Sweet Home New Jersey

I'm back!! Its hard to believe that the kids and I were away from our home for 15 days. 

From my previous post, you can see we left the middle of June for a family vacation in Florida. We had such an amazing time... a little tired from trying to fit in as much Disney on our last 2 days in Florida but what a great time we had!! 

On Sunday the 23rd, we drove from Florida to my parents home in Tennessee. Each summer the kids and I go for a visit (sometimes with Dave). Knowing we were driving to Florida, we decided that instead of coming all the way home to headed back south a week or so later for our annual visit we would make it a "stop" on the way back north. Dave flew back on Monday the 24th while the kids and I stayed driving back just this past Tuesday (July 2nd).  

We had a great time visiting with my parents. I'm always taken back by the beauty and quiet of the area. Living in the most populated county of northern NJ it takes time to adjust to the "quiet" that happens in rural, farm country - no hum of traffic or activity, no planes over head, etc. As for the scenery, there is nothing like taking in God's creation in its natural form. Breathtaking!! 

Friend's of my parents have a beautiful pool and gave us an open invitation to use it while we were in town. The kids absolutely loved it. I think we missed just 2 days at the pool during our entire visit. The pool is 10 feet deep accommodating the slide and diving board. The funny thing is my kids spent the majority of their pool time in the deep end. They slept pretty well at night for all the "work" they did swimming that deep end. A big "thank you" to the Johnson family. I think you will have annual visitors at your pool!  

It was fun watching Emily cooking with her grandma in the kitchen.  Grandma has a lot of cool cooking gadgets and Emily LOVES gadgets so cooking was a lot of fun for her. The kids did really great trying and eating some of Grandma's specialties - "deconstructed" cabbage rolls, green bean soup, etc. 

Another special event while visiting was celebrating Matt's 8th birthday. While on vacation in Florida, I asked Matt if he still wanted me to make a cake for him. Of course, he said "yes, the tornado cake, with debris." I thought for sure being away from home would get me a "cake pass". No such thing!!  

So, I attempted my second cake in 11 years. I would have loved to make something that was a little more of a 3-D cake but that just wasn't going to happen. Instead I baked a 13x9 chocolate cake and created the tornado from icing.  I was able to find black food coloring at Wal-Mart and piped the tornado on top a layer of white icing. I crushed Oreos to make the debris trail and added a few trees and farm animals inside the tornado.  Now I know the tornado scale only goes to an F5 (when your son is a tornado enthusiast you learn your facts) but seeing he was turning 8 and he is our little tornado I rated his cake an F8. Matt was very happy with the outcome of the cake and let me tell you this cake tasted delicious. I thought for sure we would be throwing some of it away for lack of being eaten. No way!! This cake was eaten over 3 days, it was that good. 

Matt also requested that for his birthday we eat at McDonald's. Why? Well, mainly because of their Wi-Fi connection. Although Grandma has a computer and Internet access, she is not set up with Wi-Fi, so all our electronic items were on Internet vacation, except at the local McDonald's.  

Matt and the boys (Grandpa Joe and Uncle Bob) sat together.

While the girls (Grandma, Emily and I), got to sit next to them at another table.

It seems that the last two summers we've visited Tennessee it has been close to the 4th of July which means buying fireworks. Last year, Dave was with us so we blew them off several times during our visit. This year seeing I was in charge we only did them our last evening there. We purchased them at the local fire department. Grandma & Grandpa knew the people working the sale and the one young man who is a fireman took Matt into the bays to check out the trucks. He even let Matt put on some of his gear. Matt so wants to be a fireman so this was a major plus to our visit. 

All in all we had a wonderful time. It is sad that we only get to see them once a year but we are happy that we get to do that. 

Tuesday morning we left at 7 am in order to make the 9+ hour trip home in one day (usually when alone with the kids, I'll split the drive). The weather during the first half was a little rainy but the rest of the trip was bright and sunny. Oh, we stopped in Maryland to get gas and eat lunch and right behind the Wendy's was a Hobby Lobby. I know you're wondering if I went in.....you know how I love Hobby Lobby, but I am 3 hours away from being home after 15 days. Of course, I went in!!! A little walking around helped after all that sitting. 

We made it home around 6 - we arrived in NJ during the beginning of rush hour traffic. We loved on Jingle, unpacked the car, then loved on Dave when he got home from work.

Going on vacation and visiting family and friends is awesome and something we love to do BUT it is also great when you come home!!!

Soaking In the Son

Yesterday, we experienced our first full day of vacationing here in Florida and it was a glorious day!!

The resort we are staying at has its very own water park and that is where we spent the first few hours of our day. 

Yes, once again I'm the official photographer of our vacation but this is a vacation I plan to experience as well as document. I think I shocked the kids when the first thing I did was join them riding the lazy river. I have to admit my vantage point is usually from a lounge chair and not in the "thick"" of the activity BUT I vowed this vacation would be different. Now that the kids are older, I'm realizing that soon I will blink and they will be in college, I've made the decision to be a participator and not just on the sidelines watching. Of course, when I went under the double waterfall and got pummeled by gallons of water, I had a moment of wishing I had stayed on my lounger.  

At the water park, they also have a splash zone, this I chose only to observe from a safe distance. The kids enjoyed running around the zone spaying water guns at each other but they were drawn back to the lazy river and spent the rest of the morning going with the flow of the current. Oh, they also have a slide that goes into a grotto on the lazy river. The kids, including Dave, really loved that!! Matt actually did it more times than Emily which surprised me.  

Ahhh....vacation!! We are so very blessed that each year we are able to take time as a family and just enjoy being together and where we are. 

As I was sitting on my lounge chair in between lazy river rides, I took some time to take in the beauty of my surroundings. My eyes were drawn to the palm tree directly in front of me and at the slight sway of a few palms even though the air around seemed to be still and hot. The palms seemed to be whispering. 

If you didn't look close enough you wouldn't notice their movement. In that moment, I thought of how God speaks to us and works in our lives. 

You see the evening before and this morning we were receiving updates regarding a very special boy, Jordan, (I grew up with his dad and aunt in NY) who was having a double lung transplant. Jordan has been on the transplant list for over 8 months and temporarily relocated with his mom and brother to Houston while his dad travels back and forth from his job and their home in North Dakota. This was Jordan's 5th attempt at receiving a transplant. Jordan and his family have been an amazing testimony of God's love and the plan He has for each and every one of our lives. Today we are rejoicing that Jordan has come out of the surgery well and he is in the beginning steps of recovery.

Oh how God cares for us but so many times we are not listening or we are doing our own thing outside of His plan. As I saw the palms swaying on that tree, I was praying for Jordan and also being shown what I need to be doing and that is listening for the whispers of God. The whispers meant for me but I allow life and its craziness to drown them out. So many times I want shouts from God and I "want it now" but God surely doesn't give us what we don't need and he doesn't go by our time table. So far on our vacation, I've seen God working in whispers (the nail in our tire, Matt's upset stomach) and in shouts (Jordan's new lungs). I'm so blessed that God never takes a vacation that He is always working everywhere, in every situation.  Is how He working always how or what I want? No!! But then this life I live is not meant for me but for Him and bringing Him glory through everything I do the big and the small. 

Today is a new day!! A day I choose to enjoy my family soaking up the Florida sun BUT also a day I plan to be soaking in the Son, listening for God in the whispers and praising Him with the loud shout of my life, a living testimony of His love and grace.  

Enjoy your day whereever it may take you!!

Florida Here We Come!

The end of last week turned into a flurry of activity as we prepared for our family vacation - this year to Florida. 

Most people who know me, know that I am a very organized person so packing for a vacation shouldn't be that big of a deal, right? Not right!!! Packing for me is a necessary requirement for vacationing. In the past, I didn't mind the task as much but this time I truly dreaded it. I think mainly because I had limited space to what I am used to packing (when we travel via car we usually take our van this time we were taking our Outback). Also, my husband was packing for one week away while the kids were packing for two. After our time together in Florida, the kids and I are headed to Tennessee while Dave heads back home. We also chose to drive to FL from northeastern NJ, a 17 hour trip (stops not included). Dave and I fully admit we are not night drivers, so our trip consisted of a 2 day split - 10 hours the 1st day, 7 the next with  the  stop over in SC. This decision resulted in an overnight bag to pack. In the end, the packing did get done and after a very busy Saturday we headed out Sunday morning, Father's day.

The kids were ready for this driving adventure. We had been preparing them for weeks letting them know this was NOT going to be a quick drive in the car. They were armed with DS units, Kindles, a DVD player, books and more to pass the time.

About three quarters of the way through our first day of travel, we notice a tire pressure light come on in the car. Turns out we "picked up" a nail during our travels. Although having to make a few extra stops to add air to the tire, thankfully we got to our destination without incident. We made a game plan to get the tire fixed in the morning as traveling on a Sunday resulted in most places being closed. The funny thing is with my organizational craziness I'm usually a stickler when it comes to schedules being kept and this delay didn't really bother me. I had a peace about it, that it would be taken care of and I was very thankful that we didn't have a blow out or got stuck on the highway. The "peace" seemed a little unusual but I was glad for it. I believe everything is in the hands of God and even this nail in our tire and need of repair was part of His plan. 

At 6:44 this morning, we found out how all this was working together. Matt has an issue with allergies and phlegm. Sadly, it builds up and the only way to relieve his upset stomach is spitting it out. Gross I know, but a way of life for him. Well, at this very early hour, he headed to the bathroom to start this elimination process. Once he starts, he goes until he is done and there is really no time table. With Dave having to take care of the tire, Matt was able to take his time and get "better" on his own time table.  We still left by a little after 9 am. 

God truly made this all work together. I know He is always working in the big and little things and I am thankful to be held in His hand.

Our trip took us through the states of South Carolina and Georgia, two states the kids and I have never been in. We can now cross those off our list of states we've "visited". The "Welcome to Florida" sign was a wonderful sight. We still had a ways to drive to our final location but we were happy to say we were in the state!

The place we are staying is a few minutes from Disney but we don't plan on going there until the end of the week.  For now, we are enjoying the pool at the resort, get to go to its water park tomorrow and we will be visiting Dave's sisters and the kid's cousins.

It is so wonderful being on our family vacation and I enjoy sharing it with all of you!  

Time is Flying....

Once again, I find myself behind in posting on the blog. However, it is not due to lack of activity.  

The past two weeks have been filled with one "work" project after another for me.  My hours of 10-2 seem to fly by and although I get quite a bit done, there is always another project on the horizon - which is a blessing.

We did take our annual family December getaway this past weekend. We headed to Pennsylvania and stayed at the Shawnee/Wyndham resort. This is our third time there. It is only a little over an hour away from home and the kids love it there.  

As always, the time went by too fast.  The kids had a hard time getting up for school this morning but are excited for the week as Thursday night is their school Christmas program and Grandpa & Grandma Wessel come in that same day for their annual Christmas visit. 

Its hard to believe that soon I'll be posting pictures of Christmas day.

An Incredible Treat

I'm still on vacation here at the lake with the kids. Dave was able to come back and spend the day with us on Wednesday.

He gifted me the most awesome day of 5 hours of reading in this big comfy chair that I turned to face the lake outside our window. 

On Tuesday, I had started this book "Lies Women Believe" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.  I was so glad to have the quiet to read this book as it really spoke to me.  

There are so many things I have gotten out of this book the biggest thing I took away, which I "knew" but has been made more clear to my heart, is that "It is not all about me, it is all about Him".  There are so many facets to this book that have touched my heart:  God is always good; my role as a wife is to be my husband's helper and the best way I can do that is through submission to his authority; my role as a woman is being a mother; I'm responsible for my behaviors, responses and choices (no blame shifting); garbage in, garbage out - I must guard my heart and mind; personal holiness is more important than temporal happiness; it is impossible to be godly without suffering and suffering is an essential tool in the hand of God to conform us to the image of His Son; God's plans and purposes far exceed the things that I have planned and He does give me enough time in the day to do what He has for me - I just need to "hear" His to do list and put my to do list aside. 

This is a book I will definitely keep going back.  It reveals the lies that Satan wants us to believe and shows the Truth God reveals through His Word.

I would recommend that every woman read this book.  What you take away from it will be personal to you but I would be shocked if you do not come away with a changed heart. I know I did!! 

My Day with the Kids

Majestic

Being on vacation alone with the kids is out of the "norm" for me but I'm determined to make it work. 

Yesterday, our first day alone, we spent the day playing outdoor games, going to the pool and lake after dinner. Today I promised them a "real" activity (something we usually do as a family or to be honest, Dave does with them).  The kids are obsessed with animals so we decided on a local animal park name "Claws N Paws". This place had so many cats.  The first animal we saw walking into the park was this lion perched on his rock.  He was beautiful and majestic.  The kids loved seeing all the animals. Emily's favorites were the chinchillas, Arctic fox and lion. Matt's favorite animal was "everything". 

This boy loves throwing rocks

We came back after the park to eat lunch and relax with the intention of heading to the indoor pool before it closed at 5.  Instead, we headed to dinner at 5 and the kids decided they wanted to go back down to the lake to throw in rocks, not the outdoor pool. Tonight, we were a little smarter and brought bathing suits in case anyone got a little wet (yesterday Matt sat in the water by "mistake"). Matt was busy moving rocks looking for secret passages in the water. I don't know where these passages would lead and he wasn't giving any information.  

My favorite part was taking pics of the lake and the sunset. Being on the lake and seeing the amazing sunset just makes you feel hugged by God.  It was beautiful.

My beauty

A Full Day

Yesterday was a day full of activity. 

We started the morning at the outdoor pool. Dave got to play some pool volleyball with the kids. The water was a little on the cool side so the kids only lasted about an hour but I was able to read that whole time. Woohoo!! 

Once they finished with the pool, Dave and the kids headed into the recreation center to do a few video games and ping pong. Me? I got to sit by the pool and continue reading my book.  

After taking a walk by the lake, we headed back to our place for lunch and a little nap (okay, only I fell asleep) before we headed back out again.  This time to the beach. 

The kids love any beach!  Once again, they spent most of the time digging and building in the sand. Me? I  was still reading my book. Dave was wonderful and headed off to get me an incredible cup of coffee as my energy was dwindling.  While sitting at a picnic table near the beach (watching the kids & reading), a woman came and with me.  We ended up having an amazing conversation and I was able to share with her my faith in Jesus Christ.  

The evening ended having dinner at a restaurant on their outdoor patio overlooking the lake.

Sadly, Dave had to head back to work this morning, so the kids and I are on our own.  Should be interesting!

By the Lake

Path to the Lake

Our vacation spot is on Lake Wallenpaupack in Hawley, PA.  

We were originally booked into a unit on the golf course but it was changed to one by the lake.  Between the two buildings (each having only 4 units) is the path leading down to the lake which is absolutely beautiful and the waves gently clapping on the shore is so very soothing.  At first, the kids were a little scared of how the docks moved with  motion of the water but then it became a game.

I'm planning to have a picnic lunch with the kids by the lake at least one afternoon. It is a great place to do devotions and read too!

We have access to an indoor pool that is at the golf course (1 mile from our unit) and also an outdoor pool and recreation center at  the main resort area (6 miles away). Tomorrow we are headed to the little beach located right behind the town's visitor center and then the outdoor pool - weather permitting.

Looking forward to our time together by the lake! 

Outdoor pool with a view of the lake

Vacation Time

This is it!! The last vacation before the kids go back to school and my routine becomes "normal". Crafting, painting and organizing here I come!! 

Funny how I mention "normal" as this vacation is not "normal" to our usual family getaways. Dave is working the consulting job and is unable to take the week off work so the kids and I will be vacationing alone the majority of the week.  Now it isn't that I don't want to be alone with the kids, I love being with them but vacationing is Dave's gig - he lives for vacation.  Basically, I pack and he does the rest. He drives the whole trip because he likes to be the one driving (this time we had to bring two cars), scouts out restaurants, coffee places and activities/stores bearing in mind each family members likes. He loves "playing" with the kids. He'll take them to the pool twice a day (I'm not much of a pool person), go to arcades, mini golf, etc. It isn't that I don't want to do it with them, it is just that is what he enjoys doing.

What do I enjoy on vacation? I enjoy sitting by the pool - but not going in, taking pictures of the kids having fun with Dave (I'm the official photographer) and I love to read.  

We are going to a somewhat desolate area.  Hey, when you live in the most populated county of all of NJ 10 minutes out of NYC desolate to me may not mean the same to you. I'm thrilled that there is a Dunkin Donuts about 10 miles from our resort. Oh, did I mention Dave does coffee runs in the morning on vacations - not on this vacation. I bought coffee for the coffee maker because I don't think Emily & Matt would appreciate me loading them in the car to just get a cup of coffee. 

Before coming, I was dreading having to do the things I normally don't do on vacation but when I got here I decided this is the vacation to truly relax.  I have my reading material all here and I am ready. We will make the most of the time that Dave is here and when he is not we will make that a fun time too!!  I'll keep you posted of all our activities this week!