Year in Review-April 2017

 April 2017

I didn't realize we did so much and took so many pictures in April until I was ready to make this post!

Lamb 3 was so proud of the cake he made for his 9th birthday.

He received a Lego house that could change seasons. He was very excited to put the basketball hoop outside the house. He spent a lot of time trying to figure out which pieces would be used to make different seasons such as pieces that made a fireplace for winter made a grill for a summer barbecue before he opened the box.

We celebrated at my parents' house. He wanted green candles for his cake.

My last Lamb in his last year to wear the number shirts. I have such fond memories of  the Lambs wearing these.

Here the birthday Legos are put together until he decides to change it to the next season!

His life size skeleton puzzle was much smaller than him and too easy for him to put together.

Lamb 3 spent some of his birthday money on a Spiderman glove with silly string.  He had fun for a couple of days.

Photo Credit: Steve Blakey
Lamb 1 was an acolyte for the first time for the beautiful Easter Vigil service.

The ladies wore Easter bonnets and Easter was a joyous day at our church.

My mom hosted us for dinner on Easter. I was so full from Easter breakfast at church, that I wished we would have celebrated at my parents the next day. After the owl relish tray, she attempted a Easter bunny relish tray.

Lamb 2 and 3 dyed eggs, but Lamb 1 thought he was too old to dye eggs.

Lamb 2 continued and enjoyed his gymnastics session.

I worked the Vera Bradley outlet sale in 2003. I tried to work the sale this year, but it was much more complicated to be hired than when I worked. It ended up we had a lot going on that week and I was glad I didn't work the sale and miss activities at church and with our family. I did go on the "free" day along with a few other customers! I didn't spend that much money, but got some nice gifts. I may try to go every few years, but definitely won't fight the crowds to shop every year even though this is in Fort Wayne. This photo is when I was in the middle of the line to pay!

My sister made her godsons a Jeopardy game with answers from the small catechism in honor of Lamb 1's upcoming confirmation. We played some of the game with my dad, but it was taking too long and we never finished that game. Maybe next time my sister visits?

The last Saturday in April was a very full day. First Lamb 1 had confirmation questioning. He did very well.

Then my mom's church hosted an apron party for ladies. I attended as my mom's guest. They had these cute homemade decorations with the schedule of the day's events. My mom was one of the hostesses and her table had old mixing bowls with cookie cutters etc. as centerpieces.

I had taken many of my aprons from my collection to my mom to display at the party. Everyone brought one apron to tell about to the party. It was so much fun to hear about other aprons. After the party I discovered another box of my aprons as we get settled after moving. Oh well, at least I found some before the party!

My mom's apron is made out of a feed sack, mine is from Beatrix Potter's childhood home.

With the apron that my grandma gave me when I was about 10 years old. It was used as at a wedding reception for the ladies that served cake.

My mom with the apron that she made in home economics class in high school. She eventually became a home economics teacher. She wore this apron for many years early in her marriage and it is worn out. I am so glad she kept it even during her downsizing a few years ago.
I made a photo book of the apron party as a gift for my mom. She has had fun showing it to friends.

After the apron party, we went to an out of town basketball game for Lamb 1. 

Lamb 2 and 3 had to go along to Lamb 1's basketball games. Here they are standing on some famous basketball player's footprints. I don't know who it is, but some pro player from Indiana. It got to be too many games so usually Lamb 2 and 3 went to my mom's during games when Ram had class.

The Lutheran high school started a middle school team to try to build the boys skills before high school. Lamb 1 was on the 7th grade team. They learned a lot, had a lot of fun, but lost early in the tournament. I liked that all the Lutheran schools were involved in one team for boys that were really interested in basketball.

Photo Credit: Steve Blakey
Our Synodical president, Rev. Matthew Harrison was supposed to preach at our church in April in honor of our 125th anniversary. He was unable to come due to a family emergency. Our district president, Rev. Jamison Hardy, preached that day. The seminarian that assisted that day, Winston Grieser, was in 4th grade at the school that I taught at when I began teaching. Bishop Hardy was a student at CUW when I was in college. When our church photographer posted this picture with Winston on the left; Rev. Hardy preaching; and my family in the front row; I just had to laugh at how the small LCMS world collides years later. That was a very fun day with lots of friends. We are very blessed that we are able to be back in Fort Wayne and attend our church.

I entered Katie Schuermann's pie contest in April.

My sister and I are 7 years apart and ever since she was born we have been competing with each other. She was on the launch team for Katie's new book, The Harvest Raise, so she received a e-copy around the time that I was competing to try to win a t-shirt. She bragged a lot, but wasn't allowed to talk about the book with me until it was released. 

All mixed up

We moved back to my hometown that I moved to when I was in high school and my parents still live in. It is becoming very clear to me that being gone for 13 years really changes things. Here are a few examples:

• The other night we got gas at a gas station that used to be a Wendy's. During marching band season in high school we would walk down there after school and get something to eat before practice.
• The ice cream store that was another place to meet when I was single and then when I was a newlywed is out of business.
• I am loving shopping at a grocery store that is in the former Borders. That was where I ordered items for my classroom before Amazon. That was where I met friends for a cup of tea when I was single and when Ram and I were newlyweds.  This grocery store has great sales and a great bulk section, but no cafe.
• When I was in high school our school football team rarely won games. Being in band, the halftime show was the most important so I rarely watched the game. But the other night when we were winning, watching the game was exciting! Our team has a good chance of going to state this year.
• Our rental house is not too far from the house I grew up in, a little farther from where I bought a house when I was single, and even farther from my parents new house. Some places in the area we go to take much longer than I am used to and other places we go just take a few minutes to get there from our rental house. I have to adjust my thinking how long it will take to get to everywhere.
• No matter which church we visited in the area, I ran into parents of my former students. I will always remember them as first and second graders, but my last class is now juniors in college and many of the older students are married and have started families.
• The school that I taught at closed by the Lutheran church and recombined with two other Lutheran schools at a different location. This makes me so sad that they can't go next door to the church for daily chapel like we did.
• The library branches were always good here and the new downtown library is awesome now. My boys have gone to a couple of programs at the downtown library and are looking forward to more programs. 
• Our calendar no longer is just for the 5 of us, but my parents are added to the calendar-all for when they can babysit for us, need a ride to something, or want us to come over for a visit/help with a few tasks around the house. I love that we are in the same town to be able to do this.

So it is not all bad changes, it just takes some readjusting in my thinking!

Indiana vacation continued

May 30: I took Ram to the airport so he could go home and not miss too much work.
My dad invited us to be his guests to the zoo, Thrivent paid our admission fee and served lunch too. While we were eating lunch in the pavilion it started to rain. The Lambs ran out in the rain as they didn't want to miss it. We told them they were no longer in ID and it would probably rain all day, not just 10 minutes. I pushed my dad in a wheelchair around the zoo. We didn't see everything because of the rain, but we enjoyed our visit.

May 31: It was raining when we attended church at Zion. I taught at Zion. We didn't know very many people any more, but it was great to see those we did know. The Lambs enjoyed seeing the new organ console and talking to the organist about it.
I decided since it was a rainy day it would be a great time to tackle the attic. The Lambs and I were able to get everything down from the attic and into the garage. My dad had several church banners stored up there. There were some items that neither my dad or mom recognized and thought that perhaps it was up there from the previous owner.
When we were almost done in the attic I sent the Lambs for showers. Soon Lamb 2 came downstairs screaming that he needed help with the shower. Neither my dad or I could get the shower to turn off. This was in the guest bathroom that was rarely used any more. We made an emergency call to the plumber and he was able to get it off temporarily but we were unable to use water until the plumber returned the next day and fixed the shower permanently. All the Lambs had taken a shower, but I had not and I was in the attic the longest. So we drove across town to one of my mom's friend's house so I could take a shower and a short visit with her. I treated everyone to Culver's for supper after all that. Now we knew another reason why my parents need to move-their house is old and they continually need to fix stuff. My mom felt so bad that we had worked so hard in the attic and then I couldn't even take a shower.

June 1: Today the plumber came and fixed the shower. We all worked together to help my dad in his office. For several years he had some cabinets and file cabinets in front of the fireplace. He decided to clean out all that and move what he wanted to keep to the garage organized nicely. We put a cabinet out for free and some neighbors took it and offered to help us lift furniture if we needed help and also take more free stuff if we had more to offer. Just before lunch my mom somehow got a splinter in her finger. She still isn't sure what happened as she wasn't working with wood. I encouraged her to get a nurse to take it out, especially since we didn't know if it was wood or metal or what. While she was getting that done, I wasn't sure where a couple of things were in her pantry so I took the Lambs to the grocery for a few more items for lunch.
After lunch I took the Lambs to great store that is like Oriental Trading but in a building so you don't have to pay shipping. The Lambs had some souvenir $ burning a hole in their pocket and this place was much cheaper than buying souvenirs in a gift shop.
I mowed the front lawn for my parents but it was really too wet to mow so saved the back lawn for another day.
I went to bed early after all the activity of the past few days.

To be continued...

10 Years

The blog world and e-mails recently for me have been full of 9/11 anniversary news. I suppose if I had TV or did Facebook I would have heard even more of it. When the e-mails first started coming in my first reaction was "It's ONLY been 10 years. Why isn't all this focus on a BIG anniversary like Pearl Harbor?"
Then as the 9/11 info kept coming in I changed my thinking a little. 10 years ago:

Ram and I were not married. We were engaged but there were still a lot of details for the wedding to work out. We had no children.
Ram was on vicarage and I was teaching.
I lived by myself in an 800 square foot house in Fort Wayne.
Ram's younger brother was still alive.
Both of my grandmas, all 4 of Ram's grandparents, and several of our great-aunts and great-uncles were still with us.
I owned a Saturn.
My computer had dial up AOL.
I owned a TV without cable (3 free stations) and a VCR.

So I guess a lot happens in just 10 years. I still didn't pay a lot of attention to the 9/11 anniversary news. Yesterday I received a link to this site from Cate. When I watched that it brought back these memories and tears-

I was finishing up getting ready for the students to come for another day of school. One of my students came in with her dad a few minutes before class. The headmaster came and got all of us (student, her dad, me) and said we had to watch what was on TV. The news kept replaying the damage to the first tower. My sheltered American view first reaction was that it was pilot error, not terrorism. The headmaster quickly broke my naive view. It was time for class to begin so I rushed to my classroom unsure of what to say to my students. I had to say something because the one student had watched the news with me. I tried to say a prayer with my students. It was so difficult to remain focused on teaching and calm around my students. I had very little information at that point nor did I know how to talk about this with 1st graders. I heard about it right before school started so the teachers did not have time to plan together what to say to our students.
We had daily chapel so it was good to have that first thing in the morning. On the way out of chapel the pastor stopped me to talk about our wedding that we had planned a few months later. Without going into all the details, after that conversation I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get married at the church I wanted to get married at. So I had two huge burdens that day while I taught. I didn't have recess duty that morning so I went over to the cafeteria and watched news for the whole recess and saw Bush speak from Florida.The end of the day we rushed to get a note to the students that there would be a prayer service that night at our church.
There was panic over gas rationing and I spent a couple of hours waiting in line to get gas. I tried to grade papers and use the time wisely but I just wanted to listen to the news.
The prayer service was wonderful that evening. We sang some patriotic hymns that I didn't even know were in our hymnal. It was amazing how word had spread through our congregation that there was a service and how many of our members and their friends came that evening. Everyone stopped what they were doing to come together in prayer that evening.
After the service I talked to my parents about the wedding problem and cried at the thought that we might have to change our wedding date or place that we get married.
I stopped at Walgreens and bought some newspapers to have a paper memory of that day.
After all that I finally was able to call Ram. We talked for hours about the wedding problem, about how his dad traveled for work often and how nervous our family was going to be when he was able to fly again, about Ram's younger brother was in the hospital and how was his mom going to get home after visiting him, about how Ram had plans to fly to a wedding a few weeks later, and what had happened to us during the day. We ended our phone calls with Compline and it was so good to finish our phone call that way after that terrible day.
It's a blur to me what happened the next few days. I remember the wedding problem being totally cleared up the next day and we were able to be married on the date we planned at the church we planned. I remember Bush speaking to America but not sure if I watched it live or when it was replayed the next day or if I taped it. I really did not watch very much news coverage as I was either at school teaching or on the phone with Ram most of the next few days. By the weekend when I had time to watch it I had had enough of seeing the same photos over and over.

One part that I don't know how to explain to children that were too young to remember or not born yet like the Lambs is this was not a one day event. This was on the minds of Americans for months. It was in the back of our mind when we were married 3 1/2 months later-it was a real fear that all of Ram's family, some of my family, and several of our friends were going to be flying to our wedding. I remember real relief meeting Ram's parents at the airport a few days before our wedding. Our best man almost didn't make it to our wedding because of new regulations and he was flying from Canada to our wedding. My dad ended up driving to Chicago to pick him up a few days before our wedding so that he could be there. I know that 10 years later this story is not over, but especially the whole next year everyone had a true fear in the back of their mind continuously.

We spoke to the Lambs about this a little bit this week. Lamb 1 is older than the students in my classroom but since it was 10 years ago I did not share as much with him as I did with my first grade students then. I have a new sympathy for the parents of my first graders then-how do you explain this without giving them a total panic? Those first graders have almost graduated from high school now.

I am thankful that the 10th anniversary is on a Sunday so we can spend some time together in prayer. Our church is not doing anything special besides having a special bulletin cover and prayers and singing some patriotic hymns. But that is enough as it is on all of our hearts and minds today any way. I'm sure today's church service will bring back memories for me of that prayer service in the evening 10 years ago.

Congratulations, Dr. Larry Rast!

I didn't watch it live, but I did watch the video of the announcement of the new CTS president. (If you did not see it, check out the Witness, Mercy, Life Together blog on my sidebar.) Here's my "It's a small LCMS world" story.
I never got the whole story before my grandma died, but my mom's family and the Rast family go back awhile with LCMS roots. My grandma had an autograph book where Dr. Rast's father had signed it as a child. Dr. Rast's children thought that was pretty neat to see.
My senior year of college our wind ensemble went on tour and one of the churches we went to was Rev. Rast's church where he was a pastor before he came to the seminary.
My first year of teaching, Dr. Rast's oldest son, who is also named Lawrence, was in my class. It was the first year Dr. Rast was at the seminary. To say my first year of teaching was challenging is an understatement. I had neighborhood kids that had never heard any Bible stories before they came to our school and then Seminary professor and other pastor's children. We made it through that year together. It's hard for me to believe that Lawrence is graduating from college soon-I'll always think of him as a second grader!
The list of candidates for the next CTS president was a great list. I would have been happy with any of the candidates. But I think Ram and I know Dr. Rast a little better than any of the other candidates. We are thrilled that he was chosen.
I taught Rev. Harrison's (LCMS Synodical president) oldest son, Dr. Rast's oldest son, and Deaconess Nielsen's (works for CPH especially with the Sunday School materials) oldest daughter. Now I'm curious who else I had in my small classes at Zion Lutheran Academy that will have parents elected to do work for the LCMS.
It was before the age of internet announcements, but I remember when Dr. Wenthe was elected as CTS president. I remember all the talk a few years after he began of what a good president he was. After that we took it for granted that he was CTS president and doing a good job. I pray that Dr. Rast can fill Dr. Wenthe's job and continue the mission of CTS.

Fall Vacation Day 8 (September 12)

I do have a little more to blog about the LCMS installation service, but I wanted to go on about our vacation. Ram was at home on September 12. He was back to work as a pastor leading 3 services on Sunday morning.
We went to Zion Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne to church. Many of our friends had gone to the installation service and were not back at church on Sunday morning. At least I saw them at the installation service. We saw a few friends that were not able to go to the installation service so I was glad to see them at church on Sunday morning. After church we visited for a little while but I was with the Lambs alone and they were very anxious to do something, not just stand around listening to Mama talk.
So I took the Lambs on a tour of the school where I taught. It was a good time because it was unlocked for Sunday School. A few years ago Zion combined with Unity and Bethlehem and they no longer have classes in the building next to the church. The building is up for sale or lease but so far nothing has happened. It was strange to go through the school-it looked like summer, not September. The classrooms were all pretty much the same as when I taught there. There were many student and one teacher desks in each classroom. There just weren't decorated bulletin boards or other personal items in the classrooms. Even the library looked pretty similar to when I taught there-it looked like they took some books to the new school but the majority were still on the shelves in the library. If they do sell or lease the building they are going to have a lot of work to clean out years worth of school items. Perhaps they will sell most of it with the building or have an auction. I don't know. The tour took a lot of explaining to the Lambs since they are homeschooled-I had to explain what a typical school day was like, where we ate lunch, where recess was, what the gym was for, etc. I can only imagine how difficult the last days of school in that building were for the teachers. It was bittersweet to tour the building-yes that time of my life is done teaching in that school building, but I have lots of good memories there. Even just walking up the several steps and going straight to my classroom like I did for 6 1/2 years for countless times brought memories. Stepping into my classroom made even more memories. I understand times change and the building was very old and expensive to heat and no A/C. I also think of the hundreds of students that were taught in that building-many of them for 8 or 9 years.
I have lots of photos of my students (especially group shots of the whole class), but I had very few photos of the church and school. I also taught before I owned a digital camera. I wish I would have taken more photos of my classroom and the school while I taught there. I did snap a few photos on September 12, but the Lambs wanted to explore the whole building and I couldn't stop and take too many photos or who knows what they would have gotten into unsupervised. Here's the photos that I took-

This stained glass window was at the main entrance of the school between the secretary and headmaster's offices, above the steps where the students waited for their rides each day at the end of school. I think I remember that it was installed while I taught there, but I don't remember that for sure. I liked that your attention was focused up there.

This was the gym. We sat in these old chairs with not enough leg room for someone tall like me to watch basketball games and watch plays. My favorite memories here were every year on the last day of school before Christmas break each class performed something for the rest of the school.  The other side of the gym had a big stage where we tried to have a play or musical each year. The gym was on the 3rd floor, my classroom was on the second floor, and other classrooms were on the first floor (basement). Sometimes it was quite loud to be teaching right under the gym.

This plaque was before they became Zion Lutheran Academy. It was in the entrance.

A view of the side of the church. A few years ago they added a beautiful addition with restrooms, offices, nice area for fellowship after church, kitchen and big meeting room, etc.

After the tour then we stopped over at Bethany Lutheran Church where Ram did his field work to see if we knew anyone. Most of the people we knew did not stay for Bible class that day. I was still glad we stopped by to see the pastor and show the Lambs where Ram was a field worker.

Then we ate a fast lunch and got ready to go over to see some of my high school friends. Mike and Katrina have one girl and one boy that are both a little older than Lamb 1. We also invited our friend Chellie from high school. The combined children at Mike and Katrina's house from the 3 families were 8 boys and 1 girl. Katrina was really brave to invite ALL of us to her house. We had planned to go to a splash pad but it was too cold. Mike grilled out brats, Chellie and I brought a few things to add to the menu, and we had a nice meal. Mike and Katrina have 3 big dogs. They were very understanding that Lamb 1 was afraid. They did a great job keeping the dogs in their kennels for most of the time we were there, warning Lamb 1 when they were going to let the dogs go outside for a little bit so the Lambs could come inside, and warning the Lambs when the dogs would come back inside. The dogs were very well trained. The adults spent most of the afternoon there just chatting and eating. The Lambs played outside most of the time we were there or came and sat by me. The other kids did a combination of playing video games in the basement and playing outside.

Lamb 3 was exhausted after the trip to Saint Louis. Mike was excited when Lamb 3 fell asleep and he could have a chance to hold a "baby". It had been a few years since he held his own children while they slept! Mike's allergies were bad that day so he was a little "drugged up" in this photo. Lamb 3 missed Ram already the first day apart and he wouldn't admit it, but I think he liked another dad holding him. If you would have told me 20 years ago that I would have a photo like this I would have thought you were crazy-both that Mike would be holding one of my children and that I would have 3 boys!

Chellie, Katrina, Ewe
Chellie and Katrina were a year ahead of me in school, but I'm still taller! Sorry for the bad photo-this is the only one where no children were coming in or out of the front door behind us. We did briefly discuss that they will have their 20th class reunion next spring, but I get to wait another year before it is my 20th! All 3 of us look very similar to what we looked like in high school-you wouldn't know that we are moms of 9 children all together nor that it has been almost 20 years!

The Lambs had a great time even though they were scared to go because of the dogs. They had an area in the front yard just for digging in the dirt with shovels and dump trucks. The Lambs loved this and didn't want to go home when it was time. When we went home the first thing was to give them baths! We wished that Ram could have been with us but we had a fun day.