Hello from St. Lucia!

We have arrived on the sunny island of St. Lucia to begin our much anticipated vacation here in the Caribbean.  Tomorrow we board the Mandalay for a bucket-list, week-long cruise on an old sailing schooner!

But before we board we have packed in some major sight-seeing... and for the record, the Island does not disappoint!

From flowering abundance:

to lazy waterfalls:

and amazing vistas:  

The peace and beauty have already begun to unravel our tangled nerves!  

And we say that there's no time like the present to start making some great memories...

We're not waiting another second!

Sweet sailing... See you in a week!!

P.S. We've got this self-stick thing down!!

Back Home!

A week away with Dad on Lake Conroe...

 

Relaxing....Fishing....Eating....Napping....Swimming....

 

So nice!

 

Only a few from the family could make it, but no matter, Dad very much enjoyed the time away.

 

 

 

 

 

These condos were built right on the shore of the lake.  And I mean right on the shore!  We could fish from the balcony...a vacation perk that Dad made the most of!  The orange caution tape on our balcony was a little disconcerting - for me anyway - but the management assured us the balcony was completely safe (hmmmm).  They were just doing routine maintenance and saw that our railing was slightly rusted out at the base, So, well, don't LEAN on the railing and all should be well.

 

Uh-huh...

 

I found other ways to spend my time...

 

 

 

 

And after we ate...Katie decided the ducks needed some treats too...

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone's happy on Lake Conroe...

 

 

 

And now we're back home.  Rested and Refreshed.

 

Grateful for time together and the Gift of time away.

 

In Grace Always,

                    Jane

 

Girl Time

Some weekends are just meant for girl time...

Like this past one.  A girls' getaway.  Mothers. Daughters. Friends. Grandmas. Babies.

Oh.... It was good.  Balm to the soul.  Laughter loosed.  Cares shared, burdens lifted, joy exploding good.

14 of us went to Galveston Island and stayed in a fabulous Beach House.

 

And the fabulous part?  When we divided the cost between all of us, it was only $108 a piece for the whole weekend!  Now how cool is that?!  I think I just found a new vacation destination!  And it was a fantastic, private getaway that allowed us the space to get crazy loud (it happened!) and also to spend time, just us girls, with no distractions...

Mothers and Daughters.  Sisters and Friends.  Grandmas and Babies.   Friends for the ages. 

Getting away from the responsibilities and duties of our lives. (Thank you Farmer Husband for holding down the fort and taking care of the critters!)  We flew the confines of our organized chaos and gathered together for time away...  Retreating to find that center again.  Breathing deep.  Inviting Christ to renew our hearts and refresh our spirits.  It was glorious.

Long walks on the beach...

 

 

 

Hilarious, side-splitting comic relief...

 

 

And through it all, the thread of Community.  Women-folk lifting one another up in the body of Christ.  It was our theme.  And it was intentional.  For Community is not just about being together.  Community is about doing life together.   And it truly takes time.  And deliberate attention.

 

It was not easy to get all of us together for a whole weekend!  Each one there was pulled in a million directions.  Work, Children, Husbands... and yes, illness.  Even the remnants of grief.  One has lost a husband to cancer.  I have lost my mom.  Katie has lost her grandmother.  Others have suffered debilitating emotional hurt.  Some are struggling to find their place, to find their purpose... Each one brought the weight of their world into the midst, and together we chose to let it go for this space of time and find peace.  And laughter.  And joy.  And healing.

 

This weekend past was so needed and so blessed.  The core of friendship began with these 6:

 

 

We are the "moms" and we each brought a "gift" to the weekend.  We had skits, devotions and even a book club discussion!  We all read The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks in the weeks leading up to the retreat and then had a great time sharing our thoughts and insights (if you've never read it, put it on your must-read list - such a beautiful telling of a love story - you will be laughing and crying by the end!) and we wrapped up the weekend with one mom leading us into a very special time of personal, quiet sharing with our daughters (there was much laughing and crying there too! Not to mention the hugging!)

 

Some weekends are just meant for getting away!

 

 

 

And for discovering things!

 

 

Like Big, Ugly Sand Worms!  It was really BIG!  And I almost stepped on it!!!!  Eeeek!

 

 

It was also a weekend meant for exploring...

Historic Downtown Galveston!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then we treated ourselves to a Beach Photo Shoot! 

So. Much. Fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the youngest to the oldest...

A weekend for Legacy-Living,

making time for the people and things that matter.

 

The cares of the world are still there,

but the hands of community are now there as well,

bearing the burden with me,

sharing the load,

engaging the heart, gifting a smile.

 

These sweet women, precious Hands of Community,

you who have rocked the babies,

brought the meals that fed body and soul,

 and held me together

when the grief swamped...

 

Your giving hands have lightened the load,

soothed the hurt and created joy.

 

Precious Friends, 

You have been Jesus to me.

 

 

 

The Wanderers are Home...

Home... At Last!!!

Heaven to be sleeping in our own bed.  Snuggling with the pups.  Loving on goat babies...

Doing Laundry!!  That's the sign of another vacation in the bag!

And such a wonderful vacation it was.  Busy, Bountiful and Blessed.  We traveled through Wisconsin and Illinois visiting family, making sure food and fun were a part of the daily agenda!  Leroy and I had the pleasure of escorting Dad up to the family's Big Reunion in Wisconsin and then we took the scenic route home through Illinois by way of Lake Michigan (our route was anything but straight!).  We also had the added joy of including our daughter Katie, her husband, Jordan and two nieces, Amanda and Sami, into the traveling menagerie! What a crew.  Here's the vacation in pics:

We ate...

And we canoed...

and survived!

The guys fished...

and fished...

and fished...  Dad had a blast!!

And then we headed in for the Big Reunion.  And what fun that turned out to be!  The reunion committee simply outdid themselves, beginning with a beautiful remembrance service at the small Scandinavian church (in Scandanavia, Wisconsin) that my great-grandparents had attended.  The day only got better from there!

The service was followed by an impromptu parade thru town to the old homestead!

Grandma and Grandpa Christensen raised 11 children in this tiny, 4-room home.  Such memories!  Such treasure!  Such Love!!

And here's the whole Bunch of Us!

And Dad with his sister, our favorite Aunt Di

And Dad with his favorite cousins...

There was time for food...

and face painting...

and fun around the Bonfire!

Our Beautiful Wisconsin Family...

Love you to Pieces!

I can't help but remember our last family reunion and vacation.  What a difference a year makes... So hard to believe where our life was last year.  Mom's journey was well on its way and we didn't know.  Pancreatic cancer de-rails the best laid plans.  If anything it has taught me to cherish the moments we hold in our hands completely, for we aren't promised a minute more...

Because mom is never far from our thoughts, we honored her with a trip past her family home in Wilmette, Illinois along the shores of Lake Michigan.

Her spirit dipped low and the breeze blew her kisses soft across our cheeks...

Home At Last