Sheree's Appalachian Tomatoes

I was on a sight seeing trip to the East Coast with my sister in law Rhonda and Matt.  We would be traveling for a week through several states.  Because there was 3 of us on the trip, and to make it equal for everyone we decided that each of us could have 2 day's to sight see wherever we wanted in our designated area (which included 4 States).  Rhonda choose Washington D.C. and Arlington National Cemetery for her days, Matt choose Valley Forge and Gettysburg, and I choose Manhattan and Lancaster (Amish Country).  We touched down in Philly and drove the first night to a little town in New Jersey (the states we were going to be seeing are small so driving from one state to the other could be done in a few short hours).  The next morning, we made our way by ferry to Manhattan (whoop! whoop!) and then whizzed off to Lancaster,Pennsylvania (although we did make a detour on our way into Hershey, Pa to tour the Hershey Chocolate Factory- So Fun!).  As we arrived at our Hotel in Lancaster that evening we decided that taking a swim sounded fantastic- Rhonda and Matt headed to the pool and I headed for the hot tub.  A few minutes after I sat down, a woman about my age came and sat down by me.....
Sheree and her husband were on an Anniversary Trip visiting Lancaster from a town about 4 hours South in Virginia.  As we started talking about travel, family, and everyday life.   I told her how excited I was to visit Amish Country- Especially so I could try their home grown/made food (and buy a quilt).  It was right around that time that Sheree got a twinkle in her eye and told me the following story-
Tucked away at the base of the Appalachian mountains was the small community of Ashland, Virginia.  Ashland had been Sheree's home for most of her life- During the course of her adult life, She had developed a skill for growing tomoatoes- She said that the weather in her town was perfect for growing this certain fruit HUGE and they would melt in your mouth when ripe.  Along with growing the tomatoes, she had taught herself how to can them so that she and her family could enjoy her harvest all year long.  Because there was so many families that would can their produce in the area, her community had joined together in creating a canning station during a certain season every year.  At this canning station, the city would provide (for a minimal fee) the space needed, the can's, and the resources to preserve your produce- As Sheree was talking about her yummy tomatoes I kept saying 'Wow, they sound delicious!'  Just before our conversation ended she said she wished she would have packed a few can's so she could let me try them- As soon as those words left her mouth she followed up with 'I'll send you some!'........
When the package filled with can's of Sheree's tomatoes arrived I was excited to open and try them- They were everything she had described :) I wrote her address down and sent her some fun stuff from a local mill that makes their own flour etc...- Every year since, we have exchanged Christmas cards and updated eachother on our lives- Sheree is still canning tomatoes, one of her boys had gotten married, and her daughter is in high school-
It's neat to think that our simple conversation about Sheree's Appalachian tomatoes left a lasting effect on both of us and that almost 5 years later we are still in contact.

Matt and I walking in Washington D.C. on our East Coast Trip

To Move or Not to Move?

We are trying to decide if we are going to move or stay where we are at- Moving this time would mean just a few blocks down the road, to the home we lived in before we moved to Hawaii.  When we moved to Kauai, we were not sure how long we were going to stay.  We knew it would not be shorter than 2 years but had left the possiblity of staying 5 years open.  We decided not to sell our home here in Oregon but instead rent it out with a 3 year lease.  We moved home from Kauai after 2 years and decided that, instead of breaking the lease on our primary residence, we would move into a home down the street from it for the years time.  Our year is almost up and it is time to decide what we are going to do..........stay where we are at or move back to our home- There are pro's and con's to both- I did tell Matt that (God willing) the next move we make will be the last for a good long while-Honestly, I never want to pack another box and move again.....
Over the course of almost 18 years of marriage, my husband Matt and I (along with our boys) have moved 8 times.  The longest we have lived in a home is 5 years- The shortest was 6 weeks.  The housing market was booming during quite a few of those years and we wanted to take advantage of the tax incentive the IRS offered of living in a primary residence for 2 years and selling it tax free (the profit, if any, from the sell of the home would not be taxed).  The longest distance we have moved is 3100 miles (Hawaii) and the shortest distance we've moved is 1 house down but on the opposite side of the street. 
The house we lived in for 6 weeks, was due to the fact that, a home we put on the market (we were living in) sold within days of going on the market- We had already purchased the home we were moving to next but were having some work done to the inside that, during the construction phase of the work, made the home unlivable.  The couple, which was in the process of purchasing the home we were living in wanted to sell their home (and were hoping to do it before escrow closed on the home they were purchasing from us).  Because we needed a place to live for 6 or so weeks and because my Matt is always thinking in the financially profitable world, we decided to buy their home, live in it for the duration of our new home remodel and then either rent it or sell it when the time came (we ended up putting it on the market 6 weeks after purchasing and selling to a wonderful husband and wife who still live there).
It will be interesting to see what the next several months bring- To move or not to move........hummm??
P.S. Just wanted to add, if you are finding yourself in my position, with lots of moves behind you and a possible move ahead of you or if you are just moving for the first time and are having a hard time- Or whatever your 'moving' status is- God has shown me through my moves that home is where the heart is.....our homes do not define who we are- God Bless you if you are finding yourself in a moving transition- Remember to take it one moment at a time and you'll make it :)

A part of the front yard at our home

Blast From The Past....Hee! Hee!

I had to share the laugh my boys and I just had over these pictures- Matt and I started dating in 1993- I was 17 and Matt was 19........:) :) :) :)

I have a 3rd eye on my forehead

hee! the sunglasses!!

Link To Nicholas' Heart Surgery Post

Strep, Tonsillitis, and Taking Pictures

Both My boys were home sick from school on Fri.- One with Strep and the other Tonsillitis- The weather was beautiful here in Oregon......
All 3 of my kids were home at the same time + Beautiful Weather =

Nicholas' Heart Surgery :(

I am introducing my dear friend Kristi to you today.  Kristi and I have gone to church together for a few years short of a decade- Over the course of those years I have seen first hand the incredible faith Kristi and her family display's as they face the medical issues their son Nicholas has had to endure.

Kristi- It is with a heavy heart that I post this blog tonight........I love you friend and will be faithfully praying as your family get's ready to head to Stanford for Nicholas 3rd heart surgery- May God Bless and keep you all-
SCROLL DOWN TO READ NICHOLAS' STORY..................

Nicholas

NICHOLAS' STORY AS TOLD BY HIS MOM KRISTI:
There is nothing more heart-wrenching than saying goodbye to your child as a medical team wheels him through those double doors to take him into surgery.  Waiting for 5 or 6 hours knowing that his heart is stopped and a machine is keeping him alive – horrible.  And there are no words for how a mom’s heart feels seeing her precious boy for the first time after surgery with tubes and wires attached to seemingly every part of his body, eyes closed, body limp, not able to breathe on his own.  Knowing the kind of pain that he will be in when he eventually wakes up.

Yet in the midst of the physical and emotional pain is peace and blessing.   God is so real you can almost feel Him.   Surrender…… at some point in our journey, we had to surrender.  That moment is forever etched on my heart.  My little guy was fast asleep and I was sitting by his bed watching him sleep.  Then, the tears started flowing and the prayers.  At that moment, I knew that every time I had ever said, “My children are yours Lord, I trust you,” there was a piece of me that didn’t completely mean it.  I trusted Him, but asked (begged) that He not let anything bad happen.  I wanted His will but I wanted some control, too. I knew He loved them but that had to mean He’d never let them suffer.  So, that night for the first time I started to mean that prayer, really mean it.  No matter the cost, God’s plan was the best.  When that plan was done, He would take my children home.  And, I had to be o.k. with that – I either trust Him or I don’t………..

I guess I should rewind so you can follow our family’s story from the beginning….

It’s a boy!! A perfect, healthy, beautiful baby boy – the words every expectant parent longs to hear when birth day arrives.  They were the words we heard when our son Nicholas was born almost 12 years ago.  Those words were the answer to our prayers of “It doesn’t matter what we have, as long as he or she is healthy.”  We never imagined what a crazy, amazing journey we were beginning after such a “normal” start to our son’s story.

When Nicholas was a year old, we were blown away to find out that he had actually had a heart murmur since birth but we were not told since “these things usually disappear on their own.”  And then imagine the shock when the cardiologist said he had a congenital (meaning present at birth) heart defect that would need surgery some day.  Much to our relief, his defect was fairly minor and in the vast majority of cases, completely fixed after surgery with no long-term problems.

Well, it hasn’t quite worked out that way.  His first open heart surgery occurred the day after his third birthday.  The defect was repaired but our surgeon told us it was not “normal.”  We’d have to give it some time to see what that would mean for Nicholas.  It didn’t take much time. Six months later, it was clear that something unexpected had happened in his heart.  Now his aortic valve didn’t work properly.  Six years later he went in for his 2^nd surgery with a badly leaking valve and an enlarged heart.  To our great relief, the surgeon was able to fix the valve that, as it turns out, had been damaged by his original problem.  Our world-renowned surgeon was highly confident the repair would last at least 5 years.

Today, Nicholas’ journey is still winding around turns that we don’t understand.  It’s only been two and a half years since his 2^nd surgery but on March 23^rd, he goes back in for #3.  His leak is bad again, his heart has enlarged further, and sometimes he feels winded or tired.  We get to choose between crummy choice A and crummy choice B.  A biological valve that will only last 5-10 years or a mechanical valve that requires daily blood thinning medication and monthly blood work.  And, in all likelihood as his heart grows, either valve will become too small.  He will almost definitely need a surgery #4.

To be honest, there are moments I feel as though I’ve been punched in the gut; I can’t breathe, and I just want to throw up.  But most of the time, I am so thankful for our journey.  I have watched God provide for our needs and bring amazing people into our lives.  I see how my son affects the medical staff he is around and how he touches their hearts.  I have a compassion for families in crisis that would not have existed before. I am thankful for the perspective change when I see the kids and their families in the hospital who are facing terminal illness, months in the hospital, and those precious little bald heads.  I have learned that my definition of perfect is not God’s definition and there are no mistakes. I would never choose this story for my son.  But it is the one God wrote for him. 

I asked Nicholas what he would say to people about his heart.  Here are his words: “I’m ok with having a heart condition.  I can’t do a lot of things that other kids can do with a normal heart.  But, with my heart condition I can tell people that they can get through anything.  God helps me to always look forward (to after recovery) and not focus on what’s about to happen (surgery).  Sometimes I pretend not to have a heart problem and that helps me.  If you know someone who is going to have a baby soon, don’t expect the baby is going to come perfect.  Bad things can happen to people close to you.  Nothing bad happens without a purpose.  God has a plan.”

Of course, we would appreciate prayers for his upcoming surgery and recovery, for financial and logistical issues, and making wise choices for Nicholas.  Thanks for reading our amazing & courageous son’s story.

Blessings,

Kristi

L to R: Lenny, Kailynn, Nicholas, Kristi, and Jacob

p90x Meet's A Dozen Samoas

When I saw that my facebook friend Molly had posted Girl Scout Cookies being available for sale I KNEW I needed to keep with tradition and order the same 5 boxes of Samoas I do every year...Molly made a surprise visit to my house late last week to deliver those wonderful boxes of cookies.   I kept 1 out and put the other 4 in the freezer-
For the past year or so I have seen several of my friends toning up and just looking overall more fabulous than they usually do- It seems like each one I ask I hear the same response.......'I am doing p90x!'- I know that they are work out videos but not much else about them.......at least until the other night I did not know much about them :) :) :)
I couldn't sleep on Sun. night so I told my husband Matt that I was going to wind down by watching TV- As I was flipping through channels I noticed an informercial featuring p90x......WHOO HOO I would be able to check it out and see what all the buzz was about.........
Honestly, I have yet to work out to a viedo....BUT as I was watching Tony Horton (the leader) I could see the appeal of working out to his exercise routine and I felt incredibly inspired.......As I was sitting in my chair, watching TV and letting my inspiration grow I realized watching all that exercise was making me HUNGRY! 
I made my way through not quite a whole box of those Samoas Molly dropped off by the time the informercial was over.....twelve to be exact...........I was curled up on my chair with the TV blarring Tony's Workout munching on Girl Scout Cookies- For some reason, after it was all over and I was bringing the remaining cookies back to the kitchen I noticed that I had left my caculator out on the table- Still feeling the inspiration of the workout I had just watched I flipped the box on it's side to read the calorie counter- 140 calories per 2 cookies times 6 (cause again, I ate 12)........I punched the numbers into my caculator....
I'm thinking Tony would not see the humor in the fact that I consumed over 800 calories while watching his program.......
As I made my way back to bed I could not help but waking Matt up and letting him know what I had just done- We had a good laugh and I slept like a baby :)
To all of my friends who are working out to p90x........YOU LOOK AMAZING AND I ADMIRE YOU!!

My friend Holly and I showing the many uses of Girl Scout Samoa Cookies! 
I love you lots HollyB