Memories Captured Archives

Memories Captured: Do You Know Where You Are Going To?

June 12, 2013 By Deirdre

Two wonderful ladies Galit and Alison host a wonderful link up called Memories Captured. I have participated in it before. Most of my posts have featured a point in JDaniel’s life I wanted to remember. This time the post is a little different. The post below captures where we as a family are right now. I want to capture these moments and remember them. They aren’t easy moments to live, but they are moments that are challenging us to grow, trust, and believe in each other.

Do you know where you’re going to?Do you like the things that life is showing you?Where are you going to? Do you know?-excerpt from Theme Mahogany by Michael Masser and Gerald Goffin

Sometimes you think you know where you are going. You can look at the next few months or years and see how they will be unfolding. Day after day the basic events of the day stay the same. There is something wonderfully comfortable about that.

Sometimes you have no idea where you are going to. Life shifts from its predicable pattern and routine to something totally unexpected. This may be fun and exciting for some you . Others of us may find it scary or unsettling.

It happens in an instant. You may wake up to what looks like a “normal” day with you on the computer editing a blog post, your son at his work table drawing a picture of jellyfish and your husband at his job of twenty years. Suddenly the garage door opens and change follows your husband’s car into the garage.

Change of this kind has shifted the life of my family in the last month and has hit many families in the last six or seven years. One day you have job and a mere twelve hours later you don’t.

Just as JDaniel crossed a bridge along a hiking trail we were on a few weeks ago we find ourselves at a split in the path of our lives. We may wish we could continue on the path, but we are being given the opportunity to step onto the beginning of a new trail. The first trail looks like a fine place to walk, but it isn’t the one the sign is pointing out that you to follow.

Standing with our toes edging over the beginning of the new trail we are left with many questions.

What town will be living in? Where will my husband find a job? Where can I find a job? Where will JDaniel start kindergarten in the fall?

We honestly haven’t any answers to those questions. We know we have faith that God will be with us on this journey on the new trail. He has challenged me to not pray for a miracle that would allow us to stay right where we are. (Though I would rejoice if this were His plan.) My prayers instead need to be focused on the fact that I have no idea where we are going, but that I need Him to help me keep my heart is open to His plan.

Just as JDaniel had to pause to look for signs along the new hiking trail we walked a few weeks ago, we find ourselves looking for the painted trail markers on our new path that will help guide us on this journey. We are pausing to pray often that signs will come quickly guiding us know where we need to be.

It isn’t easy to be patient and scan the horizon for small glimpses of where we might be going to. We are trying to enjoy the time we have this summer as a family. We are using the time we have to bond together through hikes and various other activities we love to do in and around the amazing town we live in.

How about you? Do you know where you are going to? Do you know what life is showing you?

This post is linked a wonderful link up called Memories Captured and Alphabe Thursday.

Capturing Memories- Our Time in New York with Family

June 7, 2012 By Deirdre

My sister Kate lives outside Syracuse, New York. She and her family have a wonderful home that sits on what used to be farmland. They have acres of land to explore and a tree fort that JDaniel loved.

If we could move all of JDaniel’s friends and my husband’s job to a farm area like this JDaniel would be thrilled. He was outside most of the time we were at her house and thankfully his allergies didn’t seem to bother him a bit.

JDaniel’s cousin Charlie has a child’s size Gator. JDaniel loved trying to drive it. He made me a little nervous even in the wide open space of my sister’s yard. He loved going fast and heading right toward non-moving objects.

My brother-in-law builds his kids a wonderful tree fort and tire swing. The tire swing was a little tricky for JDaniel, but climbing all over the fort wasn’t.

JDaniel spent hours just climbing up and down the fort. Aiming the mounted guns at various objects. and hanging down of the platform of the fort just drawing lines in the dirt with a stick.

He was in boy heaven just being up in a tree and looking around at the field. I think he would have slept there if we had let him. He didn’t get to sleep in the fort, but my brother-in-law did put up his camping tent one night and JDaniel got to sleep in it.

Before we left, I bought enough water guns for each cousin to have one. All of the cousins had a great time chasing each other around and trying to get each other wet. JDaniel was always the wettest. I think he let his cousins catch him just so he could get wet.

On our last full day in New York, we went to visit a farm that was having an open house. The farm had set up all kinds of fun activities to do and even took kids on tractor rides. Needless to say, JDaniel enjoyed this outing. Some of the activities like this steep slide made me a little nervous, but JDaniel lacked any fear.

This barrel ride was so much fun. I even jumped into one of the barrels and went for a ride once. I think JDaniel and some of his cousin went for two or three rides.

After a lot of running around, swimming a pool filled with cool corn was very relaxing. JDaniel played with the trucks that had been placed in it and then decided to take a swim.

Another activity the farm family had set up was a sling shot apple target activity. JDaniel shot two of his three apples. What did he do with the third apple? He ate it. The apple looked too good to fling he announced.

We had a glorious time visiting with my sister and her family. I wish they lived closer to us. JDaniel will be talking about all that we experienced during our visit for a long time.

Capturing Memories- Our Journey to NY

June 6, 2012 By Deirdre

Two weeks ago we headed north toward to my sister Kate’s house with my mom and my sister Michelle from Atlanta’s family.

We knew it would be a long trip so, we divided the journey to NY into two travel days. We drove to see family in Virginia the first day and then headed to Pennsylvania on day two.

Day one had a late start for various reasons and he got to Virginia just around dinnertime. After a good night’s sleep and one of us really needed a nice long sleep after a grumpy dinner, we headed to Amazement Square in Lynchburg, VA.

We didn’t need to get to the place we were staying with a different family member in Pennsylvania until bedtime. Amazement Square was the perfect place to spend time.

We started in the canal exhibit. JDaniel was very happy to learn from his cousins how to control all the levers. I think we spent our largest amount of time there.

JDaniel loved the bug and creepy crawler section. He got to look at me with compound eyes.

He crawled up a hill like an ant would using Velcro paddles. This is not as easy as it looks.

After lunch, we continued our journey north. We traveled for a few hours and decided to stop to explore Gettysburg. While most of the family was excited about seeing the cannons and monuments, JDaniel was most excited about finding dandelions.

He has been collecting them like crazy at home and was thrilled to know that dandelions grow in Pennsylvania too.

The following day we headed to Hershey Park. This is a picture of JDaniel and three of his four maternal cousins. He had such a good time going on the tour of the Hershey factory with the big boys.

Hershey Park is filled with lots of wonderful rides for four-year-olds Many of the kiddie rides had little or no line the day we were there. The roller coasters for big kids and adults were packed. JDaniel’s older cousins ended up getting to enjoy fewer rides than he did.

JDaniel loved getting to fly a plane. My husband loves planes and attending air shows. I suggested that he ride this one just for dad.

Well, we haven’t made it to New York yet in this post. I thought I would divide our trip in two days of posts. Tomorrow I will share with you pictures and activities we did when we got to New York.

I hope you will stop by and check out my sister’s amazing yard, a great tree fort, and a visit to a farm open house.

This post is linked to Alphabe Thursday.

Earth Day Activity- Backyard Nature Center Table

April 18, 2012 By Deirdre

JDaniel dragged a plastic table off the deck and began searching the yard for items that he could display on his backyard nature center table.

He took the job very seriously and placed only things he really wanted to display on it. Flowers from bushes in the yard didn’t make the cut. Wood and dirt along with other ground coverings were necessary.

Once the items had been gathered, they had to be arranged in a specific way. The background of why each item is placed where was not shared with me by the display’s curator. I was advised that it should remain just the way it is.

When he finished, he was left with a dilemma. Who would visit his nature center table? The two preschool-age boys next door were invited over along with their dad to view it. One visit seemed to be enough for them.

So, today I am inviting you to view his backyard nature center display. A display of this kind deserves visitors beyond the ones available in our neighborhood.

Feel free to stop by often and share your thoughts on this wonderful exhibit. The actual display will remain open until early summer when the director of the backyard will probably remove it.

If you choose to open a display like this in your backyard, please let me know I would love to visit it virtually too.

This post is being linked to Alphabe Thursday.