Precious Memories

I just got home from the most incredible week visiting my family!  I'm so grateful to my sisters and mom and especially my dad for making the trip possible.  They pretty much ironed the whole thing out and then called and told me to pack my bags.  It was just what I needed!

During the first few days in western Kansas, I was able to meet up with a few classmates.  A couple of them I had not seen since our graduation eleven years ago!  It was super-fun to meet their kids, hold their babies, and catch up a little.  Unfortunately, we completely forgot to take a group photo!  Bummer.

I was also able to attend a service at the one and only church of my childhood.  The experience was interesting to say the least.  It was filled with lots of nostalgia, thoughts of my dear grandmother (who is buried in the church cemetery), self-reflection, and most of all thankfulness for my own unique God-journey.

Sunday after lunch, we buckled up and headed out to move my sister and her family into their new home in Colorado.  In stereotypical kid form, this little munchkin was asking "how long?" before we even got on the highway.

Monday was a busy day of cleaning and preparing for the arrival of the semi truck and the rest of the week was filled with lots of box-carrying and organizing.

 

 

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed spending time with my nine (yes, nine!) nieces and nephews.  Several of the young ones had really started talking since I last saw them and several of the older ones are old enough now to connect on a more mature level.  One, I met for the very first time (so sweet!) and we celebrated birthdays for two others while I was there.  It really was special! 

 

Toby (the little guy on my lap above) and I bonded one day on a walk/bike ride.  I said, "Toby, I like you!"  He replied, "I wike ooo too!"  My heart pretty much melted.

 

 

 

The view in every direction around their new home is absolutely to die for.  What I wouldn't give for a daily view of those mountains... and the air... there's something uniquely refreshing about mountain air.

 

 

 

This trip felt different to me.  Perhaps because it had been so long since I'd seen everyone or possibly because I'm finally growing up (ha!).  Do you know what I mean when I say that home shines a light on identity in a way that nothing else does?  I'm guessing this resonates more the further you live away from your family and childhood home.  And I think that this light reveals things that either stir up deep peace or anxious turmoil in the heart.  For the first time in a long time (in that setting), I felt deep peace.

On my last day there, Jillian was in no mood to have her picture taken. Obviously. She said, "I not gonna cheese.  I no wanna hm-mile."  But the picture below couldn't be any more perfect of Kensey. She is an absolute doll and has a personality to match. I missed those kids the minute I left, even more than the mountain views... which is quite a bit, as you may know.

 

 

Ok, so... funny story to wrap this up.  As we are stuck in traffic on the way to Denver, Sara and I are keeping the girls happy by doling out pretzel sticks.  All of a sudden, we hear Jillian say, "Ow, ow ow!" and I turn around to find her hunched over in her car seat with her hands up around her face.  Just as I realized what had happened, she proceeds to pull a two inch pretzel stick from her right nostril.  Her eyes water and she sneezes about five times.  Needless to say, Sara and I die laughing.  Several minutes later, Sara says, "Hey, ask her where that pretzel is."  I turn around and ask Jillian and she opens her mouth, points to her tounge and proudly says, "I ate it.  It in my tummy."  And the laughter commences again.  Hilariousness.

 

 

Niagara Falls

As requested, pictures from our vacation this fall...

 

Just outside of Buffalo, we toured a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.  Let me just say right off that I was much more into this than David.  There may have even been a bit of a spat in the parking lot.  lol. Let's keep this real, ok?  So you don't go thinking that we won some kind of award for the perfect anniversary trip.  Back on track... this house sit down a long lane, right on the edge of Lake Erie.  The cliff behind the house has literally eroded away from the huge steel staircase that used to give access to the lake.

 

Graycliff Estate

 

Front view.  Entrance on far left. Windows allow a view of the lake.

 

Back view. Notice the sunken lawn. Poplar Forest has one too.  Must be the thing to do.

 

View towards portico entrance.  These planters were located within arms reach of the kitchen window.  Ok, maybe just the top one, but you get the point.  Totally cool.

Niagara Falls

 

We stayed on the Canadian side and these photos prove that, if you are going to the trouble of making the trip up there, you need to be able to get into Canada.  Of course, I don't know what the view is from the States, but it simply can't be as good. :)

 

View towards the States.

Look at those clouds!

Dadgum piece of hair in my face.

 

Mist.

View from one of the tunnel lookout points.

 

Absolutely gorgeous day.

Wet.

 

Lundy's Lane...where signage companies upchuck.

 

Niagara On The Lake... cutest town ever.

Unique shops

and restaurants.

 

Beautiful planters.

 

View across the river towards the States.  I think that's an old fort.

 

Lots of beautiful wineries!

 

So overall we had a really great time!  I do feel so blessed to have been able to take a trip like this.  David is not a huge traveler and definitely NOT a sightseer, but this location was pretty much all his idea.  That in itself is somewhat of a miracle.  haha.  But this trip was not without some moments of serious frustration either.  We had a couple lazy days, a couple fun days and... a couple... other... days.  After five years, I think I'm finally getting around to accepting our differences for what they are and not ascribing them to something bigger.  I could say more, but I'll stop while I'm ahead.

 

So the moral of the story is this... if your anniversary trip is not all rainbows and sunshine, if, in fact, it incorporates a few slamming doors and a bit of silent treatment, you're probably more normal than you think.  Everyone else is only sharing the good stuff.

 

This is thankfulness mixed with realism.

Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest

Bless his heart, I know sightseeing is pretty much at the bottom of David's list of fun things to do.  So it surprised and flattered me when he suggested going on Sunday. 

For those of you who aren't familiar with Poplar Forest, it's Thomas Jefferson's retreat near Lynchburg, VA.  It was sold two years after Jefferson died and privately owned until the early 80's when it was purchased by a group of folks with the goal of restoring it to Jefferson's specs.  They have completed much of the exterior restoration and are working on the interior and the grounds.

front view, standing in the carriage path

front porch

The benches were designed by Thomas Jefferson, but not for Poplar Forest. They were added as a safety feature.  I love both the color and the style of the shutters... and the fact that they are workable!

view from the front

The house faces due north, which I think is a really cool feature. No one in this part of the country seems to know their cardinal directions, including me.

side back view

The roof of the east wing is accessible by a door on the main floor. Again, the railing is a safety feature and not part of the original design.

back view

The sunken lawn, a feature that Jefferson saw in Europe, was originally lined with flowering trees and shrubs. Eventually, they will restore the grounds to the original specs.

arial rendering of the grounds as Jefferson designed

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floorplan

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Evidence we were there!

You gotta love the combo of cheesiness and pained grimace. This is a perfect example of how we travel together. Could we possibly be any more different? Me- interested in every boring detail including dates and people and ages, imagining what it must have been like to live here 200 years ago. David- "Are you finished? Can we leave now?"  Seriously, this is now it goes down.  And sometimes it's not pretty. But it's real life.
 

Favorite Features:

1.  The combination of two different types of railings.  They couldn't be more different yet the contrast makes it interesting.  Sameness would be boring.  Applies to interior design... and to marriage, I think! :)

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2.  The seriously sweet dining room table (a reproduction) that separates into three sections.  The middle is a drop leaf table and the ends come together to form an octagonal shaped table.  How genius is this?  The very epitome of multifunction furniture!  Wish I had seen this five years ago before our dining table was built.

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3.  Dining room skylight.  And the 20" ceilings, of course.  But that skylight is awesome.  It casts a really unique and beautiful pattern of light into the room.

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4.  Triple hung windows in the library.  Open them up and the room becomes a porch!

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5.  View from the front door.  I've always loved houses that have a view of the back of the house from the front door.  Something about the center hallway and visible doorways sparks my curiosity and pulls me inside.

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Have you done any local sightseeing this summer?  Please share!

ps.  I'm secretly hoping you'll tell me that we're not alone in our predicament of complete opposite ideas of "fun" vacation/travel activities.