A Walk to Remember

Sophia took her first steps back in the beginning of August. Like her brother and sister, however, she has only recently begun to master it with a HUGE toothy grin!! I'm actually thankful that none of our kids were early walkers. I've really enjoyed watching their progress and honing the skills necessary to take off on foot. All of them, Sophia included, went from taking just a few cautious steps here and there to just deciding one day to stand up and take off! Quite surprising and exciting all at the same time. I managed to grab a few shots yesterday as Sophia came after me down the hallway. While I forgot my flash thus making the first shot a huge blur, her expression is priceless! And you can also see the game wasn't so fun to her anymore because Momma kept moving her back while Momma remained further away to capture the moment! Oh the torture of it all ;)

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Today I am 30! And, yes, I'm happy about it (as you can see in the photo above). No sadness here, no feeling sorry for myself, and certainly no feeling as though I am old and need to hit something (like below)! :)



I am embracing 30. I love this phase of life, the fun, the challenges, the relationship with my husband, kiddos, and our families--I am so very blessed! Besides, I already had my "getting old" breakdown at 20. Yes 20. I had a real issue with turning 20 and decided from then on I would celebrate each milestone. And celebrating I am in grand fashion...currently scrubbing the kitchen and living room floors, cleaning the bathrooms, and doing the laundry! HAHAHA! But only until about 5--then I'll clean myself up and celebrate in style with my family :)

And who knows, maybe I'll even get around to posting some pics of our celebration ;)

Sept. 8th: The Day

Despite the name of our blog, I rarely write about our business. No real reason why, maybe just knowing that most of you stop by to see the kids and their antics. Maybe because when you own and run your own business, it nearly engulfs you. Not that it doesn't have its perks, but even the perks don't outweigh that you can't clock out at the end of the day, enjoy paid vacations, earn sick time, etc. All the benefits of a regular job. Basically, its your life...day in and day out and every moment in between. And anyone reading this who has or is experiencing this knows exactly what I'm talking about. Otherwise, you have NO idea. So giving it even more of my time on my blog defeats the sometime-desire for escape. But something occurred at the job site on Monday, September 8th that nearly changed all our lives. And it definitely warrants posting (albeit massively edited for reading & writing purposes).

Up a mountain, in the woods, through a cornfield, and at the end of this gravel road:

sits a water tank, pictured here:


and just to the right of this tank is a manhole in the ground:


where Daryl nearly lost his life.


Overcome by carbon monoxide, he has no idea how he climbed eight feet up this rusted ladder and onto the ground above where the two men working with him apparently found him stiff, pupils dilated, and unresponsive.


His last memory was feeling the need to sleep while down in the hole and his next memory is of barely crawling along the grass thinking that if he stopped moving he would pass out....which he did. Almost eternally. His memories of that evening are few. He talks of knowing somewhere in the recesses of his mind that he may very well die--so he prayed for me and our kids and asked the Lord that if it was indeed his time, to be with him. Daryl was ready, but the Lord said, "not yet". And for that I am so thankful. Who knew that celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary the previous evening could very well have been our last?

The Lord has work for Daryl (and me and our family) to accomplish on Earth. Obviously. In the words of the Psalmist, what is man that the Lord should be mindful of him? I read those words, along with the rest of Psalm 8, to Daryl as he received his hyperbaric treatments. I could not read them without crying. Because by all medical standpoints, Daryl should be dead. The levels of carbon monoxide in his blood in such a short amount of time should have killed him. Or at least with some type of impairment. But the medical staff said Daryl had a few things going for him such as his age, his great health, and good response to treatment. But I knew what he had going for him most importantly: the prayers of so many, especially from a four and two year old. The kids and I were sitting down to dinner at the time Daryl was descending the rusty ladder into the hole. Brayden and Savannah were each saying the blessing for our meal and each of them prayed (as we always do) for the Lord to keep His angels around Daryl as he worked, to keep him safe. I like to think that at the moment Daryl was thinking of leaving us to enter Heaven the simple, yet sincere and heart-felt, prayers of two small children intersected his path. And I like to think that our Heavenly Father saw that these two little ones (and their little sister and I)still needed their earthly father for a bit longer. And I know that He sent his angels to bring Daryl out of that hole. And to respond so well to treatment from the EMT's and hospital staff--regardless of age or of health. And to have no side effects whatsoever. And leave everyone in the medical field shaking their heads while we in the faith field were dropping to our knees in gratitude and awe.

I cannot even begin to describe the emotions of the ordeal. The closet thing I could come up with is a blending of college finals with bringing home a newborn. Mental, physical, emotional roller coaster. Times one hundred. Or more. And for all the times of any given day that I tell Daryl I love him, what a great man he is, and how thankful and blessed I am because of him--well, you can times that by one hundred too. Or more. Every time I looked at him in the twenty four hours following I would tear up. And hug him. And kiss him. And tell him for the bazillionth time how much I love him, what a great man he is, and how thankful and blessed I am because of him. And I can honestly say that I am still doing just that...just as I always did but with even MORE fervor because I had a mere few moments to truly ponder what my life may be without him, not to mention our kids lives, my in-laws lives, our friends lives, our families' lives, etc. (Okay, so I had a three hour drive to think on this!)

I am acutely aware of the gift that the Lord has given me, our kids, our families by returning Daryl to us. And no amount of words or tears will ever express all that I feel surrounding it. There are so many blessings of that day--so many small details of the story that can't be explained or even fully grasped by our finite minds, so many "what-ifs"--that point only to God's hand at work. And three things really struck me in the ensuing days: (1) how thankful I am that if the Lord had decided to take him that day, Daryl would have gone knowing how much I love and adore him, (2) that I had already in the few months preceding had my "Abraham & Isaac moment" when it came to Daryl and our kids--the moment when I had to place them on the rock and cry out, Lord, they're yours. Not mine. And if it be Your will to take them from me, so be it. The Lord knows my heart. He knows that my greatest fear would be to lose my husband or one of my kids. He knows that I love my husband and kids with such an immense and intense love that it often moves me to tears for no reason other than how very blessed I am because of God's gift of Daryl and our kids to me. But He knows that the only thing greater than my love for them is my love for Him. And most thankfully it didn't take a life-altering event to know it or show it, and,(3) that with either outcome I know in my heart and can proclaim with my lips the words of Job, the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!

My prayer and hope for you reading this is just that: don't let it take a life altering event to make what's wrong right, to bring you to your knees, to give to the Lord what is His. Whether it be your spouse, your kids, your job, your relationship with the Lord, your unfulfilled or even shattered dreams, your relationships with those near to you, your past sins or failures, whatever. Right the wrongs, forgive and forgive some more, show mercy, tell that someone how you feel, mend the bridges, hold things in the palm of your hand rather than a closed fist, leave your sins and burdens at the Cross, live without regret whatever the cost knowing that Jesus already paid the ultimate price with His life. Wow. What freedom! What love! What a gift!

September 7th: Six years & counting!

September 7, 2002 was and is the greatest day of my life. Truly. Daryl and I visited the church where we were married six years ago. I love this church. I fell in love with it the minute we pulled up to the curb, let alone once we stepped inside its amazing sanctuary. And like most everything in my life, there's a great (in my opinion) story behind why we chose this particular church for our ceremony.

I had always wanted to get married in an old church. One with history. One that if the pews could speak they would tell of revivals and weddings and funerals and personal triumphs and personal defeats and great hymn writers and great sermons and spiritual uprisings and everydday tears of all kinds: love, joy, heartache, brokenness, rebirth, rededication, peace, etc. You get my point. After visiting England and Scotland, my desire only grew. Walking through grand Westminster Abbey to the small little churches in the Scottish hillsides, I was in awe and humbled. No matter the size of the church, I loved the old stone, the worn wood, the HUGE stain glass windows (even in the tiniest of churches!), the naves, the monasteries, but mostly the mere history and majesty of it all. I would often envision angels, as Frank Peretti so aptly writes, resting and recharging themselves for battle as the people of God prayed and sang, their wounds healing, wings spreading, and swords glowing as they prepared to fight satan's dominion. While I knew it was nearly inpossible, I would love to get married in a church just like this, I thought.

So when Daryl and I began talking marriage, I shared this desire of mine with him. And one evening we were sharing this with his dad as we relived our individual trips to the UK. His dad immediately asked Daryl, "Have you taken her to Zion Lutheran?" It turns out Daryl had helped his dad paint the sanctuary when he was younger...all 60+ feet high walls of it! I loved that this church already had a history with Daryl and his dad. Not that the history was anything like those of the churches in England or Scotland, but there was history nonetheless and it was on a personal level! (And as far as churches in our area go, I learned that this one was built in 1791, nearly destroyed by fire then rebuilt in the early 1800's--so there's some serious history within those stone walls.) So I jumped on the phone and arranged for us to visit with the pastor and tour the church. No description of this church could have prepared me for what I was about to see.

I was instantly taken.

And transported back to those beautiful churches in England and Scotland.

From the massive stone exterior and the beautiful sound of the bells chiming from the bell tower, to the three-story tall stained glass windows, the choir loft surrounding the sanctuary, the amazing pipe organ and the old wooden pews...this church could tell stories. And I wanted our story to be one of them.

And so it was.

Each year we visit Zion and relive the many memories of Our Day. I love hearing the sound of the trumpet and pipe organ revirbirating in my mind the way it did from the walls of that beautiful sanctuary that day, walking along the courtyard where we took many of our pictures, listening to the bells ringing, and thinking of all the history Daryl and I have written and shared together in the past six years, all that has transpired in our lives since that day.

If only the pews could talk...

Sept. 4th: Becca's 4th birthday!

Our sweet Becca-boo (nickname Brayden gave her when they were oh so little) turned four September 4th. The kids had so much fun picking out some special things just for her from them and we headed over to her house to play & celebrate! Krystal kept the troops while I went for my monthly torture treatment a.k.a. orthodontic appointment. I didn't get any pics of the day or of our Saturday evening family celebration that followed...but I do have some dear ones of years gone by. These kids are growing up way too fast!

Sept. 3rd: Brayden's First Day of School!

It was a BIG day...Brayden anticipated going to school since last year when we attended Reading Group at our local library. I was the one fighting tears! Daryl was away redoing a water tank so I videotaped the day thus allowing him to experience it as well! He's such a big boy now. His class is M-W-F from 12-2:30. Needless to say, he LOVED every second of his 2 1/2 hour "schooltime". Savannah struggled a bit with her "Bayden" not being around. That's all she's known her entire life so it was an adjustment for her, too. Its so fun to talk with him about the poems and activities they did. His teacher posts the week's lessons in advance so I recite the rhymes with him as we drive home. We're all really enjoying it now...well, Brayden has always enjoyed it...I just had to have my first-day-of-school-mom-meltdown. So, yeah, now its all good. But honestly I still get choked up every time he comes running at me with his papers in hand and smile large enough to light up all of PA. But I'm sensitive like that. And that's okay. Right?!

Loaded up and ready to go!

Standing outside the church by his school sign.

He jumped right in and began playing with classmates.

One of the teacher's aides building a puzzle with Brayden.

Our big boy!

Savannah telling Brayden bu-bye when we left...and my heart started breaking at the sweetness of the moment!

Hugging his teachers at the end of the day!

Our first day of school coming to a close...and BIG smiles all around!

Sept. 1st: Grampa Whitney's 90th Birthday!

We spent Labor Day in New York with Grampa and family celebrating his 90th birthday. It was a beautiful day and we had an AMAZING view from Andy & Beth's yard--the mountains of Vermont! Sixty-five mile visibility from the comfort of our lawn chairs. It was breathtaking.

When I think of all the change the he has witnessed in his 90 years it is mind-boggling. I sometimes get caught up in all the changes of my short lifespan. But they pale in comparison to Grampa's! One thing that remains unchanged, however, is his unwaivering faith. He's forever challenging us to deepen our walk with the Lord, be on our knees in prayer, and read His Word. He is a man of such strong conviction and it comes from his close walk with Jesus. Even through difficult times and choices, Grampa remained true to his convictions and by doing so garnered such deep respect and admiration of his family. He's also full of fun and jokes. Some of the best times I've had are playing Dominos any time Grampa is around. The best part of it is I couldn't care less if I win, just as long as I beat Grampa. He knows it and I I think I can safely say he reciprocates the same feeling...it has become a running joke between us :) I truly am in awe of him, of his love for the Lord, of the wonderful living example he is to me. I am thankful that I've had the opportunity to know him, to love him. It was a great time of fellowship, fun, and food. Grampa is an amazing man of God and I'm thankful that our kids have such a rich heritage and so many examples of godliness around them. Something that I do not take for granted!




Grampa with all the great grandkids--he sure has his hands full!

Grampa with his grandkids, their spouses, and all the great-grandkids! Yes, it was quite a feat to get these pictures!! I think this was picture #6 or so :)

Grampa and his grandkids and their spouses. And, as you can see, I think Grampa was tiring of all the picture taking!! We had him going all over the yard for different photos, but he was a great sport as usual :)

To the edge and back

Its nearly 2 am. I just typed an entire post, only to have it disappear before it posted. I'm exhausted...and now defeated. Sometimes I loathe technology!

I'll catch you up on all the happenings--with pictures--(and there have been LOTS) tomorrow or the next day. Or the next. Just don't hold your breath, okay? One near-death experience is enough for me in this lifetime! But more on that later.

My love and gratitude to you all who have prayed, supported, rejoiced, and cared with/for us since last Monday evening. The Lord has blessed me for a second time with the gift of my husband when He could have so easily taken him Home. Mere words can't suffice right at this moment. But I'm certain I'll find them after some sleep :)

Commander Brayden has landed

Once again Granny & Pap have stolen the show. Granny called yesterday at 1:30 to check about an outfit for Brayden's birthday in October. She ordered it...and it arrived TODAY!

Needless to say, he put it on right away and still has it on...maybe even to bed!

That's one small step for man....one GIANT leap for the future of American aeronautics!