Ana Maria Island

The wedding was great, but this picture of John Parker pretty much sums up how tired we all were. Luckily, we headed to the beach for a few days of fun in the sun!

We stayed in Ana Maria Island, near Bradenton. It was a beautiful little inn right across the street from the beach. Our rooms opened right onto the pool deck and one of our units had a great balcony where we could watch the sun set. It was beautiful. 

Our rooms.

On our first day there, Uncle Dave and Aunt Lisa chartered a boat for us to all take out together. I was a little apprehensive about taking the kids on the boat all day, but they did so great. We had an unforgettable day. We cruised around for most of the day.

We stopped for a while to fish and play in the water.

John Parker took a great nap.

And we pulled up to dock at a great restaurant for lunch. It was such a fun day. 

On the second day, we played most of the day on the beach. Kate has been apprehensive in the past about playing in the water, but she loved it. She played with Aunt Lisa for the longest time and loved splashing in the waves. 

John Parker took another long nap. Something about the water just knocks this kid out. 

He woke up in time to get some quality play time in. 

He spent some time hanging with Uncle Dave when we headed inside. 

Sweet Summertime

So as to not lose my sanity, there are a few promises I've had to make to myself. One is to never apologize for how long it takes me to update this blog. Life's been busy with lots of fun and good times, so I'll try to update over a few posts. I'm taking a little bit of time off this summer and it's been so great to spend extra time with the kids and Fred. We started the summer off with a fun trip to Florida. The last time we went was Christmas and we all had a stomach bug. We didn't get to see many people. This time was so much better.

We started with a visit to our dear friends in Tallahassee. This is Fred's best childhood friend and he and his sweet wife have two little girls. The kids had fun playing together and we all had a great time visiting.

We headed on to Central Florida for Uncle Earl's wedding. What a happy day!

Things you miss when everyone is well

Kate's been under the weather for the past few days and, as such, we pretty much laid low this weekend. She's not sick very often and I'd never wish for her to be sick, gut I was thinking this weekend about what we would have missed out on if she hadn't been sick.

• Watching Toy Story 3 ten times. I know you think I'm exaggerating, but I'm really not. I know this movie by heart now. I think my favorite part is when Barbie and Ken meet for the first time, "I love your leg warmers!"
• Extra snuggles and hugs. Cleaning a child up repeatedly in the middle of night seems to endear you to them in a special way. Kate's been very giving with her hugs. 
• Appreciating sleep when it comes back. I think we had started to take sleep for granted again. This weekend was a good reminder of how wonderful a good night's rest can be.
• The preciousness of seeing your child bounce back and be her normal healthy self. Seeing her run around the yard, pick on her little brother, eat two hot dogs for dinner and want to stay up late.

May those of us who have healthy children never, ever, ever take their health for granted. I see and hear of families with children who suffer from all manner of illnesses and I know "but for the grace of God go I." 

A girl and her mom

Yesterday, Kate gave me a cookie she made for me at school for Mother's Day. Then she asked if she could please eat it.

Motherhood can be a thankless job. But there is something just so special about the bond between a girl and her mom. As I sit next to my girl typing this while we watch Toy Story 3 for the zillionth time, I think about the things I want to teach her that I've learned from my mom. Things like:

• It's okay to be different. When you follow your instincts and the Lord's guidance, it's okay if that takes you in a different direction from other people, including your friends. 
• If you take care of yourself and live a healthy and balanced life, you only get more beautiful as you get older. I'm still trying to learn this one, but my mom is a great example for me. I think she gets more beautiful each year. 
• Don't take yourself too seriously. Laughing, dancing, and being a little silly are all important parts of life. 
• Don't let yourself get caught up in gossip or other things that aren't your business. I've really learned from my mom that there is nothing to be gained from this. Focus on your own life and let your words about others be complimentary. 
• Love your man. There is no one my mom would rather spend time with than my dad. Growing up, my brother and I knew we were important to my mom, but when my dad walked in the door he had her undivided attention. He still does. 
• Cheer hard for your team. My mom is very loyal - to her family, to the Gators and to her colleagues. You have to keep cheering for your team even when they're losing. If you do, you get to cheer the loudest when they start winning again. 
• Love the Lord, with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind. My mom and I have started memorizing scripture together in the last few years and I think she'd agree that it's been one of our favorite journeys together. 

Mom, I love you. I hope when Kate grows up she'll love spending time with me as much as I love spending time with you. 

Happy Mother's Day!

Impatiens

We planted Impatiens this year on our patio. As I watered the plants yesterday afternoon, both of my children underfoot trying to get as wet as possible, I couldn't believe all of the buds ready to burst forth with color. With friends coming over for Easter, I delighted to think about how beautiful they'd be this weekend. They looked a little measly yesterday. 

The flowers led me to ponder Good Friday. What a strange name for one of the darkest days in history. Luke 23 describes the scene: "It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two (emphasis mine). 

In short, it was a dark, ugly time. But Jesus was not finished. When the women went to tend to his body early on the third day, they did not find him in the tomb as expected. He'd risen from the grave. He was alive. 

The name "Impatiens" is derived from the Latin "impatient." They are also known as the "touch-me-not" flower because when their seed capsules mature they explode when touched and send seeds up to several meters away. 

What am I sharing all of this? I'm not sure. It just seemed profound to me to ponder Easter and impatience together. I am impatient for so many things. Even as I whine about how fast my children are growing up, I'm impatient for them to reach the next stage. I'm impatient for the next time I get to see my extended family. I'm impatient for the time when I'll have a bigger house (or at least a bigger closet. Please, God?) But mostly, I think I'm impatient with my own maturation process. I want to be more mature and value the things of God more than the things of this world. Just like the seeds of this flower, mature people are attractive to us all. We want our lives to be touched by them.

Jesus Christ is a picture of the maturity that I think we all really seek. A life lived for others and, ultimately, laid down for those who scorned him. I have a long, long way to go. I am so thankful to have not only his example, but his love to guide me. 

My prayer for you this Easter is that you would know and experience the incomparable love of Jesus Christ. 

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:17

Going down the bayou

Yesterday was a really interesting day, learning about the natural history of the Gulf of Mexico and hearing from various scientists and public officials. This morning, we set sail for Terrebonne Bay to learn about water sampling. I took this picture yesterday, but fortunately we're actually taking a bigger boat out this morning. 

Bayou Farewell

When I first moved to Louisiana seven years ago, my friend Adrienne Moore recommended a great book to me called Bayou Farewell by Mike Tidwell.

I love this book for a number of reasons. For one, Tidwell introduced me to the problem of coastal wetlands loss in Louisiana. This is a problem for the entire U.S. Why? Let me defer to the experts: 

Louisiana wetlands are unique and vital ecological assets worth saving. Wetlands act as a storm buffer against hurricanes and storms. They act as flood control devices: holding excess floodwaters during high rainfall (much like a sponge). Wetlands replenish aquifers, and they purify water by filtering out pollutants and absorbing nutrients. Approximately 40 percent of the coastal wetlands of the lower forty-eight states are located in Louisiana. Unfortunately, this fragile environment is disappearing at an alarming rate. Louisiana has lost up to 40 square miles of marsh per year for several decades – that’s 80 percent of the nation’s annual coastal wetland loss. To date, Louisiana has already lost coastal land area equal to the size of the state of Delaware. This loss is at an average rate of an acre every 38 minutes. If the current rate of loss is not slowed by the year 2040, an additional 800,000 acres of wetlands will disappear, and the Louisiana shoreline will advance inland as much as 33 miles in some areas (Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act, 1990).

I also love this book because of Tidwell's colorful description of the people who live along the coast of Louisiana. Their livelihoods have long been in shrimp and fish, but many of them can no longer support their families. The oil spill has not helped matters. After reading Tidwell's book, I knew I wanted to visit this part of Louisiana if given the opportunity.

Last fall, I was fortunate to be part of a team granted a grant from the National Science Foundation to study how journalists can best equip themselves to cover the ongoing story of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Part of this research project involves traveling to Chauvin, Louisiana this week to take part in a workshop for journalists, scientists and informal science educators. On Thursday, we will board the Acadiana and cruise out into upper Terrebonne Bay to gain a hands-on understanding of the tools and techniques used to collect oceanographic data in the wake of the Gulf Oil Spill.

I must admit, I am a little nervous because I really don't understand all of this science. But that is the point of this workshop. To help journalists translate science for their readers so they can be more informed on the issues.

I hope to have some stories and pictures to share when I return!