August Rush

Wow, this has been one very busy month. We spent the first couple weeks of August preparing for Danish Festival, and now football, fall softball, church activities and preparing for school have filled the calendar.

Legacy Field

Andrew

The new football stadium is complete and the Freshmen Football team were the first to play on the field. That following Friday was the big, official game against our rival. Seeing all the local residents turning out for this momentous occasion was moving. The kids will look back on that night over their lifetime with pride. Football  is now officially in season.

Colin # 58

I am really proud of our boys. They have faithfully attended every practice since June and it has been showing on and off the field. Physically, they are stronger, but they have matured greatly through this experience. They still act like teenage boys, wrestling and being goofy with their friends, but I see them taking responsibility for their actions and their futures. They have grown too quickly. (It  is a mother's prerogative to digress on her babies.)

Chuck has been umpiring for the last couple years for the city leagues, he is the commissioner for our church softball league and he is overseeing the building of a new community park. He is passionate about softball!

The last couple years he played in the church league, this year he decided to play in the city league; I think it has upped his game. His skill level has gotten better and he is looking really attractive in his uniform. (Don't tell him I said that, it will go to his head.)

Andrew and Alisha at the Whitecaps Game

Labor day weekend is my last Sunday at the little church I have had the opportunity to serve at this summer. They have hired a new pastor and my interim job is over. It has given me great experience and insight into the politics of the church. I can walk away from this experience with more confidence in what I am doing in ministry and know where I need to still grow. Where I go next is still up in the air, but I know God will takes us where he wants us.

At the Whitecaps Game

We were able to host an exchange student from China over the summer. Rob, his American name, was a delight to have in our home and we learned a great deal about cultural differences. 
The boys and their friends enjoyed learning about being a teenager in China and I think it opened up their minds to our global impact. We are looking into doing this again for the school year. 

Casey, Jenny and Rob

The summer has gone by quickly and we have not done all the things we wanted, but the time we have spent with family and friends has been precious this summer. 
We are looking forward to many more experiences to fill our cup; it has been running over lately and we are just fine with that.

Harper 

Danish Festival 2012

  

Alisha and Andrew after marching.

Every year on the third weekend of August, Greenville hosts Danish Festival. In honor of the Danish founders of the city this 3 day festival brings out the best in this small community.
Our house is on the parade route of the festival, so we start planning and cleaning in July. Touching up little things here and there in the yard and house to accommodate the 50 plus people we host over the weekend. This year was exciting because we had several exchange students visiting.

We had planned on our house being in the midst of remodeling so we didn't send out invites but told our "regulars" to come and enjoy. Chuck got out the grill and did burgers and brats, while everyone else provided side dishes. The food is always yummy!

This was Lisa and Jedidiah's first year at Danish Festival so it was fun to see their reactions. Most don't believe us when we tell them the parade is almost two hours long. The fairy tale parade the night before and the bed races are always a must see. This year our church youth put together a team. It was great seeing them win the race this year.

On Friday night, all the the local fire departments participate in the fireman's parade. It is a procession of about 100 fire trucks going through the streets with their sirens and volunteers. It is a great way of reminding people who has their backs. We are so blessed to live in a caring community.

The Grill Master 

Alisha and Andrew 

Family and Friends

Everyone is lined up waiting for the parade. We serve lunch right before the parade begins that way everyone can eat before and during. We are always blessed with some great friends who show up.

This year my mother-in-law drove from Omaha to join us. She loves these kind of things. After the parade we walked downtown to all the arts and craft booths so she could shop.

I have discovered over the years I don't take as many pictures of the parade as I do the people at our home. I cherish the relationships we have with everyone who comes each year. This year one of our dear friends brought his parents, whom I haven't seen in a few years. It was such a delight to see them again. Also, we had new friends join us this year, looking forward to cultivating those relationships.

That is what the porch is all about. Time with family and friends building relationships, because that is what is important in life.

More Friends

The Motley Crew

Find a seat where you can

Three students from China

The teens hanging out

Students from China, S. Korea and Mexico. 

Our church teen band

My adorable niece

Chinese students taking a break

Porch Talk

I found this phrase on here. This is perfect for our front porch sign. I am going to go to Joann Fabrics or Hobby Lobby this week to find a canvas for it, depends upon who has the best sale. 

This sign seems to sum up everything we do on our porch. We invite friends and family to sit and take some time away from the chaos of the world and just relax. This is where relationships are built, conversations are sometimes deep, laughter comes from the belly and the heart and love abounds. So if you are in the area sometime, come join us on the porch.

Pinterest and the Absurd Cake

I admit it; I am a Pinterest junkie! I have been steadily organizing my pantry, making homemade cleaning products, cooking and crafting more regularly than I ever have. This site allows us to dream of future homes and spaces and stare wide-eyed at some of the craziest stuff we wish we would have thought of. 

Well, I decided to share one of our cooking creations discovered on Pinterest:

For Chuck's birthday, our oldest daughter, Jenny, suggested a cookie dough crust filled with Oreo and Butterfinger topped with brownie batter and baked. For a girl that doesn't like to cook, she rocked it. This recipe came from the browneyedbaker. We used Ghirardelli chocolate chunks in the dough instead of regular chips. Then used Oreo on one half and mini Butterfinger bars on the other half. I have a toothache just thinking about it. 

Jenny's instagram photo of the event. 

After baking this sugar coma cake, we took it one step further and frosted it using a cooked frosting recipe from PioneerWoman, tinted it blue and sprinkled with edible glitter, topped with one of Chuck's favorites; Star Trek! 

We discovered that a small sliver is more than enough for any sugar junkie. Secondly, it tastes better cold or slightly frozen (the fudgy, chewy brownie was ecstasy) and the cooked frosting was not necessary, but for the sake of it being a birthday cake the cooked frosting recipe was less sweeter than most which was good, though it was full of butter. 

Something like this is fun for special occasions and the entire family enjoyed the absurdity of it. 

Mind over attitude or vice versa

Two things we have discovered this week. One, our bodies are not as young as we would like to think they are. Two, our minds are fooling us about our bodies!

As you read in a previous post, Chuck is going to take on the Tough Mudder in October. This week we started out with great intentions of working our daily to get into shape. It has been a fiasco. After the first day my legs were so sore from squats I had to stop for a couple days. Chuck was not as sore but he slacked off and working out went out the window.

So, we decided that today we were going to start over. We went to the gym and did cardio and strength training.  Chuck  got on the treadmill and ran for a bit and I was on the elliptical. We both responded well, but one thing I noticed was lack of endurance on both of our parts. I stuck with lower body strength training and I think Chuck did overall. Neither of us pushed beyond our limit; we continued to play it safe. I am not sure how this is going to play out, but what are minds are telling us we can accomplish, our attitudes are giving off a different vibe.

This reminds me of how we approach life. At some point in our lives someone encouraged us or said something that created a block in our minds. How we carry experiences and the voices of others has a huge impact on what we do in life. Playing it safe has its advantages and disadvantages; my neighbors have a yard with no shrubs or flowers around their house because it is easy to maintain. While another neighbor down the street, has the gorgeous garden that they tend daily. Neither neighbor is wrong in how they keep their yard, it is just one chooses ease for the sake of other things in life, while the other chooses the daily chore for the beauty and pleasure it brings them.

Success doesn't come easy, it requires hard work, dedication and doing something you love. These are not new concepts, but often times we get caught up in the patterns of the daily grind. Do we need to spend so much time on social media sites or can we be working our our goals? Not all goals have to include work, we should build time with friends and relatives into our goals. I have been convicted on this lately and it is time to stop playing it safe.