18 days in an rv with 4 kids a husband and a dog

My hubby has a 60 day sabbatical every 5 years with Young Life so needless to say its a huge deal how we spend it b/c its precious and well deserved...soooooooo since we had already rented out our home on VRBO for 18 days I thought we could take a road trip to a nice cabin somewhere and relax and he could fly fish and I could paint on my new plein air easel and the kids could be quiet and play in the forest with our 1 year old Berner, Pepper. 

But no cabins worked out so one day I remembered our kind neighbors mentioned that they were allowing friends & fam to use their 25 foot RV - and it was that late on a Tues night in Feb that my mind came up with a plan to travel and camp for the first 18 days - did I mention it was 18 days?? Well since Allen is dyslexic AND a man who isn't at all concerned with details (until he is trapped inside a shoebox monster ((ill explain later)) he didn't want to plan anything out * which may have been better actually** but I didn't say that aloud  - anywho I planned out everyday with the only words from Allen were " I want to go to Glacier National Park" 

The other minor detail was it was 2 weeks from the start of the trip and everyone continued to tell me how crowded the National Parks are in the summer and how we would NEVER secure a camp site in the Parks... so i panicked and one day sat down with Allen- (he was in the shower) and called up a few RV sites near Glacier and Jackson WY aka Jackson Hole, and the first 2 I called had a spot for us so I yelled at Allen thru the bathroom door and he mumbled yeah, so I booked them and BAM I had made the first real decision thus crafting my plan...

Grand Teton National Park

So our schedule looked like this - camp with friends in the wilderness (no water or hookups -no wifi -kids go crazy -mom is happy), drive 14 hours to Glacier camp 3 night= amazing place, drive 8 hours camp at a super overpriced rv park…visit yellowstone, what?? it is so amazing, visit 3 more days…drive to BLM land in Wyoming, allen fishes, we keep our puppy alive… drive to Lyons,CO for a wedding, 6 humans and a dog try and look presentable for the wedding (showering at the campground, letting my hair dry in the sun, getting a dress on my sweaty body behind a curtain in RV), dance and have a marvelous time at wedding, camp out 3 more days, drive back to Erie and almost have a panic attack bc the carwash was too small for the RV, arrive home, revel in my gleaming hardwood floors and giant kitchen counters, laugh and retell stories of the vacation, sleep in my king size bed….sabbatical 2018 =success!

dancing our buns off at the wedding- not too bad for getting dressed in an RV!!

pepper

so we did it... we are officially the best parents! We adopted a puppy- not just any puppy -but a Bernese Mountain Dog-puppy...Her official name is Pepper Mint Bark "pepper" and we are in love...but i am tired as i forgot what house training a puppy is really like. Our last pups were adopted when Allen & I were first married (no kids) so its TOTALLY different. Its bringing me back to hundreds or thousands of sleepless nights caring for infants...sigh but its all worth it.

the first moment we met our "pepper"

It all started when we decided to make the big move to Colorado from Mississippi where we called "home" for 9 years.  We sat the kids down and Allen told them "kids we've decided to move to Boulder...(shocked and scared faces from our babies) aaaaannnnddddd we are getting a puppy.... (screaming, shouting, confusion, joy, happiness, laughter and me looking at him like WHAT?) 

So that was that- a promise from a good daddy.  We officially moved in December, lived with a kind and gracious family (more on that at another time) and bought our home in February 2017- so the search for a dog began late Spring and alot of begging turned into nagging from the kiddos.  

I wanted to adopt a mutt lab mix (because i grew up with labs and its responsible and cool to adopt) but Allen saw a Bernese Mountain Dog while camping in Leadville this past summer and we were in love.  The problem was after he spoke to several breeders they were so $$$$$ and the waiting lists were sometimes years long.  Yikes we needed a puppy NOW or our kids would stage a rebellion!  

So we prayed and asked Jesus to provide our puppy- our kids praying "Jesus you know our puppy and help us find her" 

One Sunday morning Allen had a thought to look on "Puppy Finder.com" and we discovered "hobby breeders" which are families like us who have registered dogs and want puppies and will sell them... plus they were 1/3 of the price!  So after talking to several hobby breeders we settled on Pepper from a family in Missouri. 

We were planning on surprising the kids with a "road trip" and pick up our pup- but they insisted on nagging us to painful levels so we told them a few weeks before we were to pick her up. 

The moment I saw our little/big Pepper I was in love, there are no words to describe the first "family" pet that all the longings, and whining and prayers and dreams materialized into this fluffy, lovable- Pepper aka cutest dog ever.

peps

Yoga Fridays

YOGA- our gym was literally one of my favorite places on earth - my best friends would gather to cross fit or TRX and we would laugh at one another, Cory would yell at us occasionally, we cried at times b/c of the literal pain of our muscles tearing apart, or a box jump would go array, it was a happy place for me and i really miss it and i miss my muscles i had earned (ive done pathetically little since moving) so last time i visited Oxford (my home of 9 years) i went to YOGA Friday and hugged some of my friends and it was like coming home and at the end of class when you lay there and teacher comes around and touches you and soft music plays -I suddenly heard a familiar sound- wall balls literally beating down the wall from the next room where a WOD was taking place, then Brooke's baby crawled up and grabbed my eye - then i turned my head to the left and right & 2 of my favorites were lying next to me on the mat and huge tears were spilling down my face and I realized the contentment and peace i felt lying there it was because here i was known...its really good to be known and loved for who you are when you are just being you...

the way back home

I left Oxford on a Monday morning after a wonderful 4 days with friends and selling lots of art!  I remember the good old days when my family traveled with maps, paper ones! And it took planning and they always seemed to have an overall sense of where they were headed.  Then I remember my early 20's when we had MapQuest and we would print out the directions before we left the house, and if I read them through I would have a general sense of what major roads to take...but this day I was so tired and had to make it to Witchita that evening (we had already booked a hotel) so I had 10+ hours to drive and I didn't look ahead but just punched in the hotel address on Google Maps and took off down the road with Siri as my only guide..I didn't realize that the state of Missouri was in a state of emergency with nearly every major road blocked or underwater!

I was nervous and fearful the entire day because google maps couldn't keep up and I drove back country roads with little direction only orange Detour signs every 10 miles or so... I finally arrived to a road that seemed to lead straight to Witchia in 300ish miles, and after a few minutes there was the orange and white striped sign "road underwater"!  I had kept my anxiety a secret from my kids but at this point I pulled over in a cemetery parking lot and exasperated and worn out I shouted to God -"where do you want me to go?" My stephen said mama i think we should make it to Witchia - but i said "stephen i dont know how to get there and i saw a sign for I49 that led North to Kansas City so maybe the interstate would be clear but it would take longer and we would have to find another hotel." Right then a man walked up to my window (i had noticed a white car pull off behind me) - i timidly rolled down my window -a little- and he asked me "Are you involved with Young Life?" A little shaken and surprised I noticed him wearing a YL hat and I remembered i had a YL sticker on the driver side of my car, so i rolled it down a little more and his wife (who is on staff with YL) came to the car with a MODOT app on her phone and she showed me how to get to Witchita because  they happened to be from there!  Wow! So I asked if I could follow them, and they led me all the way to my hotel!  

As I followed them the next 300 miles I got to think on how the timing worked out -earlier I stopped a few times that I didn't want to but my babies needed food or the restroom- and I was aggravated and probably not kind to them because it wasn't in my "plan" to stop that many times...but God had it in His good plan for me to meet those kind people at the precise moment I most needed them and they led me to safety.  I was always safe and never alone but I felt alone and fearful until the white prius with Kristin and her kind husband reached out to help me.  

Double Decker 2017

This was my fourth year participating in the annual Double Decker Arts Festival in Oxford, MS. It is a glorious day full of beautiful people, wonderful music, amazing food & of course mind bending art:) This year was different and special because I had to drive 1200 miles to get there...and I miss my friends...  

Allen packed our large SUV full of new paintings fresh from my basement studio in Erie Colorado (our new home) and 2 out of our 4 children, 2 Harry Potter CD's ("Half Blood Prince" & "Deathly Hallows") - i highly recommend them for looooong road trips they are quite entertaining -and both are 20+ hours each... (allen had to stay in CO to work and promised to keep our 2 youngest boys alive and happy) 

I will say that when you separate your children (for a brief spell) they are different -like perfect! They were kind to one another, sometimes offering to help get snacks out or helping with luggage at the hotel, they were considerate (it was probably b/c they didn't have to shout to be heard or wait 10+ minutes to share a story b/c we have alot of people in our family sharing information constantly).  The drive was quite pleasant and we shared inside jokes and only fought occasionally when my 12 year olds' playlist annoyed me... I tried to introduce him to Pearl Jam and Bush but he wasn't impressed- he will learn...

We arrived in Oxford, MS after 17 hours in the car and it was as lush and humid as ever.  I will say we were only gone 5 months but new condos had gone up on Jackson and the antique mall where I sold my art for a few years had a new makeover - things change and grow when you aren't looking- it is a charming little/big town and I am blessed to have lived there for 9 years.  

I dropped Stephen off at his friends house where he informed me that he would see me in 4 days (he had amazing friends he had known for years who were attached to great families, and 6th grade in Erie has been really hard on our boy) i told him it was supposed to suck b/c its middle school and i don't know anyone who had a great experience at that awkward age- 

Then i went on to my besties house and had pizza and white claw (think lecroix with alcohol) and we talked and caught up and our girls played till way too late - 

Sat morning comes and we wake up at 5am -its my 2 best friends, my sweet molly who served YL with us for years and Will -my brother in Jesus who also served with us in YL.  We arrive at the Square and set up my new "Mercedes Benz of art tents" and set up my paintings- My team is doing all of the work and I get to schmooze the locals who always come early and see new faces and old and it pretty much went just like that all day long- it was so fun! 

During the day I don't eat- I tried to drink an $8 cup of unsweet tea and water, i don't sit down and don't stop smiling- I think this is how Jesus felt when all the crowds followed him all around all the time... I really had that thought during the day.  It is the best day- and I get all kinds of kind comments from people shopping and looking at art -it really helps carry me when I am down in my studio for months at a time working alone on paintings and new ideas and techniques... 

So I sold more than last year whoo hoo!!  This is always nice to bring home some $$ for our family- and it also helps me buy supplies and continue exploring and pushing and painting my little heart out!

thank you oxford and thank you to all who invested in me!

to be continued...

settling in...

so we have been in Boulder for 2 months officially-i got my license (which they don't let you smile here or have cute hair for the dl pic- WEIRD) anywho this isn't the South i guess... got our license plates (i learned that the DMV and the Dmv aren't the same here -one gets your the license the other the plate).

i had to go down 9 3/4 road today to get to 24 1/2 road (they were both dirt and neither led to hogwarts) but to the DMV

moving to boulder...

moving is hard, esp when you have a really good life in a small town with amazing besties, wonderful Young Life leaders who i love and my kids love, great public schools and teachers, we could walk to the town square, great house, fabulous gym and all that!

Here are some things i've learned about moving a long away from home... to a town where its really cold in winter

1. you need a 4x4 vehicle (do we have one-no ((we have the worst possible vehicles to drive in snow and ice -2 wheel drive+ rear wheel drive = 2 near death experiences)) & yes allen & i both lost 2 years of our life & yes allen sprouted more gray in his beard)

B. pack at least 2 weeks before your moving day (did i start packing 1 week before-yes, did my mom have to come help me get started -yes, did allen's flight get cancelled the day he was scheduled to fly home and help pack and move

B-1. sell some stuff, not too much b/c you have to buy it all over again once you buy a house... then at the last possible minute rent a trailer to pull behind your u-haul to bring your junk that you could not possibly fit into the LARGEST u-haul truck you could rent...

3. continue to enjoy each day and work-out and paint until the very end then end it all with a late late night dinner with your best friends enjoying shrimp and grits and kentucky mules until midnight then get up at 6 am finish packing and drive 17+ hours to a new adventure...

this was popcorn-thank you EA!!

1,194 miles...

2 years ago we were praying - we said "jesus if you want us to stay in Mississippi forever then great, we are up for it...but... if you would have us move- will you have someone pursue allen from YL and will you do it before our oldest kid starts high school ,aaaaand we will only move to Colorado. thank you amen"

so... in may 2016 allen got a call, from colorado and there was a YL college director position open... our oldest kid is in 6th grade...

allen left for Boulder yesterday with Tammy (our 2004 suburban) and i am here with our kids for the last 20 days i will live in Oxford.  then we will pack up a u-haul and drive our crazy selves and our stuff to Louisville to live with an extremely kind and generous family until our home sells and we can purchase a home in Boulder... or as close as we can afford.  

the night before he left we had a handful of our amazing YL leaders and college friends come over to say good-bye and eat our chips and love on us.  then as the kids were getting ready for bed we took them out in the cold night and lay on the trampoline with blankets and looked at the stars. allen explained to our kids what the next few weeks would look like and how when we get a new home in Boulder we would lay under the stars and remember good times in Oxford.  He went on to explain to them that "home" is where our family is and not where our stuff is located (since it will ALL be in storage until we find a house) He asked if they had any questions and ellie wanted to know if we could bring our trampoline (yes) and benjamin wanted to know if the stars were the same in colorado and stephen just wants to live in a house in a cool neighborhood so he can have friends. then gray asked "why do we have bones" 

we went to bed early and allen started his drive the next morning- he got a flat tire somewhere in oklahoma, but when he went to change the tire the tools and jack were missing -oops! so he prayed and called me and i prayed for him... he then walked to walmart which happened to be .2 miles away and the manager, Poncho drove him to "Tammy" (our suburban) allen used poncho's jack and tools and he brought allen back, replaced the tire and drove him back AGAIN to help him put the new tire back on... ha!  NOW THAT was a love letter from Jesus!! even when ch*t happens or especially when c#it happens Jesus is loving us and working thru us and others to serve and love one another! 

the adventure continues and we want with all of our hearts to know Jesus more and more and continue to love and serve one another with His joy, peace, freedom, abundant life and rest!

to be continued...

love is better than pizza

but i waaaaannnnnt the pizza!!! extra cheese, pepperoni, roma tomatoes, onions, sausage!!!! 

but love is better... i was reminded of this quote the other day.  First i guess ill tell you where it started... we are on vaca with some friends,  an older and wiser friend-( JonO )takes a phone call from his son and i hear him saying to his only son -"son- love is better than pizza, so let me love you now"

????im like what?????

so he hangs up and explains-" one of his sisters' (he has 3 of them) ate his leftovers and he is pizzed (haha see what i did there) so he is just yelling and cursing his sisters name over the phone, and this hits his story hard.  He is the only boy and he is being taken advantage of, overlooked , not cared for"...meanwhile his dad IS loving him and caring for him by listening....but the son can't see this -he only wants his pizza-hot & ready and NOW!  

As i pondered this dialogue for weeks after i thought of how i want the pizza too and not the love. see the love takes longer to experience, it takes waiting or just being still to even receive it or know its there, sometimes im so aftaid it won't even come at all and i will be alone, it takes being willing to even want it - now on the otherhand the pizza- i just go get it myself and its easy and satisfies and is quick and tasty... love has to be given, i have to want it, need it, sometimes ask for it, it has to come from a source other than myself, and its not usually what i think i need at the time...so humbling.

a few years ago we bought a condo...kinda in the ghetto, kinda a LOOOOOOOOng term investment.  And it has caused many sleepless nights and anxiety attacks, b/c we have to pay the bills even if our tenants don't, even if they breed chihuahua puppies on new carpet, even when they decide to move out 10 months early, even when they say they will paint the walls a neutral color and when they are long gone you find purple & gold from floor to ceiling... or i could say this investment has given me alot of opportunities to trust that the God of the Universe has everything under control.  So one day I got an unexpected bill in the mail from said condo... and i was so angry i sat down and cried, my oldest son (7 at the time) comes screeching into the kitchen and sees me sobbing - so he gives me a hug, then he screeches out again- 

i got the love, not the pizza that day - there was no extra cheese, or pepperoni, heck i may have taken sardines, but noooooooo...- but you know that i know that hug was Jesus- living through my boy in some unexplainable way that only i knew by faith it was Him- He was there with me in the pain, He knew what it was like to be taken advantage of, He knew my story and the fact that i like control, and i had none when it came to this situation...so i accepted this hug and  i started laughing and crying and thanking Him for caring for me in the middle of the pain... the pain didn't go away it ebbed away slowly and we paid the bill and keep paying the bills BUT God continues to provide funds to pay them and we continue to know Him in the moment and that is the LOVE.  

That is better than pizza.

bridesmaids dress...

so this is a story about my brothers wedding and the bridesmaid dress - my brothers wife is amazing- a nurse who worked with terminally ill children, she is well spoken, beautiful and kind and has great taste- God saved her for my brother b/c Lord knows he needs a woman with all these things and patience and a sense of humor...

so their south louisiana july wedding was approaching and she asked me to be a bridesmaid (she asked in december and i was so honored) and she said we could choose our dresses as long as they were blush and long... so i waited until end of May and chose one off of ebay -i paid $50 for it...now the saying "its too good to be true" is actually true.  The pic above is the dress i paid for and i even gave the lady (who happened to be asian) my measurements b/c i didn't fit any of the said sizes they had offered... my waist is a size 8 and everything else is a 4??? so 1 week before the big day the dress comes in the mail ...see pic below...

it wasn't blush 

it didn't fit

it had tulle on tulle on tulle

the waist was up to my ribcage

it was waaaaay to big

the boobies were so close together

it wasn't blush

i've NEVER worn a bridesmaids dress after the wedding it was meant for

i hated it

it would have cost $75 to mail back to china

my mom had to go to davids bridal and buy my a dress for the wedding

moral of the story- NEVER buy a dress off of ebay, made in china, for $35

too good to be true 

true story

...it turned out to be a great day!

14,000 feet

Sooooo a dream of mine came true a few weeks ago- we took families from Oxford to Trail West (Young Life's only family camp in Buena Vista, CO) and during the week we had amazing fun with each other and our sweet children- we rode horses, hiked, fished, ate, sang, laughed, climbed ropes, zip-lined, danced, ate, talked, drove jeeps, fed chipmunks, swam, ate, laughed some more, napped in hammocks, frisbee golfed, caught flying french toast, white water rafted, ate and on top of all that i took my besties up mt.huron....now dolly had hiked 14ers before and knew what it entailed but my sweet Mississippi-born and bred Brooke had no idea what i was talking about, (she thought it was 14 miles long or wide or??) but being a good bestie she said Sure!  ( she runs like a marathon per month so i wasn't worried).

So on Friday morning we woke up at 3:15 am and drove to the Trailhead (ok we had to hike in the last 1.8 miles or so b/c old "tammy" couldn't make it the last couple miles due to her non 4x4 build) but we reached the trailhead around 6am and started UP.  We shared a backpack and a camelback and did a rotation so one of us could take a break.  The first part was in treeline and it was switchbacks for miles...it was hard. In Colorado there is no oxygen, we couldn't breathe, our legs ached, we were humbled but we pressed forward. ( i mean hello- we do Crossfit) During this process we saw a few hikers that easily passed us, but this didn't bother me since i was leading this adventure, and i had never really done a 14er on my own before it helped me know we were on the correct trail.  But i never let the girls know i was a bit nervous - looking confident is key to leading people to do what you want them to do!  So once we broke treeline we had to cross a bowl of snow.  I don't know the technical terms but thats what it looked like and felt like.  There was snow thigh high, and a sort of river was running , no sprinting under us (seemed dangerous but we pressed on) so we made post holes (cool hiking terms i heard once) with our legs, into the snow and made it through.  Then we got to a cool place ill never forget.  Someone had made steps out of flat rocks that went up and up and made it so much easier to climb that section-thank you to whoever that was.  We continued to climb and saw marmonts (little beaver like animals that live on the mountains.)  It was amazing to see them running about, ducking in and out of burrows.  I mean wow- Jesus made these animals to live at thousands of feet above everyone else in such harsh conditions-crazy! It was also amazing to see butterflies and tiny flowers that grow at such hight elevations.  It was like we got to experience a world that was untouched by man, pure and raw and free.  It was surreal for me.

The last part of the climb was difficult - it was a boulder field that went straight up and the rocks slipped at times and i felt unstable mosts of the climb but we pushed through and made it to the top at 10:10am and WOW!  You could see ranges upon ranges of snow topped peaks 360 degrees around us.  It was a holy moment for me.  For one- I led this little adventure, and 2. it was difficult and c. i got to share it with 2 women who i live this life with at home on a normal routine, we work out, take care of our kids and husbands, do laundry, cook... but this was a break from all that "normal" and we were on top of the world!  So we ate our feast of pb&honey and some ginger cookies i saved from lunch the day before, then we met a couple who peaked 20 minutes after us and they took our pic, and we started down.  This took equally as long as the hike up -which still puzzles me.  My whole body hurt, if up is hard on your lungs the going down is harder on your body.  But we made it and had a long silent ride back to town and we decided to eat a real meal and each decided on a cheeseburger-best meal i've ever eaten, we each ate the ENTIRE burger.  So at 4:30ish (we told our husbands we'd be back by 1) we rolled into camp, got back to reality, (sort of) to our husbands and kids and the best week of our lives...

the 6th "love language"

Growing up I had amazing parents who loved and supported me... but they were tough.  Married at 18, no college in their future, dirt poor, they started a successful construction business and the rest is history. My mom didn't believe in pampering herself or others, so when i fell off my bike or out of a tree (we were country folk-ok maybe slight coonAss) and i got a booboo my mom would say "oh you are fine get up" -bleeding or not.  And i never liked this outcome...i needed some attention... So i decided when i had kids they would get as many band-aids as they needed to feel loved.  Band-aids even became part of my grocery list, and not just the plain, flesh-colored ones-i bought my kids Barbie, Batman, Skylanders, Frozen, whatever Disney told them was cool at the moment- i just went wild.  I decided my kids could even choose- at the exact moment of a scraped knee or splinter or sometimes just a bruise- "do you want Nemo or Scooby Doo?"  This little $4 investment became a sweet love language for my babies.  When they got hurt -even if it was just their little heart, i scooped them up into my arms and brought them into the bathroom and placed 1 or 4 band-aids on their hurt and although it was a simple gesture (those band-aids don't really help- i don't think) but i think helped them to KNOW i love them and will take care of them no matter how small or insignificant the hurt may seem.  And my prayer is that one day that "Knowing" that they have a loving mom who cares for the smallest scraped knee will transfer to the One who Knows them best and that they will take the smallest care or biggest booboo or monster fear or loftiest dreams to Jesus who will scoop them up and care for them in each moment of life -and that trust and dependence will allow my children to love the crap out of anyone and everyone around them with the love they have received.

higlights from 2016 Double Decker Arts Festival

The 2016 Double Decker Arts Festival in our hometown of Oxford, MS was my BEST so far!  Thank you to everyone who came to my booth, who encouraged me, who came last year or the year before and came AGAIN- wow so humbling, and especially to those of you who supported me by purchasing a piece of art -its because of you guys that i can continue painting and pushing myself to explore different ways to express all that is inside of me!! I have so much hope and excitement for the next season and i have many ideas to get onto the canvas!!  

I'll just list some highlights of the day so i'll remember and be able to go back whenever i need some encouragement or just to smile and think back on that wonderful day...

-kylie & bowman surprise visit, katie & kelly (& so many yl leaders who came by)

-sam asking allen to officiate their wedding!! (and seeing MEllyn)

-mallory...all of you!!

-seeing a few families who commissioned paintings in the past and talking 

-having a few people who came last year to my booth and were back with photographs of paintings they like

-ellie grace selling ALL of her sweet painting -thank you kacie & molly and a few more!

-the delicious chicken salad wrap from Shelter (all 3 bites-too busy to eat)(( which was another highlight all in itself))

-laughing and catching up with friends in town to visit

-holding babies

-got to walk down 1 row and saw some incredible artwork going on!

-meredith piper doing so well

-the Lowe's allowing me to use their air conditioned office to use the restroom and get cold water (was dreading the porta potty with my pretty long white dress)

-my dad and mom coming up all for me!

-allen

-jennifer putting my painting on her www.oxfordmomsandtots.com page for a giveaway

-dolly & brooke and their hubby's help cleaning up (fastest getaway yet -thanks josh!) 

so so so thankful...until next time.

Pizza

I knew I had the dreaded, blasted curse because I didn't feel like eating pizza!  My #3 kid got a fever on Sunday and didn't realize how bad it was until Thursday when he still has the fever!  Took him to the doc and yep- the flu!  And that medicine is so darn expensive that I am slow to purchase it ... but Allen and Stephen (child #1) are headed to Nicaragua tomorrow so I went ahead and got them some meds, then Benjamin's temp skyrocketed to 103.6 so got him some meds...then....I mentioned to Ellie that we would of course order pizza that night - but I didn't feel like eating pizza!!!! (We ALwAYS order papa johns when Allen goes out of town b/c he thinks pizza is junk food - what?? It's grain and veggies and dairy!! ...and I don't like being judged) Even tho I do have a large stomach ache after I eat it- I will endure the pain for the momentary pleasure of warm, thick, chewy yet crispy pizza crust- I'll just eat all of everyone's crust if u let me!! Then I will take probiotics, oregano oil, enzymes and a shot of heaven- some Braggs - whooo hooo! That's a whole story By itself for later!! 

So after spending $100 just on the co-pay Plus gator-rator (that's what my 3 yo calls it) apple juice, jello, grape juice, ginger ale, crackers, The chicken noodle elixir of life soup, a new Angled eyebrow brush, people magazine to catch up on the news and World events, And 4 redbox movies that came to the grand total of $4,000. 

Sickness is a darn good business if u ask me! But it's worth it to see my baby get Better and to have peace of mind knowing Allen and Stephen won't be stuck in a country with one airport and have the flu, and my mom was so sweet to come and stay with me so I can get some painting done for Double Decker - all that is worth $4,000! Right??

something new...

so i tried some new fun stuff with my abstract landscapes!  I used a brush and let it show-woah baby!  Ive been dreaming of some new ways to show landscapes and you know how I heart trees so ive been playing in my studio for a few weeks now and my sweet mamma came down to say with us for 5 days (allen was in nicaragua for spring break-ahem working- hello we do Young Life and taking amazing college students to exotic and beautiful places is just a part of the J.O.B. (stern look) but i didn't go instead our 11 year old son went with!  

any-who i got to stay in my studio for like 4 whole days... mom cooked, cleaned, washed, played with the remaining 3, went grocery shopping (yassssss) and drank wine with me at night....sigh.  i love my mom.  i got sooooo much done and i am seeing cobalt turquoise and phthalo green and althazar crimson in my sleep!! so check out this one and let me know what you think!  

Stories of Grace

My son is 11...he is our oldest of 4, and very smart.  Like I can't describe how his brain even works. Math...easy, Science...gets it,...reading...Harry Potter in 3rd grade took 3 months to finish them, Language Arts...he knows what a Preposition is & conjunctions & helps his sis with her homework. He isn't a genius prodigy or anything, he just gets it all and I never have to worry about him with his schoolwork.  But in life...he is a bit absentminded and for some reason i think he has to have it all together for our life to be at peace (prob b/c if i dont have to think about him...one less thing). Monday he comes home and says Mom my science fair project is due in 1 hour!  Now he had already turned it in for a grade but the fair was the following day and he needed to have it up at school in 1 hour!!!  AND of course it had sat in the corner for a month awaiting the corrections it needed and the cards we made for the display had been crunched at the bottom of his backpack for a month...like i said i don't worry about this one.  So we went into hyperdrive and proceeded to retype the Hypothesis, print, cut, glue...and so on until it was ready.  Then we load up (thank goodness Allen was home to stay with the other 3 monkeys) brought it up to school and he forgot to mention he needed a card table for it to sit on....then his project wasn't listed on the teachers logbook so we waited in line to find out why he was not listed as even having a project.... SO he says "mom you go back home and get a table and i'll wait here and work it all out" -so i drive and think and kinda get frustrated and he doesn't have all his &*%$ together to make my life easier..... So then i talk to allen and he reminds me (b/c Jesus was already at work to remind me quietly in my heart) Stephen is 11, He needs grace upon grace to be 11 and survive in this world, I am 37 and need grace/grace and who better to show MY Child than me.  Because does yelling at them help ANTHING? does frustrating sarcasm help ANYTHING? does the silent treatment help? no ive tried them all and all i know now is LOVE CHANGES PEOPLE.  NOT law, not a system of RIGHT vs WRONG... who are we to determine what is right and wrong? look what happened to Adam and Eve...ok so i am now driving back and i am ready to accept Stephen just as he is and suffer a little so he can know he is loved.  And it was painful to swallow it for a few moments but it was worth it all when i walked back into that gym and saw him showing his project to some kids and their parents and how proud he was of his work....i love that kid.

transparent...

A few months ago a friend of mine called and said they wanted some local artist to help them put an image and an experience to 7 core values of their church body.  So I was thrilled and totally fearful when i said yes!  We met a few weeks later with the pastor and he gave us the vision and verse of each week one of us would be painting on stage while the songs and preaching was happening to give a connection between the message and a visual representation so that it could be remembered and rejoiced over when the congregation would see it in the hallway during the following years.  

The 7 values also went alongside a Bible story...abide-John 15:5 the vine and the branches (my fav); joy-john 2 the wedding at Cana, when Jesus turns water to wine (it was actually 905 bottles of wine); healing the paralytic boy after his friends lowered him down through a roof o Jesus, the prodigal son (really the prodigal father -prodigal really means wasteful, and he was wasteful with his love and grace); the bleeding woman; and the empty tomb (resurrection day-celebration) 

I chose abide and joy... and the task to find an image to bring to life the story and  then paint that story live on stage was a little humbling... I don't know about most artists but i love to be alone with my thoughts and Jesus, and some Mumford & Sons or Needtobreathe and really work on a painting anyway i like, sometimes I work backward or naked (just kidding) but really to have people watch me in the creative process was kind of like being naked in front of them because they saw my process and i like to ONLY show the finished project... plus I'm not a super trained artist (it was part of my major to take art classes but never a focus) - I remember at one point not being able to mix the shade to a color and it was nearing the end of the service and I needed to at least get the shade down to "ground" the trees and get the details on the trees.   People came up to me at the end to say "thank yous" and polite "wows" and they said "we love the stream flowing through the trees, and I nodded and said "thank you" and tried to change the subject  because it was supposed to be a shadow.... then at the second round i was painting "joy" and i painted really thick, abstracted jars of the water , so i was at a stopping point because it was taking so long for the paint to dry that i started painting the top and sides of the canvas, to which a friend commented after the service -"why do you need to paint the top?"- i don't... really just killing time- haha busted! 

So it was humbling and fun all at the same time, and I continue to get "labs" in the surrender department because Jesus loves me and knows best! 

*top painting is "joy" the 6 jars at the wedding, lower painting is "abide" from John 15

Under the Oaks...

So one of my besties asked me to do a painting for her of the spot where they got married which happened to be under some amazing live oaks in Hattiesburg, MS... dreamy.  We got ideas together and decided it needed to be ethereal, light and airy because that is how we feel on our wedding day (or that is how we remember it in pictures...stay tuned to how we really feel) but I thought it was so cool that the live oaks represent strength, the covenant and the weight of it, and our choice of this partner for life.  So it was a bit of a challenge for me to get what was inside of my head to come out on a canvas with the look and feel we both wanted.  So here is what I did...

this is a acrylic on canvas 24"x36" with a matte gel medium overlay

Art all around us

We returned home from our 5 week trip to Colorado, to 100 heat and humidity like on full blast. We got spoiled in CO. I dripped yesterday, and I don't drip sweat, i usually glisten a little, but it was brutal walking to the farmers market (even Gray was fussy and i was the one pushing his dang stoller).  Anyway, i started to notice the art around me just at the FM... the baskets of purple eggplant, next to the bright yellow squash, the green and red peppers, the textures of the hydrangeas, the odd shapes of potatoes the reds of the tomatoes, golden honey, chunky salsa, fuzzy peaches, and all the neighbors mingling and chatting.  Then arriving home (soaking wet in my own sweat) i saw art all over our little yard.  The maple tree in full bloom, the purple and pinks of the crepe myrtles, the swaying grass plants, vibrant yellow and purple and pink zinnias and vinca flowers, broad soft leaves of the oak leaf hydrangeas, the shade of the oak trees, camouflage pattern of the trunk of the sycamore tree, the weathered wood on the tree house Allen built for the kids, painted brick, the lavender shoots of the liriope, the smooth stone walkway... wow-Jesus is by far the greatest artist!

 It was easy to swoon over the 14,000 snow covered peaks out west, the beautiful Aspen trees, and the Red Rocks (did i mention i went there), and the Arkansas rivers and tiny streams, and Chalk Cliffs, and wildlife (so many dear, elk-ish things, fox, bear, rainbow trout, chipmunks, bats-eww i know but we had one who loved to hang on our window screen at FR).  But here at home in Mississippi I am still in awe of the Greatest Artist who "is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation... For by him all things were created...by Him and for Him" Col 1:15-16

Below is a picture of the zinnias and vinca flowers that i came home to...

2. our backyard which is lush and wild (just the way we like it) Several different greens, so many textures, pops of reds and pinks and yellows...

3. fireflies (an amazing idea God -thank you) 

4.we brought back some hearts that Jesus gave us (my kids love finding heart rocks for me-sigh)

5. but i will be doing some paintings of those Aspen trees - they amaze me especially when the wind blows those thousands of heart shaped leaves and they shimmer and move like glittering jewlery. Next to the gray textured trunk and they way they all share a root system- ahhh its too much -get me into my studio!  but first i must battle through Wal-mart to buy school supplies, vacuum the spider webs that appeared in my home in our absence, cook breakfast lunch and dinner, take the kids to the pool, the new Minion movie, wash clothes, clean up my flower beds.... soon... 

red rocks...needtobreathe...drew holcomb... most aaaaaaah-mazing night....

This story starts back in the spring when we were on a road trip somewhere and allen commented -going to Red Rocks was on his bucket list- so he said what if... a cool band was playing right after our assignment at Frontier Ranch in Buena Vista... and what do you know Jesus said yes ( i love when He does that)... Needtobreathe, Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors, Switchfoot and Colony House were stopping there just 2 days after we finished our assignment on their "Tour de Compadres". So we got front row tickets... i know i think i must have sold a painting because we get all sassy when that happens. Then, we decided to bring our sweet Stephen (who rocks out on the drums and needed, needed....yes i know i said it twice... to see a good concert to kick off his little music career-whatever that may be) 

If you have been around me in the past 4 months you have heard me subtly mention "going to Red Rocks"  because it makes me feel just a little bit cooler... and apparently it makes all the bands there feel cooler too because they ALL said it was their fav venue AND it was "The best concert out of the 14 years of their career" Bear said that one...

So what can I say it was magic, some friends came from the east coast: thomas, eli and jamie, that was amazing! We also saw some cool people we knew from oxford and young life stuff. Stephen got nachos, i LOVED all of the songs, it was definitely a show...lights, confetti, rocking out...

yep thats got extra cheese! oh and hey drew holcomb and the neighbors!

My fav parts were

1. B0 from Needtobreathe -duh, walked up into the crowd on the right side of the amphitheatre, so Bear could sneak waaaaayyy up in the crowd and sung "Difference Maker" (which is one of my fav songs because it reminds me of my Allen) , so cool (and he must be in great shape because we made our way up there and i needed an oxygen machine and prob burned 300 calories with my heart rate up so high!

2.Switchfoot rocked out (i remember them from college and that Mandy Moore movie...where she has leukemia ... "Welcome to the PLanet...welcome to existence...dare you to move..." -i know i missed a few words  but if you are in your 30's you remember... i asked Jamie -who is 20 "hey jamie remember that mandy moore movie?" and i'm acting out the song... and she's just staring at me with that half smile..."nooooo".  anywho- then they turned out all the lights (just look at the pic below)...

3. Drew Holcomb. 

4. When Needtobreathe sang "Keep your Eyes Open"

5. The encore when they sang "Brother" -so cool! Then... all the members of Colony House, Drew Holcomb, Switchfoot and Needtobreathe came out and sang the last song together! 

6. Stephen hugged us 18 times and told us "thank you tonight is the 3rd best night of my life!"

7. the next day i got a really sexy raspy voice...