Blessings and Raindrops

seeking joy in the midst of the ordinary

Archives for July 2017

summer road tripping!

Because our summer officially started in July, we decided to hit the road and get on with summer vacationing already! After a mere 18 hours in the car (insert emoji for I’m-going-to-lose-my-mind), our trip began here in my hometown of Orlando, Florida. The week has been full of visiting family and friends. It’s always fun, yet crazy busy, when we’re back in town. Anyone who has moved from their hometown (where family & friends still live), understands the challenge of packing in quality time with loved ones + downtime for the kiddos + doing fun things. It’s a bit hectic. And, there’s never enough time to see everyone and do everything.

Because we are here in the summer, we aren’t visiting Disney or any of the theme parks. I realize now how much I took the parks for granted as a kid. We would go on field trips to Disney or Sea World and my sister and I spent countless afternoons park hopping throughout the year after school. We always had friends or family members who worked at the parks and we would get in for free. Now, I refuse to pay for the parks – they’re insanely expensive, HOT, and crowded! I’ve turned into an old grump. 🙂 My kids have never been to the Magic Kingdom and they’ve never asked to go, so I’m holding off as long as possible.

Last weekend, we did stay at a hotel in the Disney area with my parents, siblings and niece and nephew. The hotel had a lazy river and water slides which kept everyone entertained and worn out by the end of the day. We also celebrated my mom’s big birthday coming up in a couple of weeks which I was thankful to be here for. These are the big moments we often miss living far away. It was so nice to be here as a family to celebrate my momma and the best Nana of all time.

My sister and I took the girls to a little Princess Tea Party and I had to share a few of the photos here because I cannot even handle the cuteness! My girls were mesmerized and on a major sugar high when we left. This tea consisted of cupcakes and cookies and macaroons and all things sugary and sweet. A little girl’s dream…

Next up, we are heading to the shores of Lake Michigan. Being a Florida girl, I had never considered the beaches of Michigan for a summer vacation yet I’ve recently been enamored by photos of what looks to be a magical place and I cannot wait to visit and unwind by the water’s edge.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

summer days.

July officially kicked off summer for our little tribe.

I knew in advance June would be insanely busy — thank goodness Nana came to town to watch the littles while Dave and I put in long hours on a big building/design project and we launched The Berry Farm. I kept saying, “we just need to make it to July…” over and over. Once July rolled around, we were READY.

July has been full with days at the pool, VBS (I shamelessly signed my people up for VBS all over town…), friends visiting from out of town, trying to stay cool in the 1 billion degree heat, swim team, camping… all the things. We have been simultaneously relaxed and exhausted. My little people are either playing and laughing or melting down and bickering. There seems to be no in-between. Is this the case for households everywhere during the summer months???! While the days fly by quickly and the beginning of school is approaching rapidly, the minutes seem to creep along some afternoons. Such is life with littles.

Swim Team.

The boys had a short swim team season, as we are heading out to visit our family in Florida later this week and they’ll have to miss the rest of the season. I would argue that swim team is the absolute best sport for little people! It’s only a few weeks long in the summer and the meets are so fun. We have loved it and look forward to Sylvie joining the boys next year.

Camping. 

Oh, camping. I am not a tent camper, you guys. I’m sorry, I know some people love to camp and pitch a tent and be in the wilderness. I am not one of those people. I like running water and flushing toilets. A lot. I realized how much so when we decided to camp out last weekend in our super-old-rickety-Craigslist-purchase-by-Dave-RV (you can guess how I felt when he drove that beauty home, stepped out, and quoted his favorite line from a movie, “That there’s an RV, Clark” Oh, Dave).

A certain child who will remain nameless likes to push buttons, literally. She will push any and every actual tangible button that she is asked not to touch. Thus, she pushed the water pump button after Dave made a proclamation that no one – under any circumstances – touch it. It wasn’t working right for some reason and when this sweet-angel-child decided to push the button (because she was told not to, obviously), we didn’t realize it until the entirety of the water tank had emptied itself INSIDE the RV.

Puddles and puddles of water filled the lovely carpeted floor.

Ta-da! No more running water. Epitome of First World Problems, people.

Even still, we had the most fun and relaxing – best of all, completely unplugged – weekend. We grilled out and roasted marshmallows and swam in the lake for two days. Friends came out to visit and swim and laugh with us at the water’s edge. Even without running water, it was pretty perfect.

This shirt. This was the shirt we had made for Sylvie during our adoption process. Now, it fits Charlotte. What a visual reminder that God will truly do more than we could ever ask or imagine.

Dave purchased this lake-front property years ago at a tax auction. Because it sold for pennies, we assumed it either didn’t have lake access or we couldn’t build on it. He just bought it because 1) he can’t help himself at an auction, and 2) he figured we could use it for camping. When we visited the lot for the first time, we were shocked. The lot is fairly flat, has lake access and is surrounded by state-protected land that can’t be built on. It is secluded and so beautiful.

We decided to build a little cottage (think 1,200 square feet with every nook and cranny optimally maximized) on the land. Because we work on it in the bits and pieces of time our schedules allow and Dave is doing 99% of the building work himself, it’s taking approximately forever to finish. The exterior is mostly complete, so we used the deck for grilling and relaxing. It looks like a completed house from the outside. A mirage! The interior is far from finished. Someday, someday. We will have this place to stay and relax and invite others to do the same. Until then, we are out there making memories as often as we can anyhow!

Happy Summer, friends!! May we all soak up the sunny days and free time to explore and let imaginations run wild this week!

the berry farm.

I’ve written before about simply focusing on the one thing before you. And, how the next thing is often a small, seemingly insignificant, step of obedience.

Till the soil.

Install irrigation lines.

Build a barn.

Plant the berries.

When your head is down, and you are focused intently on the task at hand, you aren’t yet able to see the full picture. You can’t yet connect the dots to realize how this small step will carry you to the next step and then the next and then the next.

When we planted these fields, we knew God had something planned for this soil. We thought we knew what would unfold in the years to come, but, of course, we had no idea.

Planting day, April 2015

Originally, we assumed the proceeds from the farm would benefit our feeding program in Congo. As the season approached for the farm to open, we learned the Hope Center work we hoped to initiate had halted due to instability in the country. Last summer, we spent much time in prayer. We were at a crossroads and, if I’m honest, I was feeling untethered and confused. I couldn’t understand why God had brought us this far, why He had allowed the partnership with Help One Now and sent Dave and a team back to Congo to plan for the next phase of development work only to have it all stop in an instant.

God was silent. And, I was angry. We had poured so much into this work. Last year, I wrote about my confusion and frustration and my hazy glimpse of new plans being forged:

“I didn’t realize that somewhere along the way, my identity had become tied to what I did, rather than who I am. I didn’t know then that God would need pry my fingers from the white-knuckled grasp I had on this work. I had no clue that the ground beneath me would go from solid and strong to unstable and disorienting or that everything needed to be stripped away in order to be built again.

I’m learning that it’s okay to not have all of the answers. {Hallelujah! Since I very rarely ever have any of the answers}. Instead, I need to simply do the one thing right in front of me.”

This past week, while studying the book of Ruth, I was struck by the truth tucked into the fourth chapter. I love the commentary of Nicki Koziarz:

“Our physical sight has limitations. We can only see so far and so wide. And often our physical sight transfers to our spiritual sight.

But God is full of mystery with a perspective beyond anything we can comprehend. So when we allow Him to write the endings to our stories they often end up being something more than we could ever ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20)”

I now know that, in partnership with Help One Now and their local leaders in Marondera, Zimbabwe, our farm will provide resources to train and empower teenagers and young adults to transition into adulthood with the skills that they need to succeed. I now know that, each year, we will help provide training and mentorship in agriculture & livestock, wood & metal working, business management, textiles, cooking and even technology to over 80 orphaned and vulnerable children at Musha WeVana Village in Zimbabwe. (!!!)

This plan was never on my radar. I only saw the smallest fraction of the big picture. And, I still do. I have no idea how this farm of ours will impact lives across the globe or even families who visit our little stretch of soil and learn about the work being done by Pastor John and his team in Zimbabwe.

Now, as we wrap up our first harvest, I’m realizing that I will always have limitations – I will always only see so far and so wide. Yet, I can trust God to use this work for His purpose and I can fully surrender all control to Him. I simply need to do the work in front of me. Most days, the work is incredibly mundane and the fruit of the labor feels puny and small. But, every so often, I get a little glimpse of the bigger picture and it is absolutely more beautiful than I can comprehend.

You can learn more about the work of The Berry Farm HERE.