Full Circle

Most of you know that my mom and dad got divorced when I was very young. I saw my dad a few times in the years that followed but I did not see him after I was twelve. I grew up hating him and his ability to disown me when I wished that I too could disown him. It took until my early twenties to stop hating him and then I just tried to move on and forget him. By my thirties I had processed my dad into a category of non-existence, and that was working for me until I got married and then quickly pregnant. When my son was born I suddenly realized that something miraculous had happened to me and my life could never be the same again. I saw with new eyes the role God has in mind for all the men that become fathers, a role for them alone, and I became curious about the man that had helped to create me.

So, it wasn't like an overnight process of finding my dad at that point. I waited a few more years until I had a son and a daughter, and another baby on the way before I ever thought again about finding my dad. The curiosity grew and I prayed about what direction I should go. A few weeks later I was watching late night news when a story about a man that was building houses for humanity at a school south of here came on. I was intrigued and watched the whole story about a man dedicating his gift to others, and at the end of that show I sat in amazement as I read his name at the bottom of the screen, Ken Pierson.

A few internet searches and a call to my mom later and the mystery was solved. I had in my possession a phone number and an address. I decided to write one of the most generic letters of my life, it went something like this: Dear Sir, I think you might be my dad. Do you have a daughter and son named E and G? Were you married to a woman named T? If so I believe you could be my dad. If you would like to contact me please do so at the following address or e-mail.
It took about a week before I got the e-mail and so started the process of renewing my relationship with my dad. I will tell you that he was not the man on t.v. far from it, but he is my dad.

The most amazing thing about this whole process has been watching how Grace works in action. In my second e-mail to my dad I told him that I forgave him for all of the past, and that if we were to have a relationship that it would be from this point forward. I have now seen my dad reunited with my mom and brother and it is nothing short of amazing. I have been able to totally let go of the past and realize a future with a very important man in my life. Today I sit here absolutely full because a part of my heart that was left so barren has been filled by the love of my dad. There is something so critically important to a daughters heart to hear from her dad that he loves her and cherishes her. My dad does. He has faltered and has made some really poor decisions but he too has been given a gift that he knows he doesn't deserve, and that is me. All wrapped up in a package, forgiveness prevails and completeness ensues.

I want to challenge everyone of you to take out the trash. Find those unresolved parts of you and with God's help go about healing them. Offer forgiveness to others, not because they deserve it, but precisely because you do. This is my life and I am honored to share it with you.

Finished at Last

It only took about two months of work but I can finally exclaim, " It is done"!!!!! Karsten has worked his bottom off and grown in ways he is quite proud of. We drew a few plans in the beginning of planning but did most of the work without a plan. The coop has turned out better than perfect and I am just so proud of my husband! He used his whole "staycation" to finish the coop and my mom came for a visit for that same week. It meant Beppe time with the kids and Kar & Erika time sprinting to finish the coop. All went well.
The very best part of the experience has been how rewarded Karsten has been for his diligence. The girls settled into their new home with an array of new cluckings that sounded remarkably like full grown chicken clucks. The next day more of the same. Then, the clouds parted, and wham our first egg! I even called Karsten at work to let him know the great news. For Karsten it was like the ribbon on the whole project that the chickens waited until they had a proper home to lay their first eggs. So, for the past three days our one hen has been laying an egg every morning around ten. Today however, a different hen laid her first egg so the egg count now stands at four. What an amazing experience this has been for my family but mostly for my husband and I banding together to accomplish a task together!
Since it has been awhile since I wrote this post I must update the data. Three chickens are laying each day now. We have been able to consume the eggs so as not to have any extras yet. The very coolest part is that our one hen regularly lays the golden egg, a double yoker, can it get any better than that?

Chickens before the Coop

So, I started this blog with a story about our six new chicks and how excited I was to have FREE eggs. Today I want to update you on the folly of FREE eggs.
We did not have a coop before we got chickens and that was a huge mistake. For the past two months we have been spending every extra moment building our chicken coop. By every extra moment, I mean those kid free moments especially that come after bed time and at nap time. Consequently, many nights we are up until eleven at night working away. It has not all been bad by any means. Karsten and I are getting to work together to accomplish a task neither of us feels adequately equipped for, and the coop will be beautiful when it is done. However, this was about FREE eggs that I wanted to write about so back to that.
FREE EGGS =
1. Lumber and misc supplies for coop = $500.00
2. Chicks = $10.00
3. Feed = $25.00 every six weeks
4. Time and Water = Priceless
5. Washing chicken poop off children and out of cloths = 1 million dollars

So, FREE eggs cost us somewhere around two dollars a day! In trying to not be discouraged, I find comfort in knowing that the experience that I am giving my children is worth a whole lot more than two dollars a day.

Caution: May Cause Carsickness

Video by Kaleb, Enjoy!!

Sailing in the San Juan Islands

Did I mention that we took a five day vacation aboard our sailing vessel, Strait Walker? Karsten, the children, and I all living on 34 feet of wind powered fun. Some of the vacation was clouded by hyper-attentiveness to the wanderings of three little ones five and under, especially our fledgling climber who seems on the brink of self destruction! We moored off of Cypress Island in Eagle harbor. Oh man, would I recommend this spot a thousand times over. Pristine views of Mount Baker, no buildings, dark starry nights, hiking trails, a lake for swimming, and wildlife galore. It was so nice to be secluded and able to just focus on my husband and children. I am still amazed at how distracting day to day life is.



We had the privilege of getting help for an orphaned Harbor seal pup. The mortality rate for the poor things is 50 percent but after petting him and seeing those beautiful eyes I had to interfere. While "Pup Pup" was nursing on the side of our boat Kaleb said, "Momma, don't you think you could give him a bottle of your milk?" I could not fault the logic but after checking the boat there was nothing that would transport the milk from a container to Pup-pup's mouth, so I drew the line there. We hiked a four mile hike with the kids and found a wonderful way to get Mikaia to walk with us on her own. Karsten would walk in front of us and I in back with Mikaia in-between, then Karsten would hold a long stick back toward us and Mikaia would hold on to the end of it and follow. I think they do this technique with the blind but it really worked well for Mikaia.


The vacation left me feeling so thankful for some family time and yet longing for unmoving land. I ended up being sea sick for five days after returning home, now that sucked! However, Karsten and I grew so much closer and appreciative of each other, and anytime you do that, your vacation was truly a success!

Miracle Grow

This time of year just amazes me. The way things in Washington grow with just a little sun is incredible to say the least. Not only is this a time of year when weeds to grass and gardens to trees grow exponentially but so do my children. While outside today, enjoying the sun that finally broke through the clouds, I was mixing up just the right dirt to fill some pots I am planting beans in. A scoop of this and a shovel full of that, mix well, and bam you have just the perfect soil for growing mighty plants. I had filled all my pots when I realized that my young son was following me around, stick in hand, making big plants of his own. It is uncanny sometimes just how well my children can mimic me. Watching Daniel walking with his big stick made me see him for the toddler he now is. Not a baby, not a boy, but all the perfect makings to become in his own time. Summer here is special. For so long we are in the rain and sometimes it can shake your foundational knowledge that growth and sun are for real. When the sun does come out everything flourishes and moods lift by huge degrees. I am so excited to be starting this time of year so I can watch my children grow right before my eyes. I hope I have mixed the soil just right.....

New Heights

I remember so clearly how I loved to climb trees when I was younger. Feeling the exhilaration every time the tree swayed in the wind, or the sheer power of strength as I looked down on what I had accomplished. I do not remember fearing the fall or what broken bones would have to mend if I did. Everything about tree climbing was so good. Now today I do not relish a good high tree climb, or a sway in it's mighty branches, or the pure joy of having subdued the tree and it's challenge. I find that now I focus on how to get safely on the first branch, settle for twenty feet high at best, and God forbid I fall because who will tend the little ones while I mend? I have a whole new perspective on tree climbing and in a way it reminds me each day of what I have lost as I have grown.
Kaleb comes by his desires quite naturally I must admit. He is a tree conqueror and he may just put me to shame. He loves to climb trees, pull branches to make just the perfect rocket ship, and sing like a canary while all the passers-by wonder where it is coming from. Yesterday he entered into a new arena entirely and even as I ran back inside to grab the camera I wondered if that was the right thing to do. Kaleb figured out how to climb our monkey tail tree in the front yard. It is probably close to thirty feet tall and it's top has started to grow into our cable t.v. wire from the main post. I know this because I looked at those branches last fall and thought I really should trim them back before they took out the line. Problem was that the tree is pretty tall, too tall for a ladder so I would have to climb it, well in all seriousness I'm scared. I know you might be thinking why would I not just defer this task to my hubby BUT for those of you that know my family line and the incredible strength it's women possess, well then you know the answer. Even this spring I thought I really should get up there and do the trimming but alas it still needs to be done.
Anyway, this is about Kaleb and his herculean climbing prowess. It seems my son is part monkey and for all the times I call him "monkey butt" the name seems to fit better and better. After seeing dear Kaleb up in the tree I decided I could kill two thing with one stone. Not only will I let him practice his climbing abilities but I am going to teach him how to use the lopers(a.k.a. tree trimmers)! That way I will not lose face with deferring the project to my husband which must be avoided at all costs, and I will not have to nurse any broken bones/spirit should I fall out of that tree. It's a win win pure and simple, thank you Kaleb!!

Happy 4th Birthday Mikaia!

"It me birfday, birfday me momma"
Let me tell you that I have never heard such sweet words from my daughter, well not true, when she says,"Da doo" that is the sweetest of words. Mikaia has had so much to overcome and her greatest achievement so far is learning to talk. She is talking in short sentences and they show her incredible sense of humor as well as her elevated comprehension. Today Mikaia turned four and this has been such a pill for me to swallow. My little girl is FOUR. Not three or two or one but FOUR. It seems she has stepped over a thresh-hold into a new dimension of girlhood. I am amazed to watch her grow. I am amazed at the way she brings people together and makes them feel loved. When she was given to me four years ago I could not even conceive of what she would mean and be to this family, and others. As I wish I could see four years down the road to her effect on this life I realize again that we only have this moment to live. I am so sure that God has greater plans for this daughter of mine, that He will protect her in all ways and love her completely even when we let her down. Still for today, I rejoice that God chose me and this family to be the ones closest to Mikaia, to love her unconditionally and provide her a safe place to land. It is such an honor to be the special mother of an incredibly special daughter.
Happy birthday Kaia Lyn. One day I pray that you will know that I love you greater than the widest valley, higher than the mountains, and deeper than the oceans. I love you girlie from all that was, to all that is, and to all that will be.

Graduation

It is unbelievable to me that my eldest son has graduated from kindergarten. Yet, just last night I watched him walk down the aisle as a boy and back up the aisle an eighteen year old man. Now I know that it may seem I am exaggerating but through my eyes that is what I saw. All of the lovely people that have told me until now to enjoy this time because so soon it will be gone, well I didn't believe you, truthfully I didn't even listen to you. Today I am acutely aware that this is exactly how time will go, regardless of if I pay total attention to every detail or not. Time flies.
What am I going to do with my latest revelation? I find that I am drawn even closer to God and what His word has to tell me. He tells us in so many ways that we must live life to the fullest in the moment that we are living. We are not told to live tomorrow, or to try and re-live yesterday, we are told to live each moment fully because we do not know which moment will be our last. That is what I am committing to do again. I want to live each day as if it is my last. God has given me such a great array of experiences and motherhood is one of the greatest. I am so proud of my son, Kaleb. He learned so much this year and has grown into quite a boy. Thanks to a truly gifted Christian school and equally gifted teachers, Kaleb is more than equipped for what first grade can throw at him. Life is so good!

Yum!

Kentucky fried chicken measures success by this simple phrase: It's finger lickin' good. I measure my cooking success by this simple phrase: Forget the fingers bring on the plate! How my children make my heart swell!

Drivers

In life there are drivers and then everyone else, at least that is what Kaleb would say! Yesterday was a gorgeous day with sunny blue skies and temperatures in the high 60's. We decided to work on our sailboat and take it for a spin around the inlet behind Jetty Island. Kaleb was patient until we got out of the marina and then it was, " scoot over daddy and let the real sailor at the helm". Kaleb took us all over and then some. At one point his sailing became quite animated and he lost his footing, slipping and tumbling, to quickly reprimand me for laughing at him! I am just thankful that this one time I had the video camera rolling to catch it all. I am often so surprised at the confidence my son shows in his own abilities. He just so matter-of-factly does things and is not deterred by a protective and caring Mom, also a Mom that knows the things he thinks he does! Talk about wild at heart, my son is surely that!

I must back track a bit to get you all up-to-date. I have thought so many times how limiting each additional child was going to be to my idea of productivity. However, I must admit that I still seem to find time to accomplish what I deem necessary, abbreviated outcome at times, but accomplished. Well, this three child thing, I guess didn't seem daunting enough to me, so we have expanded. Spring came in January this year, and with it the hopes of a huge garden. Since my garden is usually very productive and organic, I didn't dash these hopes. I just didn't know the farmer in me was going to pick this spring to raise her shiny head! To make a long story short so I don't lose all of you on this first posting. We eat a lot of eggs, organic free-range eggs, they are expensive, we now have chicks, six beautiful and healthy chicks. I have done the math and six chicks should equate to 42 eggs a week. Since we eat at least 24 eggs a week that should leave us 18 eggs extra, just enough to sell to our friends to pay for the food for the chicks. We eat eggs for free!!