We’ve had a productive week last week. I’ve been wanting to really clean the house well and we got a good start this past week. We had a short visit from some relatives last Thursday and we used that as our motivator. I always need motivation for this kind of thing. Of course, Monday and Tuesday were absolutely sunny and beautiful but, alas, we were inside cleaning and dusting, getting rid of clothes to donate, putting stuff away and throwing stuff out. The kids were so great. They really worked hard and did everything I asked them to. Chad is great at organizing, Carmen is good at cleaning and putting things away and, Alec … well, he’s just good at obeying me when I give him an order. Todd got motivated to clean part of his side of our office room. Thus, I was motivated to clean my side … at a future date. Priorities! Clean everything the company will see first, then move on to everything else.

Lists really help me. If I don’t make lists, I get scatter-brained. Now I need to make new lists, with the next phase of cleaning. Though after this week, I needed a few days rest to recover.

Carmen has really taken an interest in the kitchen this summer. She wants to learn how to cook. She has been regularly asking to empty the dishwasher and learned how to fill it as well. Tonight, she was looking at a recipe for making pancakes. She said, “This doesn’t look hard.” I said that I’m glad she thinks that way. I am not a confident cook and pancakes scare me. But we will do it together and perhaps some of her confidence will rub off on me. Todd is the resident pancake maker in this family. Every time I make them, they turn out icky, like those thin, round rubber sheets you use to open a jar with. I can’t see wasting good ingredients on my disasters. Chad likes to flip pancakes so perhaps I’ll have them work together. Alec can help by eating them. Alec is growing fast this summer – his increased appetite is evidence of this.

I’m sad that September is a few days away. I hate September. Something to do with school starting/summer ending. I need to remember that our school doesn’t start until October. Yippee! Perhaps September will be warm. One can always hope.

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I’m happy to announce what I consider to be a major accomplishment … I have finished “War & Peace” by Leo Tolstoy. Regardless of what others may think, this book is not a boring read. Of course, this is my opinion (what else do I have to offer?) but I was really quite surprised when I began reading the first page. It wasn’t what I had envisioned at all. Yes, there is page after page of war description, destruction and strategy (they were the pages hardest for me to get through) but I enjoyed the chapters relating the lives of several families of wealth and nobility in Russia. Todd and I decided that this book is the forerunner of every historical novel and soap opera that has been written since the mid 1850′s. I also loved learning more about Russia and its people, at least from the very early 1800′s. The book’s time period is from 1805-1820, covering the War with Napoleon. I have learned a lot. I really knew nothing of this time period. Most of what I’ve read has been before the 1800′s or after 1850. I also wasn’t sure just when I would finish the book but I found that I really wanted to read it so it took priority over a lot of things (blogging, for example).

When I was growing up, “War & Peace” was always joked about and I knew that it was a big book but that’s it. It has been on our book shelf (Todd may know where it came from) for a long time and a few weeks ago, I just picked it up out of curiosity. I’m so glad I did! The most interesting fact, to me, is that people really don’t change, regardless of the time period. They just speak and dress differently.

So …. if you have a few weeks to devote to this kind of literature, I recommend it. Just skim over the hard-to-read horrors of war that are in a few paragraphs. Tolstoy had a sense of humor, though, which pops up in unexpected places. It compelled me to read a bit about the author as well, to get an idea of where he was coming from. Of course, I related all that I read to my husband and the kids heard quite a bit. I think everyone feels like they read the book through me so now they don’t need to read it themselves!

During this frenzy of heavy reading, I did find time to celebrate our wedding anniversary. On Aug 6, Todd and I celebrated our 22nd year! We had a quiet lunch at a lovely restaurant in town, overlooking the river. Now begins year 23 – I am so blessed and thankful. He’s my man!

We also found out that a nice couple I met at the Frances Mayes book signing I attended last spring (we’ve been emailing ever since) also got married on Aug 6, a year after we did! How fun to find that out! My parents also got married on this date, now that I think about it. Unfortunately, my father died a few months before I met Todd; my parents did, however, have a very good marriage. Yes, it was a good date to get married on!

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Yikes! What a week it’s been!

Beginning with Sunday … My oldest turned 15 on July 25th! Another yikes!! No, it’s o.k., really. I love who my son has become and I wouldn’t turn back the clock for a second. There are times I see an expression on his face that reminds me of him as a child and I remember. But, sincerely, raising Chad was a challenge and I was so happy when he got to be about 13 or so. And he just keeps becoming more of a joy as he grows older. He’s a stinker like his Dad but I’m used to that. He makes me proud nearly every day in the way he behaves and interacts with others; when he remembers to do what he needs to do and even does the unexpected (both good and bad!) and his kindness to me and, sometimes, to his siblings, especially makes my heart sing. I get positive feedback from those who meet him and have gotten to know him. Of course, he needs improvement in lots of areas (show me a teen who doesn’t) but my prayer is that God will continue this child on the right path and give him guidance and wisdom throughout his life.

Chad began a volunteer position at a historical museum located about 17 miles from our home. He had his interview last week and I coached him a lot before that. I waited for him in the car and when he returned to the car, he honestly thought he’d been gone over an hour (it had been about 15 minutes!) Nerves can do that! His interviewer liked him as well as the people he’d be working with. He was so excited! I was happy for him but I knew that this was the beginning of change in our home. I’ll be driving him (Todd might be able to help with this) every Thursday. It’s an hour round trip but I’m not going to sit and wait for him there so I’ll get home and then make the trip again in an hour or so. But more than the driving, it’s the start of Chad spreading his wings. Know what I mean? I’m so glad for him and proud but am resisting pulling him back to just play with Legos. I know how I felt at his age – I wanted to work, move out, be in the world. I had a 20-hr week job by the time I was 15-1/2. A car at 16. At 18, I was wishing I had started working later and just played during my teens but I know it was good for me. This position is volunteer but I think that’s a plus. He had his first day yesterday and he loved it. He’s working in the museum’s archive room, organizing files of people in the area. He loves history and is good at organizing so he’s in his element. He is, however, in another state, as this museum is across the river in WA. It’s the first time he’s been so far away all by himself and that seems weird to me. The drive is beautiful, crossing the 4-1/2 mile bridge across the Columbia is lovely but terrifying sometimes. I was pretty tired last night but we had a very busy day so I’m sure I’ll get used to taking him. It’s all worth it.

So, we had Chad’s birthday on Sunday, working around Todd’s work schedule. I made the cake for Chad. Yesterday was my husband’s birthday and today is his mom’s birthday. We celebrated last night at her house. Todd made the cake and we brought Chinese take out. It was so nice not to have to prepare any food, since I wasn’t home most of the day (Chad had a dental appointment in the morning as well.) I spent today catching up on laundry and dishes but actually got in a nap. And, of course, “that” time of the month had to occur. I am tired. But it’s been a good week. The bonus: My 9 year old daughter actually wore a dress last night – and loved it! She never fails to surprise us and is a stinker, just like the rest of my family. I am so blessed!

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Trivia question: Are Oregon strawberries a blessing or a curse? Should the mere mention of the Northwest berry make one laugh or cry? Both, perhaps? Let me explain …

We look forward every year to the arrival of Oregon strawberries. You can only get them (around here, anyway) from little stands that spring up on busier roads around the area. People make little signs with a big, red berry and the word, “OREGON”, with an arrow pointing the way. As you drive closer, more little berry signs beckon you. When you get to the stand, you see a few tables put together under a striped canopy (tent-like covering), holding pints and pints of berries. If you’re lucky, that is. More often than not, you are greeted only by empty tables with a few smashed berries underneath. Too late. There have been some years that we looked and looked for a berry seller but those were years that the season was bad or they never made it out here to the coast. Cherries often compete with the berries at stands but that’s another story.

This year, we were fortunate. I guess. We found a lady selling berries just down the street – we could walk there (and did!) And, yes, we got there too late several times. Finally, we arrived just in time to buy the last flat she had that day (the lady ahead of us got the next-to-last flat). We took them home and immediately began to prepare them for jam. You see, the Oregon strawberry is so delicate it begins to deteriorate the minute you bring it home. It is evil in that respect. So, being the chief strawberry preparer, I began washing and de-hulling the berries. Each pint took 15-20 minutes (I’m really picky). The beautiful day was passing before my eyes out the kitchen window. At least I could watch. After I prep the berries, Todd takes over with the jam making. Lucky me! The reward is having wonderful, homemade strawberry jam to last for some time. Makes my stiff back and aching arms almost worth it.

The next week, Todd took Chad to his orthodontia appointment. They came home bearing TWO flats of Oregon strawberries! Guess what I did all day? Berries, berries, berries! We had to go to the store before I could begin and by the time we got home, the berries were looking pretty weak (these were day-old berries this time). I got started and by 11:30 pm, I prepped the last pint I could do. I was bushed! Todd finished the jam and we went to bed. He decided that the last few pints could be made into strawberry pancakes the next day – bless him! Refrigerating them helps a bit but they still deteriorate fast.

All in all, I’m glad we go to all the trouble to make the jam but by now, I don’t want to see another berry for quite some time. Unless, of course, Todd brings home another flat. Oh, please, don’t read this, honey!

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Every once in a while, one has a day that ends very differently than one thought it would. Like yesterday …

Started out as a typical week day for us. Nothing out of the ordinary. Then, while Todd went to a class at work (just what he wants to do on one of his days off) the rest of us decided to go for a walk. How we came to the decision of walking where we did, doesn’t really matter (we all jokingly have been blaming each other). The fact remains that we chose to walk on a trail that we didn’t know much about. That’s where the trouble began.

This trail is out among wetlands and mostly along a bay, not far from our house. We’ve walked some of it before but not very far. It’s very windy there, as it is everywhere around here, especially near the water. After walking just a little ways, I decided I’d had enough of the wind. It had been a warm day and now I was cold. Chad wanted to keep going. So, brilliantly, I suggested I would take the younger two kids and meet Chad further down the trail. So he kept walking and the kids and I went back to our car. I was thinking that I could drive on the main road and meet up with Chad fairly easily further down the trail. If this sounds confusing, it is or it became confusing very quickly. We drove past way too much beach shrubs and trees until I finally found a very bumpy, long, long road that ended up in sand. I couldn’t go any further. And there were some creepy teens hanging out there. I couldn’t see the bay or any sign of a trail – just grass, shrubs and the bluff. Back down the bumpy road and on to the next possible way to get to the trail. It was in a marina, along an inlet from the bay. More grass and a long, long trail. By now, I was scared. I figured Chad would keep walking until he met up with us. So I kept going, hoping that around the next bend, we’d see the bay. Nope. I turned right into another trail and came out into a big, sandy clearing. I kept the kids at that trail opening and walked all over that area, screaming Chad’s name. Walked up on a bluff – no trail, no bay. No Chad. I couldn’t believe what I had gotten us into. A Coast Guard helicopter flew over and I screamed, “Do you see him?!” Silly, I know, but you had to be there. I was getting desperate. I knew I needed help – I couldn’t find him on my own. So the kids and I walked as fast as they could manage back to the car. Lord, it was far. And it had gotten hotter. I had been crying and praying, I was exhausted but I kept going. On my way back, I called 911. I decided that this was emergency enough – I didn’t know the trails and couldn’t find my son. After losing reception and actually dialing 991, I finally got through to 911. The calm dispatcher handled the situation and after listening to my description of Chad, she asked, “The one with glasses?” It turned out to be my neighbor, Wanda! “Oh, Wanda!”, I wailed. How cool to have a neighbor helping me! (Wanda is a 911 dispatcher and I knew that but at that moment, it didn’t occur to me it was her!) We lost reception during our conversation but she called me back. I told Wanda that I was returning to where the trail started and she said a policeman would meet me there. He was there when we arrived (I actually drove right passed him – duh!) I managed to be calm enough to tell him everything he needed to know. It was surreal, describing my son’s clothing and such. The officer said they had two other policemen out and they would cover the trail from three different ways. He assured me he’d find him. I was so grateful for this man’s can-do attitude. Very comforting. There was an espresso hut in the parking lot near this trail head and the employee working there saw the police car. Right at that moment, her parents drove up for a coffee. She told her Dad to go tell the policeman that a boy had asked to use her phone to call his mom and had asked her more about the trail. So, her folks relayed the message to the officer. Can you believe the timing of their being there? So, now we knew Chad had been back there about 10-15 minutes before and this helped him to be found. While I waited, I went over to thank the espresso employee. She said when we drove up the second time, she saw Alec and thought he looked just like Chad. Then she remembered that we had been there before and had seen us all walk over to the trail. When she saw me the second time, she said I looked like a Mom who had lost her child. This lady was very reassuring. We talked while I waited and amazingly, she didn’t have any customers during this time. She was my age with kids about my kids’ ages so it was like an instant bond. Just what I needed. Then, I saw a jogger leaving the trail and I asked if he’d seen Chad. He said no but he passed a policeman and heard on the policeman’s radio that they’d just found him. I was so thrilled – the jogger was happy, too! So, I knew Chad would be coming back soon but it didn’t dawn on me how they would bring him back. As I emptied a ton of sand out of my shoe, a police 4-wheel vehicle drove up. I saw Chad waving frantically from the back. The officer got out and I said, “Did you cuff him?!” He laughed and let Chad out. Chad ran into my arms and we hugged and hugged. I thanked the officer tearfully but I was amazed at how calm I was at that moment. Chad was the one that was shaking and starting to cry. I guess because I’d had a few minutes to calm down after talking to the jogger, that it made it easier for me to calm Chad. I went from being the frantic one to being the comforting parent (have you been there?) What a moment.

God is good.

God is good even when I am stupid … STUPID! I know better than to let my son explore a trail that we are both unfamiliar with. I feel so stupid that I put us all in this situation. When I was calling out his name, in the middle of what seemed like no where with absolutely no one around, I kept apologizing to him, to God, to my family, for making this stupid mistake. I asked God not to let Chad be harmed because of my stupidity. Those creepy kids I had seen really added to my fears. And, of course, with all the headlines about that 7 year old who disappeared in Portland a few weeks ago (have you heard about that?) I have been more vigilant about keeping my kids safe. We had no business on that trail, really. The espresso employee said she wouldn’t take this trail alone or any of the trails along this bay. Too secluded.

Anyway, all ended well because of the quick action of the policeman, the dispatcher, the espresso lady and her folks, the jogger. Think of all the people God brought in to help us. I am so grateful to these people, used by God.

No, I never envisioned that this day would end with me seeing my son climbing out of a police vehicle. He didn’t like it at all. We joked (later) that it’s all the more reason to never do anything that would land you in one again. But this wasn’t his fault. I’m so proud of him for trying to do the right thing. I had wondered if he’d return to the trail head and I’m proud of him for asking for a phone to call me. He didn’t, however, leave a message – I think he was just a little too shaken up to think of that. So his next solution was to get more info to try and find me again. We were both so exhausted when we got home. Fortunately, we have both been walking nearly every day so we were in better shape to handle this than we would be otherwise. Alec and Carmen never once complained or gave me any trouble. They prayed for Chad and trudged along with me, even though they were hot and tired. All I had to give them in the car were breath mints! And this is the Mom who is always prepared with water and stuff! I tell you, I just royally blew it yesterday. Today, Chad and I said it would be awhile before we venture out on a walk. It was cold and cloudy out today so it felt good to just stay home. Yesterday, after we got home, Todd and I headed out to the store for a few things to make a quick and easy dinner. I kept quietly sobbing every now and then. I forgot what I wanted to buy. I forgot to swipe my Safeway Club card. I think it was post-traumatic stress or something. I was still out on the trail, mentally, screaming for Chad. I’m fine, today. He’s here and we can (and do) hug often. Yesterday, Chad said he figured I’d call the police at some point – boy, that kid knows me so well!

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