up for a few exercise programs here and there but never stayed committed. And never really enjoyed them, either.
Now I have something I absolutely love and wish I could be playing just about every day of the week. Clearly that won't happen any time soon, so if I can get in drills and a league day each week, I am a happy camper.
And a fun benefit to exercise I enjoy is that it gives me an opportunity to spend more time with my Dad and with Tate. My Dad and I play each other every now and then, and I am DETERMINED to win a set against him one day. He doesn't back off his level of play for me. I've come kind of close (tied 4-4 but then the lights on the court went out!). And Tate has taken up an interest in the game as well. He's done a very low-key, fun tennis after school program. Gives us a chance to go play together as well, which is really fun.
My first day to go to a lesson and first time to play in the league made me a nervous wreck. But I'm so glad I did...with the help of some great friends.
And the lesson to be learned...you're never too old to try something new...in fact you may end up LOVING it!
"With mirth and laughter, let old wrinkles come." ~ William Shakespeare
At some point, I really will need to change the title of this blog. It kind of blows my mind that I started this thing a few months before I turned 30.
But for now a recap about turning...37!!?? I won't go into how absolutely bizarre it is that I'm three years away from turning 40. Or how odd is it that I keep meeting people just a few years out of college having already assumed we're close to the same age. Woops. Or how this past year I noticed my first gray hairs and way more wrinkles than I care to admit. It's all just weird. But I'm trying to embrace it and age graciously. With the help of any creams possible. :)
Instead of running and hiding on my birthday, I actually celebrated. Instead of grumbling and being sad about my age, I tried to remember to be thankful for being given another year of life.
Wade has finally figured out that I love celebrating birthdays. Both my own and the birthdays of people around me. It's not about big, expensive presents. It's about making a day special. And this year was definitely special...and fun.
The night before, we went out to dinner with my parents at a local Hibachi place. And my kids proved yet again how different they are. Will loved the food but could care less about the the "food show." Tate was in awe of the show, fire, onion volcano, and tricks. But I practically had to force feed him to eat. :) The rest of us enjoyed our yummy food. And I got some serious Mom Points from Tate for wearing the crazy hat and letting them sing Happy Birthday. Don't I look thrilled?
A funny memory was right after dinner. With the encouragement of Tate (who was probably still really hungry!), he & I went down the street to buy dessert to bring home from one of my favorite bakeries. So hilarious that I ran into my sweet friend Alyssa who was there trying to buy a bundt cake to give to me the next day. AND we were wearing matching shirts. She knows me so well. :)
So then the actual day was here. My mother-in-law volunteered a pretty great birthday present of giving me most of the day off from mom duties. She picked up the boys that morning and kept them until after dinner. I was able to have lunch with several sweet friends at a yummy, girly place followed by a pedicure.
And then I have no shame in admitting that I came home and did something I've wanted to do for over a year. I finally watched Justin Bieber's documentary. Don't judge. The boy has got talent.
Then my birthday date came home and picked me up. We got a good laugh that he borrowed his dad's fancy car for the occasion. But the weather was too perfect (clear, sunny, 80 degrees) to not enjoy it in a convertible.
And the night was perfect. Since it was one of the first pretty, spring Friday nights we knew all of the patios would be crowded. So we just took our time running errands and then like a bunch of crazy kids, we headed to dinner at Joe T. Garcia's around 9:30 p.m. Who are we??!! :)
It was a great day. And as cliche as it sounds, I have a vivd memory of driving down the highway with the beautiful sun shining, wind in my hair, Mumford & Sons playing loudly, sitting next the man I love, and just being grateful for the abundance of blessings in my life. I'll take even more gray hairs and wrinkles if it means I get to live this life yet another day.
This was Tate's first year to be in our church's Elementary Musical. It was lots of fun with several months of weekly practices. I have to give him some credit that he never complained about going to practice and really enjoyed participating.
And what cracks me up about this kid is that one minute he can be running 100 mph and in non-stop motion, but then you give him a job or a task, and he is 100% committed. So when it came to being a member of the chorus, Tate was all in.
He had every word and motion down. I think he will do great in ACU's Sing Song in years to come. :)
Proud of our little guy and the lessons he learned. The musical was called Jonah's Druthers, and was a western take on Jonah & The Whale. Very clever scripting and great lessons on choices, listening & obeying, and second chances.
And it's always fun when these two are paired up next to each other. :)
Several friends had speaking parts or solos and did such a great job. Tate was excited to see his friend, Drew, each week at practice. He is Tate's "3rd Grade Reading Buddy" from school. Pretty cute little friendship.
So I started February with a big parenting fail. Tate was excited to wake up on Groundhog Day and find out if we would have more Winter or Spring. He has quickly decided that he is a Spring & Summer kind of guy and wishes he could wear shorts every day of the year. So I Googled the famous Punxsutawney Phil to find out. As you can see, he was pretty bummed...
Well the fail was when I later realized that the video I Googled was from 2012...not 2013. Way to go, Google. :) Tate was relieved.
The next day we watched the Super Bowl at my parent's house. Given our NoCal blood line, it made sense that we would all be cheering for the 49ers. Tate even modeled a family heirloom. :) But being the competitive, trailblazer he is, he quickly decided he wanted to be the only one to cheer for the other team. He doesn't like to be forced into something (ironic how similar this is to a certain grandfather of his who used to wear this shirt????) :) This strategy actually worked out well for him with a win by the Ravens. Not sure my parents have forgiven him yet, though.
The "say cheese" face.
Tate's school had the annual Literacy Night. Such a fun night for everyone, including Wade who was one of the storytellers in the campgrounds.
Pajama Day & Razzle Dazzle Hat Parade ("silly" word label that had to describe the hat).
If something on a show makes Will a little nervous, this is how I can sometimes find him.
And there's no telling the reason for this.
First-ever Library Card!
Birds really do freak me out (a giant makaw in a pet store attacked my hair scrunchy while I was wearing it...tramautized!), but our family has taken a liking to certain bird in particular. We are all convinced this is the same cardinal we have seen the last two years. And we are all convinced we know his call. He has been affectionately named "Red," and Tate & I are were quite excited for our first post-winter sighting.
2013 started off with a bang for Will and his speech therapy. The words started coming more & more. And I've never known a kiddo that loved letters more than him. :)
I'm not sure why each time I go to Haiti it takes me forever to blog about it. As soon as I get home, I'm pouring over each and every picture and re-watching every single video over and over. I'm talking people's ears off about how big Claudy has gotten, how excited the kids were to see pictures of themselves from my last visit, and how Jemson should be scouted by the Olympic Committee for High Jump. I LOVE talking about my time there and my sweet friends.
But really processing it. And really coming to terms with how different my life here is. That's where days and days go by before I can put words down, even if my mind can't stop racing over it all. Both Emily & I shared in our Sunday School class at church, and I wrote about that here. But now it's finally time to see the sweet faces that are the reason I keep going back.
I'm so thankful that these 31 beauties are my friends. I don't go to Haiti to feel better about myself or to exploit their situation. I go and keep going because I love these kids. I love that already I've been able to see and appreciate that they are growing and getting older. Just like my friends and family here, I want to continue to develop my relationships. I hope & pray for more & more opportunities to go back.
I don't think my few days with them does anything huge or life-changing for them. What I do pray is that somehow it gives them a tiny little glimpse into the love I feel for them, which reminds them that they are of value. And from that, they realize and know that the love of their Heavenly Father is even more than what I can show.
There are so many more thoughts constantly circling in my head about this part of my life. The more I go and learn, the more confused I get about what my role in all of it should be. What is really helping? What does loving them really look like? I don't know all of those answers but find myself asking every single day.
But for now all I know is to build relationships, learn more, provide help where I can, and hug & play a whole lot.
Without further adieu, the other 31 pieces of my heart...
Dressing for church is serious stuff. :)
LOVE...
Time for a meeting.
And yes, we talked them into doing a Harlem Shake video. I'm sure they think we are all kinds of crazy. But it was SO much fun!
Olympic scouts, where are you??!!
I just swung the jump rope this time (after falling one too many times). These kids can put me to shame with that thing.
Always cracks me up how much they LOVE having their picture taken and posing. Especially if sunglasses are involved. Work it.
During this trip, I got to experience one of my top Haiti moments. Or at least a "moment" that lasted several hours. And I loved every single second. Long story, but after over a year of research and because of the incredible generosity of friends, we were able to bring a children's Bible IN CREOLE for each of the kids.
We took our time one morning with each child individually. We gave them their Bible, had them sign their name in it, and prayed for each one. I've never spent time with each one on their own like that. Seriously one of my most favorite times there. They each got so quiet and serious. I LOVED seeing them write their names in the Bible knowing what a rite of passage that is for any kid. And then the opportunity to pray for them by name thanking the Lord that each of them was fearfully & wonderfully made. My heart wanted to explode.
And another big thank you & shout out to all of the family & friends that sent $ donations. We were able to buy a huge truckload of food & supplies from a local market. Thank you, thank you!
Dork! :)
Each time I go, I bring copies of all my pictures from the previous trips. The kids love it. One interesting thing this time, I noticed how much they were all fighting over the pictures of the countryside. It is truly a beautiful place.
Bubbles are fun no matter how old you are or where you live!
Parachute time!
LOVE this grin!
And I think this is my new favorite picture. :)
We left for Haiti on February 15. So as a Valentine's Day project all 100 Kindergartners at Tate's school, the kids in Abbi's class, and kids at Will's preschool all made cards for us to bring. One funny thing was that when we explained the cards to the translators, they thought it was weird. Lesson learned on cultural sensitivity...in Haiti Valentine's Day is definitely a "holiday for lovers." Not quite what we do here. A little awkward but the kids still enjoyed receiving these handmade cards from so many kids in Texas.
And I loved how serious they were about signing big thank you cards for the classes back home.
Miss Fabiola quickly realized her sucker could make her lips a pretty red color. :)
Another BIG thank you to all of those that helped provide for the donation of new stainless plates.
BFFs!
I try really hard when I come back home not to go overboard with the "kids in Haiti only..." lecture. My family hears plenty of it, but I try to restrain myself so that people won't run and hide from me. But BELIEVE ME I plan to pull this picture out next time I hear a kid complain about being bored. Half of an old plastic milk jug & an old tire rim. Sebastian was entertained for a good 30 minutes!
He was super cuddly this trip. I wasn't complaining!
And just a little note about my travelling buddy. On this trip it was just me & Emily. We thought there might be more who would go, but it was just the two of us (yes, we sang that song a lot). In fact we were the only two staying in the entire Guest House. We had some nervousness about this, but we made sure to always show caution, make wise decisions, and trust those we knew we should trust. We are so thankful for God's grace in allowing a wonderful and safe trip.
And I'm thankful for my friend. There is quite a bond that is quickly developed when you share a love for these kids. Her dorkiness, spreadsheet-making, no-crying, Harlem Shaking, and most all of all, fierce love for these kids amazes me.
Cheers!
And to my Haiti friends, until next time...
Seyè a beni nou ak kenbe ou;
Seyè a fè nou santi li sou ou,
Men, gen pitye ou;
Seyè a fè nou wè jan li sou ou,
Men, ban nou kè poze
Here is a compilation of video from this trip. For any Olympic scouts, go to 2:29 and sign this boy up!
