About Last Week And Also Today

What a sad day. My heart breaks for the many families getting that horrible phone call, and also for our nation, which seems to spin a little more out of control every day. In this season of turmoil I want to keep my eyes on the God of the universe. He is good and He is sovereign, even when our TV screens tell us to believe otherwise. 

Blogging feels out of place on a day like today, but that is the thing about life. It's beautiful and terrible all at the same time and I write to remember both. 

A little over a week ago we made the trek with Daughter1 and her boys to Tennessee, stopping for two nights with hubs brother and sister-in-law so they could meet 'Max' and catch up with the mancub. My mother-in-law also lives in that same town so she was able to have time with her great grandsons too.  

The sun shone and these little men slept in yet another new place (their 8th since May!) without batting an eye and we had a wonderful time together. 

My son-in-law had gone on to the new house in another part of the state so he could get the keys to the house they rented sight unseen, meet the utility guys for water and electric connections, and tell the movers bringing their air shipment and their storage unit where things should go. Their household goods arriving by sea were to be delivered today, and the in-laws made the trip over yesterday to help with that. 

Moving is never a simple thing, particularly when you've been living abroad and the air conditioner goes out the second day you're there and the house is basically the temperature of the sun until it's repaired. We survived though, and I would say we even thrived in this lovely new space with a ginormous play room and an honest to goodness back yard. 

Hubs made one thousand trips to Lowes and unpacked their garage while they went to buy a car to park there. We ate ice cream with sprinkles...

And squeezed in a walk at a nearby park with its cool dark cave and a pond filled with turtles and blooming things. 

The mancub started preschool because resilience is his middle name...

We read a million books and laughed a lot because these little boys are the absolute best, most entertaining people we know. We went to bed ridiculously early every single night because we were all completely worn out by sunset. 

I have been thinking a lot today about this big little town where they will live these next two years. A 'military town' where everywhere you look you see the US flag flying and guys in baseball caps that read US Army. Lots of tattooed arms and crew cuts. Friendly people who knock on your new front door and say welcome to the neighborhood with a box of donuts because they've been where you've been and they get it. 

A town where most everyone has some sort of tie to one branch of service or another, and my heart aches for them today. So many armchair pundits and even many of our politicians have no clue what day to day life is like for active duty military families, which makes days like today extra hard and frustrating. 

Those who live it though? They understand and support one another in ways that truly matter. They will feel today right down to their marrow and will resolve to keep being brave and proud and true. 

"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."  John 16:33 

Full Circle

Hi everyone! No, you're not lost...it's still me, just with a brand new look on the blog. I want to thank my creative and supremely patient Daughter1 for working her design magic here in giving me a new space to love.

We've been talking for a long while about making some changes, and she knew I needed time to get used to the idea. Your blog becomes your brand in a way, and I was pretty attached to mine. I also knew it was outdated, and no longer a reflection of this new season of life I'm in. Once she showed me her vision I was sold.

When I came up with the name for my blog some eight years ago I had no idea what I was doing. I was living in the UK and really wanted to call it From The Other Side of the Pond. That's an expression commonly used in talking about England, but the name was already taken. I fiddled with the words a bit, came up with From This Side of the Pond, and voila! a blog was born. It's funny how that title has traveled with me, and remains so true to who I am and what I write about,

At first, England was this side of the pond referred to in the title. When we relocated back to the states New Jersey took on the title, and England was once again the other side of the pond. Flash forward seven years and I'm writing waterside from a new pond. Technically a lake, but hey that first pond was an ocean so I think this counts too.

There's a certain symmetry to the title of my blog that I find very satisfying. I love the soft colors, the simpler design, the less busy look. These elements mimic what I'm seeking in real life these days, and I look forward to writing in this new old space.

What A Difference A Day Makes

Let's look back shall we? Because today hubs and I celebrate 32 years of married life and a lot happens in a day year. 

This time last year we were mid-move. 

Papers were signed and we were packed and loaded, nearly everything we owned headed to storage. We lived with my mom for six weeks between here and there. There and here?   

We house sat for my sister and brother-in-law and took advantage of our weekend in the city of brotherly love. It was hot. 

We fed our sweet pup her favorite ice cream not knowing then she'd only be with us for one more short month. 

Oh yeah, and hubs was retired.

To recap, since our anniversary last year we have changed cities (twice), moved from a house to my mom's to an apartment while managing a home build in still another city, we said goodbye to the dog we'd loved for thirteen years, the sweetest dog we've ever known, hubs un-retired and went to work in another city, and we're still married. Did I mention we're building a house? 

Happy anniversary hubs! You make me strong, you make me brave, you make me laugh and only sometimes make me a little bit crazy. You're still the mischevious, fun-loving, hard-working, hilarious, big-hearted boy I married. 

32 years ago today I peeked around the door at the back of a warm sanctuary to catch a glimpse of you at the altar. 

You still make my heart go pitter-patter. xo

Ringing In The Hodgepodge

Happy New Year Hodgepodgers and readers everywhere! So glad you stopped by for this end of the year random! It's never too late to participate...answer the questions on your own blog, then add your link at the end of my post. Please say hello to the blogger who links before you because that's what good neighbors do. See you in the new year!

Now here we go-

1.  Share a favorite moment/memory from the week of Christmas.

So many wonderful moments to consider, but I've narrowed it down to two. On the Tuesday before Christmas my girls and I spent most of the day baking together. 

We sipped tea in pretty mugs and we talked and laughed a lot too. Hubs was out all day so it was just us girls and I really cannot put into words the contentment I felt all day long.   

A second favorite memory would be sitting on a church pew on Christmas Eve with my family beside me, candles lit,  joining with all those gathered to sing Silent Night. The Christmas Eve service has become the best part of the holidays for me in recent years. Taking time to be still in the middle of all the activity happening this time of year helps put life back into proper perspective. 

2.  If someone wrote a book about your life based on the past year, what genre would it fall under? What would the title be?

What genre would it fall under? Maybe psychology-ha! In 2015 my oldest daughter got married and moved to the west coast, my hubs retired after 30 years with the same company, we sold our home in NJ, moved south (after a short temporary stay with my mom), bid a tearful goodbye to the best dog ever, and are currently in some cozy digs while we build a home from the ground up. 

Psychology it is. 

What would it be called? How about Roll With The Changes?

3. What made you feel patriotic this year?

Many things...the Star Spangled Banner sung before a game, a YouTube video of a soldier coming home, and anything at Arlington National Cemetery. Just before Christmas I saw a picture of wreaths placed on every grave there and my heart felt so full. 

4.  What experience from this past year would you like to do all over again?

Well it definitely wouldn't be selling a house-ugh! I think I'll go with the obvious answer here...

...Daughter1's wedding day. 

5. What song lyric sums up or is a reflection of your 2015?

This one-



Honestly this is kind of my theme song. 

6. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate 2015? (10=stellar) Why?

I guess I'd say parts of 2015 were far better than a ten, but there were some 4's and 5's sprinkled throughout the year too. C'est la vie! 

7. What part of the upcoming year are you most excited about?

Do I really need to answer this one? Moving into our lake house! 

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

A few of you asked about my crafty Christmas project, one I was keeping hush hush until after the big day. I made a scrapbook for my daughter1...it's their love story in words and pictures. 

And a lot of stickers because I just couldn't stop with the stickers. 

The book has a plastic sheet over it because it needed to fly back to Washington State in a carry on bag, and I didn't want the pages to become torn or bent. I'm not going to post too much of the contents here because it's personal, but here's one half of a page-

They danced their first dance to George Strait's song, True. Most of the pages I've written on by hand, but for this one I printed the lyrics on my computer. I had so many cute candids and keepsakes from her showers, the various stages of planning, their rehearsal, getting ready on the day of, etc, and I wanted them to have the photos to keep. 

The book turned out beautifully and my daughter and son-in-law were surprised which makes it more fun. I really enjoyed putting it all together and I'm anxious to get back to scrapbooking some of our other family trips and photos I've neglected.

Happy New Year Everyone! 

Back to the Hodgepodge

Hello Hodgepodgers! We had a full and busy day on Tuesday, so I'm writing my responses to this week's questions at a ridiculous (for me) hour. Better late than never, right? I've even managed to squeeze in something relating to today's one-word prompt from the Write 31 Challenge, so whoohoo! Add your link at the end of my post, IF you've played along too. Here we go-

1.  October 21, 2015 is Back to the Future Day. Did you see the movie? The sequels? In the second film, Doc takes Marty into the future to prevent Marty's future son from making a mistake. They leave 1985 and land on a 'skyway' on October 21st, 2015. So tell us, what were you doing in the fall of 1985?

I did see the movies, and loved the first and third. The second was just okay. 

Back in 1985 I was a fresh-faced newlywed, married just over a year. Hubs and I had moved from Knoxville Tennessee to Richmond Virginia in March of that year, and in September I'd started working as a Speech Pathologist for the Richmond City Schools. We were living in a rented townhouse and feeling very grown up. I have a picture somewhere, but it's been a long day and I don't have what it would take to find it on my computer. 

2. If time travel were possible, would you want to go to the future? The past?

While I think it would be fun to meet my future great greats I'm sure there are things about the future that would also worry or upset me. And I'd love to go back in time if I could skip any sadness, and just relive the good stuff. 

I'd think twice about traveling either direction. The future and the past are both filled with highs and lows, love and loss, joy and sorrow. I feel a huge sense of relief knowing I'm not in charge of time.  

3. We're not flying cars, but some of the technology imagined in the 80's film has indeed come to pass in real life 2015-flat screen TVs on the wall, tablets, fingerprint recognition, video conferencing, online banking, 3-D movies, motion controlled video games, drone cameras, and smart glasses (Google glass). Do you worry technology is growing at a rate so fast we'll soon be unable to keep up with it's demands? Do you think the Internet does more harm than good?

I think it's safe to say there is no un-doing the Internet. In general I think it's done more good than harm, but of course there is always that one bad apple (or ten) who like to spoil things.  

I don't worry too much about whether we'll keep up with the demands of all this ever-evolving technology. I'm sure the future will bring more and more new, but with that will likely come ways of managing it all. 

In 1985 if someone had declared that in 20 years we'd all be carrying around computers and cameras in hand held 'cordless' telephones we'd have wondered how in the world we'd manage. But look at us! We rock! 

Also, it is past time for us to be flying cars, don't you think?

4. Your favorite dish prepared in a slow-cooker? Your favorite fast food?

A pork roast with sauerkraut or else shredded with BBQ sauce would be my favorite dish prepared in a slow cooker. We try not to eat 'fast food', but now that we're back in the land of Chick-fil-A that's sometimes easier said than done. Since they list the calories on their menu I think twice about my order. I love their original sandwich with extra pickle, but their Asian salad is also delish. I don't eat Chick-fil-A very often. 

5. No time like the present, down time, face time, pressed for time, in the nick of time, make time, mark time or just in time...which timely saying most relates to your life right now?

Probably mark time. We're building a house so in a sense, we're marking time until completion. 

6.  Tell us about a place you went as a child or younger person that's no longer there or is now something else. How does that make you feel?

Lots of things aren't what they once were, but the thing I miss the most is the church I grew up in. There's been so much change and turnover through the years, and while I think the building itself is still there, it's not the church I once called home. Makes me long for what once was.

7.  Describe your comfort zone.

I do believe Dorothy said it best, 'There's no place like home.' 

No matter where in this world we roam, no matter where in this world we set down roots, if my people are there it's home. We were away last weekend, and hubs asked why I was anxious to get home when we're living in temporary quarters. I really couldn't explain it other than to say, 'It's home, that's why.' 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Day 21-wave

Hi Everyone! 

Yesterday was a big day in our little corner of the world, as our dock was officially installed almost. We are so excited. Before the builders do the last little bit (dig the pilings) we need an official stamp of approval saying yes our dock is within our designated dock zone. It is, but we still need Mr. Inspector to sign off. 

I'm going to post some words and pics here later today or tomorrow, but in the meantime we have a couple of chairs, blue skies, a fabulous view, and...

...a serious case of the happies! 



                                                                          

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 240

Here are the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer on your own blog, then hop back here (on Wednesday) and add your link to the random. Here ya go-

1. October 21, 2015 is Back to the Future Day. Did you see the movie? The sequels? In the second film, Doc takes Marty into the future to prevent Marty's future son from making a mistake. They leave 1985 and land on a 'skyway' on October 21st, 2015. So tell us, what were you doing in the fall of 1985?

2.  If time travel were possible, would you want to go to the future? The past?

3. We're not flying cars, but some of the technology imagined in the 80's film has indeed come to pass in real life 2015-flat screen TVs on the wall, tablets, fingerprint recognition, video conferencing, online banking, 3-D movies, motion controlled video games, drone cameras, and smart glasses (Google glass).  Do you worry technology is growing at a rate so fast we'll soon be unable to keep up with it's demands? Do you think the Internet does more harm than good?

4. Your favorite dish prepared in a slow-cooker? Your favorite fast food?

5. No time like the present, down time, face time, pressed for time, in the nick of time, make time, mark time, or just in time...which timely saying most relates to your life right now?

6. Tell us about a place you went as a child or younger person that's no longer there or is now something else. How does that make you feel?

7. Describe your comfort zone.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

The 411

It's snowing here again, or still depending on your point of view. This is a dainty snow, quite pretty if you can get past the five foot+ high snow mountains in driveways and parking lots and ev-ry-where you go, the freshly iced walkways and porch steps your husband spent two hours chipping free and clear just yesterday, the chalky gray salty substance touching literally everything from the bottom of your feet to every square inch of your vehicle and, most importantly...you are not out in it.

Then it's quite pretty.

But guess what? I'm not here to talk about the weather. My blog, my little corner of the Internet, has been neglected in recent weeks, and I want to try and rectify that. Because while the blog has been quiet, life has not. Life has carried on at warp speed in spite of the fact that we're essentially housebound due to the extreme cold and above mentioned winter mayhem.

This past Thursday, February 26th, marked 30 years to the day my hubs began working for the company he has worked for come rain or come shine, since 1985.

On Friday February 27th he retired from that company.

Done. Closing one chapter. Officially not working.

Have mercy.

I kid. But only sort of, because there's a whole lot to figure out in the next little bit, and I've been somewhat reluctant to write about it here because all the retirement things were colliding in my brain with all the wedding things. I needed to compartmentalize. These two not small life events have been running on parallel tracks for the past few months and whew...we've got a lot of things going on here people.

How about if I keep today simple and respond to the three questions I'm asked most often when someone hears our news.

1.  Will you move? 

Absolutely. In fact our house just went on the market.
Potential buyers please read paragraph one. Winter-yay! It's great!

Okay, maybe not great, but it is survivable. And pretty! Really really pretty!

2. Will your hubs go back to work?

Yes, eventually but not tomorrow.
Did I mention it's winter and we're in the house? A lot?

3. Will you go bonkers? Will he? 

Hmmm...stay tuned.

That last question is normally asked by people who actually know hubs in real life, as opposed to most of you reading here who know him via my blog. ahem. 

I don't in any way mean to imply that my hard working husband is going to drive me crazy by not immediately going back to work, but!...there's always a but in life isn't there? One of the absolute best and most admired traits my husband possesses is his drive. His strength of character and steely determination to always push forward, think long term, to set goals and meet them and then set some more. To fly headlong into the future. Take risks. Overcome challenges.

He likes to picture himself sitting on his dock reading a book, and while I'm sure he'll do some of that there will be more. Because there always is. We're young. Not young in the sense of just starting out, but certainly in the sense that we have a very long list of things we want to accomplish in this world.

In order to do something different you have to step off the path you've been comfortably trekking for thirty years and forge a new path. As much as we hate to admit it, change isn't a naughty word. And while I always normally dig in my heels resist, I know this much is true-

God has always always used change in my life for good.

Something else I know?
I may as well decide from Day 1 to see this as an adventure.

Because with hubs, it always is.

'Twas The Night Before Christmas

...and a week before the wedding, but let's not talk about that right now.  Let's talk Christmas instead.

I love this picture also taken on Christmas Eve once upon a time. It appears Santa was serious business around here in the 90's. Hubs own father always read Twas the Night Before Christmas to his family on Christmas Eve, and hubs has carried on that tradition with our children too. Our girls might be in their 20's now, but you're never too old to snuggle up on the couch beside your Dad on Christmas Eve.

Here's another throwback. The bride-to-be and the hubs all dressed up and ready to head into the city for the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall.  

The bride was two and a half, and we lived in the furthest reaches of New Jersey back then so hubs arranged for a limo to get them into Manhattan. I stayed home with the newborn maid of honor, but I still remember how excited Daughter1 was to call me on the phone. From THE CAR! 

Hey, it was 1990 and we weren't all walking around with phones as added appendages back then.

We were back in Radio City Music Hall yesterday, and the show is every bit as good in 2014. The Rockettes are pure dance perfection. Seriously they never miss a step, are never out of sync, and they make it all look completely effortless.

I have a lot of favorite acts in the program, but the Nativity finale and rousing rendition of Hark the Herald Angels Sing is definitely near the top of my list.

The weather was weirdly warmish (for December anyway), and it was misting only a little, not enough to keep us from a peek at the tree.

THE tree.

Which is not actually blurry in real life, but I didn't want to carry my big camera in the rain, so these were all taken with my phone. Plus, there's all those people, people. You have to be quick, and if there's one thing I'm not when it comes to photography, that would be it. The tree is always stunning, and when you come around the corner and catch that first glimpse it kind of takes your breath away.

We had dinner at one of our favorite places, Bobby Flay's Bar Americain. Wedding planning is a funny thing in that every now and then somebody here spontaneously sheds a tear. Mostly it's the hubs-ha! Kidding! Sort of, but last night it was Daughter2.

I understand completely. We're all so happy for the soon to be newlyweds, and we're super excited for the big day and all the fun and life ahead. Sometimes though, seemingly out of the blue, you are struck in the gut with the knowledge that you're not going to have your sister within easy arm's reach, and as happy as you are for her, you know there will be a new normal to figure out.

 
And that's okay, because we know how to do new here.
Even though you're young, life has taught you that new is good too.

God always makes us ready for next, because life is full of next...new...change. With change we've learned there will come gifts we didn't even know we wanted.

2015 will be a year filled with lots of changes round here. Years ago that would have scared me a little, but right now I feel a sense of happy anticipation to see how the days unfold. I know from first hand experience the challenges that come with geographic distance between me and the people I love. I also know family is knit into the very fabric of who I am, and that amid the whirling, turning, upside-down world in which we live, there they will remain.

I don't know what all the new year will bring, but I do know when I'm writing here this time next year I  can say as I do now- God is good and He is with us.

Circumstances change, and that's a given.
Thankfully He does not.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Sweet, Short, Little Weekend

So it's July. 

Huh? 

Besides the weather, bloggers also like to mention every chance they get  how fast the days and years seem to be flying on by. Maybe writing about daily life makes you acutely aware of rainy days and the passing of time. Or maybe time really does speed up when you hit a certain age?  Whatever.  June. It's done.  

I love June.

Daughter1 made a train trek north on Friday evening to catch up at home. It was a 'summertime and the livin' is easy' kind of weekend. 

We had a bridal shower to attend on Saturday afternoon so we left hubs home with his own list of yard and garden chores while we celebrated this girl-

Oh wait, that was 1993, also known as last week.
Here they are-

Told you time was whizzing by.
And that I should pay more attention to the light when I snap photos.

We came home and sat outside for the remainder of the day.  Hubs found a lighter that had belonged to his dad decades ago, and impressed us with his mad skills.  Do they still make fancy lighters?

The temperature was so lovely (shoutout to the weather!) and hubs grilled steaks while we listened to music and talked about life. We also gave Daughter1 her birthday present, which of course was followed by angel food cake topped with strawberries and whipped cream. In Daughter1's book, if you don't have that, it's not a real birthday celebration.

Somebody in our group spent hours trying to capture the ever elusive chipmunk that resides in our rock wall with all his friends and cousins. 

Hubs made a most excellent fire...

...which lasted well into the night, and reminded me of why I married an Eagle Scout. Not the only reason of course, but definitely something I put in the pro column. 

Sunday meant a trip back to the train station, and someone insisted she get to go too...

...because parents aren't the only ones who dislike goodbyes when time does its thing, and brings a sweet short weekend to a close.