Springtime at Home

"Home is the nicest word there is."

Laura Ingalls Wilder

It is the first day of spring, which means that Houston has already trampled on the concept of spring and marched directly into midsummer. It is days like these that I especially miss so many things about dear old Maryland…

::green::
So much green everywhere. The greenness of my front yard, sloping downward to meet the sweeping greenery of our gigantic weeping willow. Driving along winding highways framed by carpets of green. Green reaching upwards and outwards, as far as the eye can see.

::Mom’s lattes::
Better than Starbucks. Mild, creamy and faintly sweet. Our long, long talks in the early morning hours before anyone else is awake. 

::kitchen::
Airy, spacious, spring-green walls. Coffee pot and tea kettle. My favorite staples always in the pantry: peanut butter, crackers and dried fruit. Countless parties, people everywhere, late into the humid summer nights.

::neighborhood::
Flowering trees lining both sides of a broad, sleepy street. My neighbor’s award-winning landscaping, a breathtaking array of color as soon as the last frost dies away. Spreading lawns and winding driveways that give off an aura of countryside.

::butterfly bush::
Explosions of purple bloom that overwhelm our back porch, attracting butterflies, bumblebees and hummingbirds.

::swimming pool::
Where it isn’t too hot to lay in the sun and tan away those lazy spring afternoons.

::siblings::
Always a brother or sister nearby to go on spontaneous dates to Starbucks, play lively games of Nertz or Settlers of Catan, cook up delectable concoctions, play catch in the front yard or ride our bikes to 7-Eleven.

::smells:: 

Getting drunk on the scent of spring, so sweet and rich it brings tears to your eyes.

::new life::
Nests of blue, speckled eggs. The tiniest bunnies amid stalks of warm grass. Birds. Singing. Everywhere.

::church:: 

Beautiful songs reminiscent of heaven in the joy, the never wanting to stop. Preaching so powerful it catches your breath. Resounding “amens!” Freedom. Power. God in our midst.

::friends::
Dearest, lifelong besties. The friends you can catch up with and months feel like yesterday. Memories and hugs and so much laughter.

::old stomping grounds::
Parks and highways and stores you grew up in. Everything changes, and yet it is the same. The feeling that you could go blind and be completely at home, for always.

::tennis::
Playing with dad, the brother, the boyfriend-now-husband. Sweating and swinging next to the playgrounds you once toddled in. Places where everything takes you back.

::softball::

Freshly combed dirt and snow-white lines. The satisfying smack of ball into glove. Whistles and cheers, knee pads and catcher's mask. Spring afternoons hitting, running, drilling. The thrill of gameday victories. Medals.

::volleyball::

The recreation of choice at every gathering. Hours in the park with the same group of friends; nets dragged out at birthday parties and family reunions alike. Spike. Set. Dive. The perfect game, the perfect weather.

::Grandma’s house::
The smell of fresh herbs drying. Pumping away on a prehistoric player piano. Grabbing a cold Yoohoo from a first-generation refrigerator. Knitting. Sewing the Civil War costume that won first prize in high school. Baking breads and desserts of all kinds. Feasting on hot beef sandwiches and jumbo shrimp. Exploring the attic and the hayloft. Riding horses, gathering eggs, feeding sheep. Both Grandma’s houses are what storybooks are made of.

With every fiber of my being, I miss Maryland. I crave the beauty, the aliveness everywhere. I long to be home as much as possible. And yet, I bloom where I am planted. I am multi-faceted and educated in a way that only comes from being transplanted into an entirely new culture. God knows what He is doing. And with every visit, home becomes even more the dearest place on earth to me. 

An Update, in Pictures

I can't believe it's been over two months since I last wrote. So much has changed that it feels like a lifetime ago. Some snippets of our life lately:

In August we led the first youth retreat at our church's new campus. Our kids are the best in the world. We had a blast!

I got to go home over Labor Day - I hadn't been since Christmas and it was SO good to see everyone. 

I reunited with some of my dearest friends on earth...

Got a new hairstyle...

And stayed in a cabin deep in the woods with my family. 

I was in charge of dinner every night. We went all out. 

Sue, my littlest, took her first plane ride to come back with me and visit. She turned 13 while she was here! I feel old.

Birthday Girl!

Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream cake per her special request :)

Tigger had the worst withdrawal when she left...

What a little beauty :)

 The Endeavor made its last flight over Nasa Space Center - and my balcony!

Our youth group keeps growing...

And getting closer.

(Also, WE MOVED!! Check out the before and afters above)

I discovered my new favorite cake recipe...

And a fall soup that is out of this world. More on that later.

I met my hero last week, and she was everything I dreamed of: warm, sweet, funny and so complimentary. Pioneer Woman, I love thee. 

I've been on a serious bread baking kick lately. I discovered a no-knead, three-ingredient basic recipe that has endless add-in possibilities. I learned the hard way how NOT to remove the lid from a 450-degree Dutch oven, and bear the scars today. But this crusty deliciousness is so worth it. 

Lemon, rosemary and cheddar

Cranberry, orange and almond. Slay me.

Changes on a broader note: 

I quit work at the library in September when I was offered a job at  a local pregnancy center, where I've volunteered weekly since January. I now work part-time as the Office Manager and a spiritual counselor. Not a day goes by when I'm not praying for clients, reading Scripture with them, telling them about God and helping them find God's purpose in whatever crisis they're facing. I could not ask for a better job and I am SO grateful. 

Nathan now commutes almost an hour each way to an extremely demanding job, and he's studying non-stop for the GMAT. His dream is to get an MBA from a top business school. I have found such joy in picking up all the extra responsibilities around the house so he can be free to work and study. Every day I learn anew that God's grace is sufficient, and He is more than enough! 

What our life will look like a year from now still remains very much up in the air. I miss my family more every day. I want to be closer to home, but more than that I want God's will for Nathan and me. Any place that God has not called us to would be miserable indeed. I am learning to embrace with joy every season that I'm in, and live every day to the fullest - not missing out on a single bit that God has for me here, and now. With the election I am reminded of the uncertainty of the future. It is enough to simply pray every day, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done." No matter how our circumstances change, I want to be nowhere else but in the center of God's will.

My Dad

My dad is one of the most diligent, dedicated, God-fearing and humble men I've ever met. I have learned so much from his example of hard work and single-minded pursuit of God. He embraces challenges head-on and never stops until a job is done.

Some of my earliest memories of Dad include his impeccable brown suit and the many cases of equipment he would load up for a night of square dance calling (at one time Dad was a real, live celebrity). But after becoming one of the youngest professional callers in the industry, Dad stepped away from a successful career to take over his father's painting and drywall business so he could spend more time with his family.

Running his own business and overseeing the homeschooling of six kids never stopped my dad from making a myriad of memories with us. Staying up late shelling peanuts and watching Orioles games, laughing ourselves sick over Looney Tunes, the Three Stooges and the Muppets; family worship with Dad strumming the guitar, spontaneous, drive-all-night trips to Florida and Williamsburg, beach vacations, Bible classes and devotions, impossibly corny jokes and dress-up, shaving with toothbrushes, skits and story times and wrestling matches, chasing the ice cream man, sliding around in the back of his pickup truck, logging countless driving hours and, my all-time favorite, "going to work with Dad."

I loved climbing into the creaky white paint van, lunch box in hand, and driving to work sites in Pennsylvania, D.C. and Virginia. Together we taped, papered, sanded, painted and explored old houses. I drank in the scent of fresh paint and talked Dad's ear off. No matter what childish stage I was going through, he listened hard and asked all the right questions. Dad is the best conversationalist. When I was at school in Philadelphia he would drive three hours each way to catch up with me over Friendly's sundaes. When I came home to visit, Dad and I - always the early risers - would make coffee and talk away the hours before everyone else woke up. Our talks are more rare nowadays but we pick up right where we left off, and he somehow always remembers and asks the details of my busy life.

My love language is gifts, and Dad is officially the Gift King. He would often come home from work with a surprise behind his back that was the perfect find for someone or other in the family. Dad supplied my Safari Eeyore and Punxsutawney Phil which travel with me to this day, much to Nathan's chagrin. He also supplied most of my DVD collection - he would stock up on DVDs all year and let us start opening them on Thanksgiving all the way up to Christmas. Now that I've moved away, Dad still sends me cards and texts of things that remind him of me. Apparently there is a surprise en route to me right now :)

My dad and I had a somewhat strained relationship throughout my growing-up years (what I lacked in gentleness and self-control I more than compensated for in hard-headedness). Dad's training and counsel over the years has stuck with me to this day. He walked me through studies on humility and Proverbs and taught me to spend time in silence listening for God's voice. When I struggled through doubts and fears about a future with Nathan, Dad opened the Bible and showed me verse after verse about God's sovereignty and His plan for our lives. I sometimes joke that at first, Dad liked Nathan more than I did. Dad knew the best and the worst of me even better than I knew myself, and saw in Nathan from very early on an anchor and guardian of my headstrong self. I must say, he made a pretty good match :)

Two years ago, I did the unthinkable to my dad and got married on Fathers' Day. In hindsight, I'm so glad I did. My favorite memories of my dad were made on my wedding day. We got up early and listened to Billy Joel classics. I surprised him with a Fathers' Day cookie cake. Neither of us are at all mushy, but when I walked down the stairs in my dress, Dad lit up. He couldn't stop looking at me. As the music soared and we began the walk down the aisle, he held the hand resting on his arm and whispered to me the entire way: that I was lovely and his pride and his princess. When we reached a furiously smiling Nathan, Dad put my hand in his and said, "I present to you our trophy." He chose Gary Puckett's "This Girl Is a Woman Now" for our father-daughter dance, and shushed my chattering to listen to the words and soak in the moment. I will never forget the day when Dad's pride and delight in me shone through every word and moment.

Happy Fathers' Day to the perfect Dad for me. I love you and am so grateful for your faithful care and guidance.

Train up a child in the way he should go; 

even when he is old he will not depart from it. 

- Proverbs 22:6