Minnesota

This photo story is backwards so bear with me. This is supposed to be an explanation of what we did in Minnesota last week but the pictures are in reverse order...

We got the news that my grandmother had passed away at the Fongs' on Saturday, the last day of camp. We went to church again on Sunday and then left Chicago on Monday to drive to the Twin Cities. That took about 6 hours and the kids did pretty good. Traffic was even good.

First we visited Terry's friend John Sugihara. John is a former student from Lakeside church who was in the youth group when Terry did it in Chicago. They reminisced about staying in Terry's dorm room all night playing games, then doing the same in his apartment, learning to drive stick in Terry's famous Blazer, climbing Mt. Rushmore w/o me b/c I was sick with mono, all those years of camp. It was fun. We ate pizza, Noah spilled an entire glass of Sprite on his floor and John still said he could just watch Noah play all day b/c he was so entertaining. What a great guy.

Then John got GPS directions to my friends' house in St. Paul - Matt and April! We got there at bedtime but kept the "big kids", Noah and Nathan, up anyway. Evie and Ella went to bed. It was so good to hang out and see that her son does the same things that mine does. That night we stayed in the nicest hotel I've ever been in thanks to John - the Radission. Yeah, sleep number beds and everything. Of course, we didn't discover they were sleep number beds until after we had slept on them. =)

Tuesday, we hung out with April and the kids at the rec center by their house, joined Matt at Chipotle for lunch and talked in the parking lot while trying to keep Nathan from running into the lane. =) We hung out with John after that until we had to leave. John's great. From John's we drove east a couple hours to Willmar where my aunt and uncle live. We stayed the night with them and my Grampa and even got in a mini date to Culvers and Target after the kids were in bed (it's nice to have more than one room with kids!).

Wednesday afternoon we drove another couple hours to Canby, where my Gramma and Grampa grew up and raised their family. 1600 people. We had made reservations at the only motel in town, even gave them my credit card number and told them my dad might be calling to make a reservation as well. Terry went in to sign us in and they told him they didn't have a room b/c we were supposed to call them back and confirm the room. Whatever. I was so irate. And they were very rude to Terry. Don't ever stay at The Tower Motel in Canby. Terrible place. From there we changed, got a room a half hour away and went to the viewing. Thursday was the internment and reception lunch at the church and then we drove 8-9 hours home.

It was good to be home but I still miss everything, or everyone, A LOT. I seem to have gotten used to living out of a suitcase and having a social life.

This is Wednesday before we went to Canby and my Grampa playing with Evie.

Noses

Take note of Noah's face. Yeah. Can't sit still for nothin.

She's either "finding her voice" by yelling or she's crying. Yeah, Noah taught her how to yell in the car. =)

Terry and John outside his apartment.

Ella pushing Evie away before we went to the park.

Walking to the rec center.

Checking out the binoculars.

Visiting.

Terry provides the necessary force for the little teeter totter for Nathan and Noah.

what we've been up to

Yesterday afternoon Terry took some time off since he was going to have meetings all night. Noah wanted to swim and we thought that was a good idea. So after I used the opportunity to bribe him to use the potty, we set up a water slide! Noah loved it!

How nice of Terry to hold the umbrella to shade them.

Now you enter the life of a housewife...not too exciting.

This morning Terry accidentally spilled bright red juice in the fridge and on the floor. Oops! I said that's okay b/c I had meant to clean out our fridge for a long time...first time since we've been here. Yikes, I know! But it's done now and looks so nice. I even rearranged the photos on our fridge. Do you see yourself up there? Depends on who you are I guess and if you've sent us a photo. Yeah, I keep them all year until the next Christmas brings updates. Motivation to send us photos? He he he. Only if you care about being on our fridge I guess.

Yeah, Iknow my division in wrong.

The big one on the left top is from ChiKo camp.

Here's how it is. A little bare, but that's okay. No, that's not wine. It's sparkling juice or something from the hospital when Evie was born.

Ardis, my grandmother

This is my Grandmother, Ardis K.:

She passed away last Saturday, August 2nd, 2008, at 730pm. Her husband Ted was at her side as she went to be with Jesus. My family arrived at the hospital shortly thereafter.

Gramma grew up in Canby, MN, and married my Grampa after meeting him on a double date with friends, friends she still has. They used to go dancing. I never knew that till my aunt told me. They moved to a farm where Grampa had dairy cows, corn, beans and wheat. They had four kids total: my dad Steve, Nancy, Jeff and Dan. She become sick with polio between her 3rd and 4th children. She went to the Twin Cities (I think) for treatment and was in an iron lung. She came home confined to a wheelchair, though she could still make some use of her legs - she used to drive us to the Windmill restaurant and then the mall with both feet as long as I could get her wheelchair out of the trunk!

Nancy told me that they did have some help around the house, but Gramma never stopped working - she painted the stairs in their house one half of a stair at a time and then pulled herself up to the next one. The next day when the one side was dry, she sat on the dry paint and scooted down the stairs one at a time to finish. She was a hard working woman. And so kind, and quiet and loving. And she really loved Jesus. I remember her talking to me about Him as a child when I'd sit in her wheelchair in front of her recliner and she'd watch TBN =).

I'm so glad Terry made us go to Hills Alive a few weeks ago. I got to see her for the last time and tell her I loved her and give her a hug. She got to hold Evie and see Noah run around like the spaz that he is. But I wish I could have been at the hospital. She had been having trouble breathing - she was left weak from the polio and breast cancer in 2000. She had a coughing fit through one night and then Grampa called the paramedics who took her to the hospital. I got that call at camp, the night of the campfire. The doctors said she was in chronic respiratory failure and that short of a breathing machine, there was nothing they could do. It was just a matter of time. My aunt and a couple cousins from MN rushed out and were all able to be there shortly after she died. Grampa was the only one in the room though. He said she went quietly. I was thankful for that b/c she had had such a difficult time breathing at home those last few months. She told my dad she was just ready to go home.

When I got the call, I didn't cry immediately. I was sad of course, but most of me was kinda happy. I was happy for her to be with Jesus. I was glad that she was with Jesus standing. No more pain, no more anxiety ridden breathing, just peace and joy and Jesus. Then my aunt told me about how she used to love to dance. Now she gets to dance again! Praise God. I'm so thankful for the hope that we have as Jesus followers.

On the radio on our drive home we were listening to NPR and they had a story about a place in New York State called Inquiry Camp. It was a camp like any other except its purpose was to question God, His existence, His goodness, all of the above and more. Well, most people believe in God the reporter said. Yes, but how many really believe and love Jesus I wondered. So, the reporter just interviewed and observed these little kids as they talked about how unlikely it was that God existed. One said that she looked up in the sky at the stars and that they were so beautiful...a beautiful accident. The most thought provoking part was when the reporter chimed in. She said that most people believe in God to give them hope in death because they are afraid of dying. "What do you think of that?" she asked. A child that has previously been very quiet spoke up and said that he was terrified of death. Then there was silence in the room b/c they were all thinking the same thing - the fear of death.

I am free from the fear of death, "Since the children have flesh and blood, he (Jesus) too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." (Hebrews 2:10)

"This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." (1 Timothy 1:10)

"When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.'
'Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death is your sting?'
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 16:5).

I'm so thankful that I don't have to fear death like those campers. I'm so thankful my Grandmother didn't have to either.

left to right on the bottom: Jeff, Steve, Nancy, Grampa, Dan

My sister Stephanie with Evie

my brother Nathan

My mom with Evie

Stephanie again

camp

Saturday we got under way by 715am to begin our 12 hours of driving. The kids did surprisingly well, especially Noah. Of course, the DVD player helped a lot. We stayed that night at Dan and Susanna Fongs' house in Northbrook, IL, who have always been so hospitalible to us, letting us use two of the boys' rooms (out of their four boys). Their house was probably the most fun for Noah b/c of their poodle mix dog and the Thomas trains...he didn't want to leave.

Sunday we went to Lakeside church, where Terry interned during grad school. We took two of the Fong boys with us and they were so kind as to keep putting Evie's pacifier back in her mouth since she hates her car seat. Once, she launched it back at them and hit the back of the seat. Funny. After packing up again, we headed up to Lake Geneva, WI, for camp.

I was a little concerned about what I would do the whole week since Terry was going to be busy a lot of the time. I forgot about adult camp and didn't know about pre-ChiKo for Noah. This camp is the coolest. This church goes up as a family unit and has something for everyone. Pre-ChiKo for 2-2nd graders. ChiKo is for 3rd-8th graders. Teen Camp for high school and Adult Camp for the parents. We all ate together in our seperate groups and it was so nice not having to prepare any meals or clean up afterwards due to the family style meals.

The REALLY cool thing about camp is that the church has been doing it for 60 years. Yeah.

Anyway, we had such a grrrrrreat time. I loved it. Here is a photo summary.

Evie sleeping the first day in the car.

The view from the back.

Mommy and son

Fun with Daddy

Traditional ChiKo cardboard boat races

Terry before the team 3K run.

Evie enjoying the shade during the race.

Run Terry run!

Mrs. Sugihara holding Evie while I take pics of the race.


Terry preparing outside our room for his lessons.

Me climbing. For some reason the people watching thought it was surprising that I was climbing 4 months post baby. =) I wasn't.

Terry's turn.

Horse shoe games.

Evie didn't appreciate not being involved in the game. Sorry girl, flying metal isn't your thing.

Final night. The Teen Camp used these inner tubes to smash into and knock one another off their feet.

We're watching the video for ChiKo from the week.

The week end baptism.

Noah stepped in mud.

So that's it for camp. =)

home

We came home Thursday evening (10pm!!!) after 2 solid weeks of travel - well, only 2 days short anyway. My house smells like someone else's (you know how that is, right? different house smells? well, it happened). My drains smell icky. And I'm sick. Here're some views of what it was like.

My entry way:

Here is the larger girl doing her sucking lips and drooling thing.

The crazy lawn...untouched for 2 weeks. The Chem Lawn guys said that it needed to be mowed before they could spray. Yeah.

All the papers.

One thing I did get done right away that morning: the dishes.