The Good List 4-30-14

10. A nice BIG brand new jar of local honey. Luxurious liquid gold.
9. Open windows on a windy day. 
8. Almond Butter. It's pretty much magical.
7. The way a rainy day smells in Vermont.
6. My favorite breakfast.

5. Remembering this from around this time a couple years ago. It was so much fun to watch.
4. Indi is PUMPED about finally getting to run on a snowless ground on a regular basis. :-) BEST. DAY. EVER!!!

Indi celebrating no more snow from Jared Wilson on Vimeo.

3. Jared just started working on a proposal for another novel for publication. This would only be his second fiction book published, but it is a category in which he would very much like to increase his offerings. Pretty fun! Excited to see what happens. . .
2. We just confirmed super fun plans for Macy's birthday, which will be a complete surprise to her. I LOVE surprises for my girlies! Can't wait to see how she reacts.
1. Celebrating my one and only big sister's birthday a few days ago. She was my first best friend, my lifesaver (like literally) when I was 10 years old, and she still is and always will be one of my favorite people with whom to engage in various shenanigans. Love you so much, Vick!

The Good List 4-23-14

10. Despite just coming out of one of the coldest and snowiest winters we've experienced since living in Vermont, we didn't have one episode of frozen pipes or extended power outage. Kind of amazing. (Special thanks to Deacon Dan for whatever he did to beef up the insulation on the back wall of our house. Clearly, it worked. :-)
9. Cooking with Chorizo. Have you ever tried this stuff? Do it at least once just to experience the smell. So yummy.

8. The Barn. (It's a restaurant.) We don't go very often, 'cause it's pretty much in the middle of nowhere and not really near anything else that we do in life. ;-) But the food is really good, the prices are reasonable, and the view could be a lot worse. 

7. We learned just a few days ago that during Macy's recent Mathcounts competition, she got 2nd place in the entire state among 7th graders for her individual score. YAY MACY!!!

6. When technology shrinks the world and creates opportunities for fellowship that would otherwise likely never occur. SO grateful to have friends worship with us at MSCC on Easter Sunday that we had only known via the internet until last week. Online communication can be a very good thing indeed. But hugs are better. :-) (Brittany and Adam, come see us again SOON!!!!)
5. Spring Break last week! Good times. AND Nana and Papa were here the whole week! EXTRA fun to spend time with them, especially during a less-crazy-schedule-than-usual week. :-)
4. A night of laughs with Brian Regan and Joe Zimmerman at The Paramount a couple weeks ago. SO MUCH FUN! And it didn't hurt that we got to share the experience with Jeff and Mark, who just happen to be 2 of our favorite people in the whole wide world (but don't tell them I said that. It might go to their heads. ;-) )
3. Jared turned in individual MANUSCRIPT #10 to his publisher last week! WUT?!? So proud of that guy!
2. When Macy says to me (every single night), "I'm going to get in bed, Mom." Because this is code for, "Even though I'm almost a teenager and don't want to say it quite so explicitly, I really want you to come tuck me in and give me a hug and kiss goodnight." Gladly. :-)
1. Romans 6:9~  We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.  

Of Sunsets, Sketches and Specialness

Can I tell you about my favorite art piece I will likely ever own? It's right here:

Can I tell you why it's my favorite? I'm going to. You can stop reading if you want, but I'm still typing. :-)

Several weeks ago, my friend Jeff came across one of Anne's sketchbooks. Y'all remember my friend Anne, right? The one I can't seem to stop talking about? You probably thought I was done, didn't you? NOT A CHANCE! ;-) But I digress. . .

Back to the sketchbook. Jeff found a sketchbook that Anne had been filling with various drawings from trips she had taken with her family and special memories she wanted to preserve. Sort of a hand-drawn photo album. Kind of amazing. (I can't draw. This is why I take a million pictures instead. But I wish I could draw.) Tucked away in that book was this:

Those are her little knees at the bottom covered in a blanket, and straight ahead is the inside of the big umbrella that was blocking her view. (Stay with me. It'll make sense in a minute.) 

This is a drawing that Anne created during my family's introductory trip to Stonington, Maine with none other than Jeff and Anne Miserocchi, who just knew we would love it there. (They were so absolutely right.) There is a story here, most of which wouldn't mean much to you, but suffice it to say this is a memory I will never ever forget. Some of it is captured in the note I attached to the back of the frame, which says this:

We sat in this spot and talked and talked and talked and laughed and laughed and laughed. It was one of my favorite days ever. You were still getting over lyme disease, and the antibiotics you were taking made you super sensitive to sunlight, so we had to shroud you in blankets and set up a massive umbrella to help you stay comfortable. You sketched (the inside of the umbrella since that is mostly what you saw), and I took a million pictures, which made you happy, because you assured me you would just relive the whole experience later through my photos. (You even told me that Mark had been coaching you on how to take better pictures and asked if you could send him some of mine to show him how much you had improved.) :-) 

When the sun started to go down, you were finally able to uncover and watch the sunset with me. Just gorgeous. And I wondered out loud what Heaven must be like if plain ol' earth could be this beautiful at times. But then we agreed that this probably looks like a crayon drawing compared to Heaven. 

I miss you so much, Anne. But somehow at the same time my heart is full to overflowing when I imagine you standing in the presence of our Savior, where the radiance of His glory glows with a brilliance you never saw on earth, even during the best sunset ever. I love you so very much, and I always will. Thank you for one of my sweetest and most favorite memories.

Here is a better shot of the picture in the frame above. This is quite possibly the most brilliant sunset I've ever witnessed in person, and I'm so happy to have shared it with my friend Anne.

The Good List 4-9-14

10. Three monster lasagnas ready to pop into the oven for our community group tonight--2 with pasta, 1 with zucchini strips, all with tons of meat and cheese and tomato-y deliciousness. YUM! 

9. Macy's latest art project. Inspired by The Hunger Games for those who aren't familiar. ;-)

8. There is a Peanuts movie in the works for 2015. I feel like this will either make all of America do a group hug and collective "Awwwwwwww....." or singlehandedly ruin all of our childhood memories. I hope it's the former.



7. Captain America 2. Not my favorite in the series, but definitely super fun to watch. Now, I CAN'T WAIT for Avengers 2!!!

6. Lazy Saturday mornings. They're rare but welcome in this house.

5. Back in February, Jared had the honor of speaking at the Desiring God Pastor's Conference in Minneapolis. Last week he received a scrapbook from the event. Pretty cool. So special to see him pictured alongside some of his favorite teachers and mentors. (This is a hastily taken picture of a picture of a picture, so forgive the poor quality, but you'll get the idea.)

4. The sound of massive water flow off the mountains surrounding our house as the snow melts. I mean, full disclosure: I don't love mud season. It's pretty much gross. But if it has to happen, at least it brings with it a lovely soundtrack. :-)
3. Overhearing Gracie practicing the flute. She's only been at it for a few months, but the more she learns, the more she enjoys it and wants to play. So grateful for so much music in my house!
2. Macy's Bistro Cafe performance last Friday night. So sweet. I love it when that girl sings, and she looked so beautiful (but WAY too grown up) in her fancy dress.

1. Psalm 103. Sort of makes you forget you have anything to whine about, no? ;-)

The Good List 4-2-14

10. This little dude. My new favorite kitchen toy. Zucchini "noodles" (or any veggie really) in just a few twists of the wrists. Pretty fun and very yummy.

9. Muppets Most Wanted. Very clever. And PACKED with cameos.

8. This is one of Macy and Grace's all-time favorite snacks. That makes me very happy. Whatever I can do to steer them away from junk food, I'm in! :-)

7. My friend Dave let me borrow his not-even-jokin'-around bow. And as soon as all of this snow melts so that I don't lose every single one of my arrows, it is SO ON! Dear 802: You've been warned.

6. Grace has started training for her second Girls on the Run event. She is so excited! Here are her "before and after" pictures from last year. Adorableness.

5. Macy is multi-talented. She is brilliantly musical, clever and smart, and endlessly creative. Here is one of her most recent drawings. Owl. I love it.

(Also, fun fact: my friend Mark points out that "if you turn it upside down, it looks like 2 suns rising on either side of a mountain with a giant ear of corn sitting on top like a radiant holy temple." He probably needs some counseling, but this makes me giggle. What do you think? ;-))

4. This is my favorite thing I've seen on the internet in a long time. I LOVE THIS. But fyi--I strongly suggest listening with headphones or plugging into a much better speaker system than the flat sound of a computer or phone. Totally different experience.



3. On Monday nights, Jared is almost always away from home in meetings until pretty late (sometimes very late.) So. Macy and Grace and I spend these nights cooking together with lots of ridiculousness, giggles and loud music. It is way more fun than it probably sounds. :-) I love these times with my girlies.

2. This guy literally never stops writing. Literally never. If he isn't doing so with pen and paper or computer, he is doing so in his head. He ponders and writes and ponders and writes. And I'm so grateful for his thoughts and words.

1. Psalm 121. The promises in these words work such a precious "settledness" in my heart. Oh how I need them!