~TheThingAboutSummer~AndNotesOnBoston~

Here's the thing about summer.

It gives me the time to catch my breath

to reflect

to reevaluate

to consider what I'm doing

and why I'm doing it.

It gives me a moment to back up

to get a bird's eye view of our lifestyle choices

our schedules

our successes and short comings.

It affords me the moment to realize

that generally speaking,

we are a family of which this statement partially defines us:

"Out of sight, out of mind"

which is why, after our Bible time this morning,

i went to hobby lobby and bought two not particularly pretty, but just right chalkboards to mount on our mud room door.

the big one will be our "week at a glance" with our meal plan, our where to be, what to do,

and the small one will be our verse board.

seriously don't want to raise shallow Christians.

hiding His Word in your heart is one key to not being shallow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the wake of the despicable, heart breaking shootings in the
Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church,

I'm reminded that pain in this world is inevitable

that I can't guarantee an outcome in most any situation

but I can certainly give my every breath to tell four little people in my home that:

"I will not be moved.
He has made me glad
and I'll say of the Lord,
'He is my Shield
my Strength
my Portion
Deliverer
my Shelter,
Strong Tower
my Very Present Help in Time of Need."

Boston....
it's a beautiful city
and one I would highly encourage you to visit.

Parking on Avery Street puts you less than a block from the start of Freedom Trail.
Which by the way, if you are walking Freedom Trail,(and I can't imagine why you wouldn't) wear tennis shoes and allow pretty much an entire day for this. 

If you are a lover of history, you will not be disappointed.

The North End Boston.

I promise you I am going back just to eat here.

I plan to spend an entire day eating at the coziest Italian spot I can find.

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.

I'll be fat when I get back.

But I won't even care.

Somewhere in Boston.

A stone's throw from Old North Church.

Which, in case you didn't know, 

is the church where the lanterns 

were lit to alert the colonist the Red Coats were coming.

"1 if by land, 2 if by sea."

We walked a.l.o.t. in Boston.

Daddy's finding our next stop.

Emma is just d.o.n.e.

Avery is Avery.

Go to Boston.

It's pretty great.

You'll be a little more patriotic when you leave.

~stacey

~ALittleBitOfMaine~

I'm sleeping in a bed in a house that was built in 1850.
This house we rented fascinates me.
It's perfectly situated on a bay of the Atlantic Ocean.
It originally belonged to a sea captain.
The family raised 13…..THIRTEEN children in it.

We hadn't been here a full 24 hours before I came to the decided conclusion about a couple things as they relate to the American family.
The problem is not that our kitchens are too small.
The problem is that we are too big for our kitchens.
our lifestyles
our stuff
our expectations
our distractions
our lack of attention to the things that really matter…
all those things get in the way of living…I'm convinced of it more than ever.

When I look at these quaint painted floor boards that are mostly different widths and lengths,
I'm reminded that people used to be more concerned with function than aesthetics.

We have significantly limited electronics even more than we normally do this week away and let me just tell you, is it liberating.
So freeing that it's almost addicting.
I've contemplated unplugging all together except IG…that's my favorite.
Not sure how many more blogs I have in me and Facebook is so incredibly cluttered.
But I love seeing pictures of my friends' families and babies,
and then there's the potential to miss semi significant news,
…so there you go…I must be an addict.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now that I'm home:

Maine, specifically Mount Desert Island, is
quaint
wholesome
clean
community strong
simple
absolutely beautiful


This was our first non-beach, non-Disney family vacation so I wasn't sure exactly how it would be to "park it" for 8 straight days in a National Park with four kids ranging from age 5 to 13.

It wasn't without some bumps and bruises (literally and figuratively),
but it was a bonding experience, as expected, and a trip that makes me smile, laugh, roll my eyes, and feel really grateful when I think about it.


First time for Little Miss to fly
and the first time in a few years for the bigs.

I had nightmares about 

my kids falling off a cliff while we were there…

so I was the Cliff Nazi.

Here is Brad, grinning, because he knows I would freak out if I saw the edge of this cliff.

His job was to motion to how far the kids could come down.

I sat at a safe distance with a death grip on Emma…

all the while looking at Brad as if to say.

'If one of them falls off, you may as well jump off after them, because I will kill you.'

Our first (OF MANY) hikes.

The problem with hiking, is that I don't like the unknown.

I don't particularly care for surprises.

I don't like hiking on a trail that we aren't exactly sure…
how long, steep, or difficult it will be for the kids.

and if you can't promise me that there will be an unforgettable view at the top, then don't ask me to start climbing…because only the scenery makes it worth it.

Brad, on the other hand, is content to just start up the mountain. 
1 mile or 5…makes no difference to him.

So, off we would go…every single time.
me, with my reservations 
and him with his gusto.
He led
I followed 
a little behind 
with Emma's hand tightly in my own
every once in a while yelling,
"Brad! You're going to have to slow down a little"

and then when her feet would fail her,
he would scoop her up and put her on his shoulders
and we would keep right on going.

Funny thing.
As much as I resisted the unknown,
I was never disappointed in the reward.
The views
the sense of accomplishment
the thrill of heading back down
made the climb worth it.

After hiking Gorham Mtn.

Emma was not down with the whole "V" for victory thing.

As far as she was concerned, she fell twice, scraped her knee,  and generally speaking, walked enough to last her a year.

I believe her exact words were,

"I do NOT like hiking."

such a little trooper. 

her daddy and I were so proud.

her "soccer shoes" made her be able to hike….said she.

Lobsters.

We bought them from a neighboring Lobsterman.

He was awesome, and I'm pretty sure Brad was in heaven.

Our back yard for the week...

can't.hold.my.eyes.open.any.longer.

So thankful to have a bed to call my own.

~stacey