Friday, June 1, 2012

summerness.


Summer officially started on May 4th (at midnight)... first there was The Movie, and then we had two weeks of hot weather. The summery things started early--first tan, first meal on the porch, first soft-serve ice cream cone, plus first-time-ever mowing the lawn, first-time-ever driving, first-time-ever playing touch football with out-of-hand brothers, etc.

It's been a weird year, already, and this summer is going to bring even more ending-of-an-age kind of things.


Our neighbors and basically-family-for-nearly-forever just sold their house and will be moving in July.  (thankfully to only about an hour away). My Hadley and Kerilynn are moving in a couple weeks, about four hours away. I alternate between "UM THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE OKAY AT ALL" and "this is doable and I can handle it and we'll still be able to see each other pretty often" and (most often) my mind just kind of skips over the fact that they are actually going to be gone, for the sake of sanity and functionality. Oogh.



Change. I've never been much a fan of it when it includes things coming to an end. Change is good, but it hurts. As Hadley said during a late-night chat, "Love God completely, or go out of your mind."


It's going to be a weird summer. But I'm bound and determined to make it a good one. You know when things are crazy and complicated, but at the same time, everything is good in a sturdy reliable way? That's the way it's been, and that's the way I hope it's gonna stay.

There have been a lot of times where I'm just kind of skidding through life, spazzing about some things, falling apart about other things, not exactly grounded and growing and learning and being stretched. But for reals, God has a way of changing everything and turning things upside down, and then making you happy to be upside-down. And then everything is so much more real, and I want to sieze everything and make the most of it all, and go out to coffee and hyperventilate about Jesus, and do pushups at random, and underline books ferociously, and snag videos of most everything, and make plans and goals about everything.









we had a pretty-much-all-the-kids-and-all-their-families picnic for mother's day.











he looks like he's posing nobly. hah, no. he was eating a sandwich and spacing out.




lol.




Joseph plays football spicily.



I'm hopelessly futuristic, and keep thinking about how I want to remember this piece of my life--this piece of life where I really discover God, where friendships get so deep, where my Bible is attacked with blue and green highlighter. I love this life, with all it's complications. I hear "live in the moment" all the time, but I've never really gotten it, personally. What I want to do is throttle the moment as I live intentionally with the future in mind. 

27 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry:( I know it must be super hard for you and Bethany to be having the A.'s move away:( I loved that quote from Hadley, though! Very true!
    And, holy cow! Benjamin's shirt...ftw.

    Lovely pictures as always, dear. <3

    Chat soon?

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  2. These are such great pictures! And enjoy your summer, mine's coming to an end...Lovely post! xx
    -Jianine

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  3. Wonderful pictures! Have a wonderful summer! xxx

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  4. oh my. these pictures are amazing. basically, you rock. summer is amazing, but I'm pretty sure that england has already had it's 2 week summer. over. gone. I need to go to nz for a real summer...yup. oh my gosh! benjamin's t-shirt! so awesome.

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  5. Strawberries! Love it when is sweet hehe.

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  6. The movie-ha, yeah, cannot wait to see that movie again.

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  7. I love all your pictures always but seriously...Captain America shirt? AWESOME! :D

    http://trueelegance92.blogspot.com/

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  8. those strawberries = num!!!!

    x.

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  9. Oh gosh, Susannah, I'm so sorry that all those friends are moving away. This past January, we moved three hours away from our entire church family, and it was hard. But what you said is true-- God turns our worlds upside down, but that just makes everything that much more amazing, even when we can't see it.

    And this: "What I want to do is throttle the moment as I live intentionally with the future in mind." THIS is why we're friends, m'dear.

    Love you!

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  10. Haha. Love the Captain America t-shirt.

    I'm sorry that your friends are moving away. It's really hard and difficult! God has a purpose for everything that happens...the hard part is just to trust him and to submit to His will. Hang in there.

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  11. Oh my, the blue eyes are soo intense! :)

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  12. it's the first time I'm driving too! haven't crashed yet. that's good. I wish it was my first time mowing the lawn... unfortunately I've been doing that for years. :/ hah. beautiful, beautiful photography! love all the vibrant colors and all those blue eyes made me die a little.
    p.s. - captain american = YES.

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  13. This Summer will be crazy, but fun.:D
    Here's a prayer that yours is the awesomest ever and you continue to grow in the Lord with a passion that lasts beyond this Summer and into the far wrinkly years of the future!
    ~Anna P.

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  14. Love Ben's Captain America shirt. :D I just recently did a post on my blog about Avengers that I got to go see in theaters in 3D. That movie is so cool. I want to see it again. :D

    ~Stephanie
    www.thekingsbookworm.blogspot.com

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  15. I understand about changes. I don't really enjoy them either, and I'm sorry your friends are moving, that is very hard. I pray this summer is wonderful though.

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  16. ahh I want strawberries and summer and your brother's captain america shirt! also, I love how crazily optimistic you are. it's pretty much great. ♥♥

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  17. Wow… Such a fun post. I can imagine it must be quite the weird feeling, to think of your neighbors moving away, so hard. We have a girl living with us right now, and I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like when she moves on in life…
    ~Aidyl

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  18. Oh my goodness, this post sums me up so much right now.:)

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  19. You're not alone, sister. :) "Throttle the moment"...good words!

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  20. Hey! I awarded you the Versatile Blogger Award! Come over to my blog to get your award. :)

    http://trueelegance92.blogspot.com/2012/06/my-first-award.html

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  21. I'm not much of a fan of change either, even if it's good. :) Great post and beautiful photos!

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  22. I love your blog, but please post way more often! I can't get enough! :)

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  23. everyone related to you in some way or form has such beautiful eyes!! =O

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