In lieu of pumpkins…

Yes.  Really.

More Soccer Spotlights

We missed the soccer banquet last year because, frankly, we didn't know there was such a thing and we let our weeks get busy...

This year, Marie and I were able to go while other family members helped John's parents celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.

First off - the coach introduced each player and shared a little story about each one. I loved Marie's.





Then this.
This trumps ANY goal, in my opinion.



Oh - how I hope that THIS is her life song.

Chase Farms

I got a quick text from my co-worker and friend, Jamie.  She and her husband were bringing their five kids to Chase Farms for a quick fall outing.  The little girls excitedly exchanged their princess dresses for field trip clothes and we scooted down the street for some fun.

Tab was chilly, not grouchy.  And I only realized after I’d gotten home I hadn’t taken enough photos…

Everybody’s got a story to tell.

And I hope you’ll let me tell this one.

You might remember that Marie broke her toe in Oregon last year on June 8th, but that it did not get diagnosed until July 30th, at which point we began treatment.  She was frequently reassessed, but Marie ended up missing all but the last two games of her soccer season.

Of particular note was September 18th, 2015.  We left the orthopedic office that day with news that Marie needed to continue to sit on the sidelines to allow her foot to heal.  It was not the news she’d longed for and the tears (hers and mine) flowed freely with disappointment on the drive home.  She didn’t have a case of “poor me” but rather just sheer sadness at a lost opportunity.  After a few minutes of crying I gently started bringing her back to the truths we know.  God is good, all the time.  Nothing of her heartbreak was a surprise to Him, and He would somehow use all things for good according to His purpose.  She was keenly responsive to these words of life and added many of her own.  She remembered that God knows the plans He has for her, and we just prayed that He would help her through the hardness of it.

When this season came around she embraced it wholeheartedly.  She’d been walking on the treadmill for months to build up endurance and was ready to hit the field.  She’ll acknowledge alongside me that the first few games she was just a bit hesitant at times.  She noticed how small some of the players were the first game and somewhere in her heart she just pulled back a bit at times.  I think there was some sense of self-preservations there, too.

Then one game it switched.  It was a game where (1) Daddy was able to come watch and (2) she had to play the entire game because there were only two girls there that day and the rules say two needed to be on the field at all times.  She was making strong progress and then sprained her ankle at Community Bible Study.  It was touch and go there emotionally for a few hours as Satan tried to speak words of doubt to her.  With the help of the Holy Spirit her great attitude prevailed and she embraced healing like it was her job.  She elevated and iced her leg for three days uninterrupted and was ready for practice 6 days later missing only one game (that we still attended and cheered on together.)  Her game improved every single time she was on the field and it was exciting to watch her grow.  Her one disappointment (hers, not ours!) was that she had not scored a goal. 

SK red (Scarlet Knights red) made it to the play-offs with a record of 7-2.  They lost their two games to Rapids Green and Rapids White in games 1 & 3 of the season.
They narrowly won their first play-off game against Scarlet Knights white in overtime with a penalty kick.  It was so close. 
They went to the next game against Rapids Green.  It was freezing.  It was an intense game.  Our team won 3-2 and it was a nail biter.
The final game was against Rapids White.  This team was undefeated in regular and post-season and we were playing on their field. 

Because it was modified championship the commissioner was there and prayed for the players.  The coaches then introduced the team members individually.

It was cold.  And it was intense.  The game was scoreless deep into the first half.  Our team was racking up the shots-on-goal, but could NOT penetrate the net.  Shortly before the end of the first half, Coach Marshall sent Marie out as striker (first row offense).  John and I were standing on the sidelines close to her position and I confess wholeheartedly that I was like, “What??  Coach is doing what?”  This was THE game they had to win and exactly when you’d expect a coach to only play the top scorers with proven records.  But there she was.  Right in front of us.  And she played like she was a soccer-machine.  The ball was hers and pity-the-fool that thought otherwise.  She did not make a goal but watching her –right in front of us- was SO very, very awesome.  I was thinking just then that at half-time I would tell John that she’d just had her personal best time on the field.  I was so happy for her. 

I ran to the bathroom and don’t-you-know Rapids White scored twice.  Twice in rapid succession.  Ugh.

The teams switched ends at half-time, so John, Tabitha, and I went down to the other side.  Shortly into the second half, doesn’t coach send her in again in the exact same position!  “For real?”  Yup.  For real.  She was on the far side from us, so we had a great line of sight.  And this is where it got crazy real. 

SK red made a total of 25 shots on goal that day.
A team mate passed the ball toward Marie’s side of the field.
Marie met the ball and gave it a moderate kick.  It was NOT a powerhouse drive.  It was a perfunctory kick.
The ball rolled past the defender.  The ball rolled past the goalie.  The ball rolled over the line. 
Marie scored a goal.

It was so unbelievable.  

I remember my stunned scream cheer.  I specifically remember that I was the only one who made any noise.  I looked at John.  There was this weird noiselessness.  I said, “Was it real?” 
He responded, “I don’t know.  I think so.”

THEN we heard her team mates congratulating her and the crowd cheering and clapping.  It was that unusual a goal. 

AND IT WAS BEAUTIFUL!!!

And – I have to share this for completeness.  I had had a repeating vision in my head for the past few weeks of Marie scoring in the final game of the year.  But I kept scolding myself and telling myself I was being prideful.  Her goal in this game looked exactly like what I’d been imagining.  I can’t make this stuff up.

Her team never made another goal, and they ended the year in second place.

They took their “victory lap.”

And they ended their season on their knees.

As friends said goodbye, and parents cleaned up the field I worked hard to keep calm.  I know there were a lot of hearts leaving a little sad that they had not won the championship.  But all I was thinking was “YOU GOT A GOAL!  YOU GOT YOUR GOAL!!!”

Marie was sad when we left.  Not sad they’d lost.  Sad that this year’s team was done.  Sure, she can play again next year.  But the make up will be different and the snapshot of this year is complete.  A final page in one of her life chapters. 

We did the unusual – John, Tab, Marie and I stopped at Applebees for dinner.

The thing is…  This game was remarkable for Marie.  It was like a giant hug from God. 
Now – I’m not at all convinced that God cares all that much about sports.  But for SURE God cares deeply for his children.  He ministered to Marie.  My mommy-heart is hope-filled that she will long hold on to the joy she felt seeing how God ironed out the details of this life event. 

 

As I was sharing the wonder with one of Marie's siblings they hesitated in joining me in joyfully exulting what God did for her.  "How do you know it was God?  Maybe it was just normal soccer." 

 

Ok.  I can entertain that thought for a second.  "OK.  Let's do that.  Let's NOT acknowledge the supernatural hand of God in this.  YOUR SISTER is all that.  Your SISTER is the MAN.  She was the ONLY one to penetrate the toughest defense in the league."

 

Either way it's all good.

 

But really - it was a God-hug.  A whisper, "I've got you."

Being Bolt

Found this jewel in my closet. 
She was being Bolt.
In a cage in the pound.
See Mittens by her side on the floor?

Here is Tabitha in May 2008 also being Bolt.

Nan’s birthday

A new cake recipe.

Morning at CBS.

Lunch at Pizza Hut.

Mid-week birthdays are rough…  They get squeezed in.  But we had a good time celebrating her life.

Being good sports.

Marie and I went to watch the Varsity teams play their championship games. 

Boys lost.  Girls won.  Her team moves on to semi-finals on Tuesday…

Another fun McDonald’s outing.

I don’t know how I get talked into these things.  Well.  Except.  Look at those faces.

I will long remember this meal, however, for the conversation. 

Somewhere along the line Johanna became fascinated with the origin of her ranch dressing.  She asked me where it came from.  I explained that the boy at the counter got it for me.  She asked again where it came from.  I explained it came from a box under the counter.  She asked again where it came from.  I asked her, “The box?” 
“Yes!” she responded.
”From a truck.  A truck brought it here.”
”How did they make the dressing?”
”How did they make the dressing?”
”Yes.  How did they make it?”
”Um.  A company made it and sent it here.”
She persisted, “But how did they MAKE it.”
I burst out laughing.
I went back and started to describe what I imagined the factory looked like.  Something about a vat, and big stirrers, and squirting it into small containers and little lids getting sealed on it. 
“Can you get the recipe?”
”What?  Just eat it.”

As we were preparing to leave the husband and wife who had been sitting in a nearby booth told me how precious she had been and how much they’d enjoyed listening to our conversation. 

It was too much.

McDonald’s chicken nugget ranch dip.

Who knew?

How 315ers spend their Saturdays.

It was one of those days.

I was spending more time in my van than with my kids.
Places to go.  Things to do.  Katriel coming along for the ride, and the company.

And she found herself a K in the parking lot.

Homeschool classroom

Say what you might about homeschooling, but the setting can be AMAZING.

Dinner with Katriel…

This was a VERY funny dinner date…

Johanna’s Pioneer Club was planning on a trip to a local fall farm market outing that I didn’t want her participating in.  Instead, she asked if we could take her out to McDonald’s, AND if we could take Katriel, as well.  (Actually, she originally asked if I would take her to Patty Shack then to Menchies.  I said no to that as they are no where near one another and are a little more money than I wanted to spend.)  Her second choice was McDonald’s, and she asked if we could also take Katriel.

As we got to church to drop off Tabitha and Stewart for their activities, I learned that Johanna’s group’s outing was the FOLLOWING week.  I returned to the van to tell her that her class was, in fact, meeting tonight.  She quickly asked me if she could stay (dinnerless) and if I could just pick her up some nuggets.  Really.  True Story. 

WELL – it wasn’t like Katriel, who is NOT part of Pioneer Club (yet), was just going to fancy the idea of heading home for now-cold dinner. 

So she and I had a McDonald’s dinner date.

After our first selfie, she said, “Funny Face!”

Lunch with Nigel

Nigel is usually fairly helpful.  But he was remarkably helpful to me the week John was out of town.  I offered him a small gift in gratitude.  He countered with the suggestion of lunch out at Patty Shack.  I wholeheartedly agreed that would be a great idea.

Check out his colossal burger…

 

Bedtime stories…

Johanna and Katriel enjoy bedtime stories.  Johanna enjoys them much more than Katriel does, but we can usually get Katriel to at least join us.

In one way or another…

We would NEVER have let the other kids do this…. she is clearly the youngest child of aging parents.

Homeschool experiment– being bats

How do bats help pollinate the saguaro cactuses of the deserts?

Like this!

We traced the edge of the cup onto a coffee filter

 

And cut it out [to be petals]

We made a circle of corn syrup and cut straws shorter than
the cups [to make the pollen stick and to mimic the proboscises of the bats]

And then dipped them in colored sugar [the pollen]

And poured a small amount of Coca-cola in the bottom of the cups [to mimic nectar]

And used our straws [proboscises] to drink out the pop [nectar]

The kids [bats] really had to smush their faces into the
rims of the cups [cactuses] to enjoy the pop [nectar]

This resulted in sugary [polleny] faces

and if they moved on to their neighbor’s cup [cactus] they would
have left behind remnants of sugar [pollen]
and helped to make new flowers!

did not think of this myself – all the credit goes
to Carrie Austin at Heart of Dakota Publishing.

DO TRY THIS AT HOME!

AND- if you think this sounds familiar…

homeschool experiment 2011…

It’s rough out there…

Marie sprained her ankle at Bible study.

“I belong to Paul!”
“I belong to Apollos!”

No – no – no – not like that.  They were playing basketball.

She’ll miss one soccer game, for sure; but we are hopeful it will only be one.

God is good, all the time.