TeamDavis

musings on marriage, faith and life

Spring In The Air March 27, 2011

Filed under: around the house — hokiecaryn @ 8:58 pm

Cardinal in our cherry tree.

Lo! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.

Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.

The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.

Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me.

- Song of Solomon 2:11-13

Okay, first of all, I know that this passage of scripture is not just about the changing seasons of weather outside, but I do find it quite fitting experiencing our first true winter-to-spring transition in many years now that we are back “in the north.”  The rain isn’t quite gone yet, but spring is on the way.  Despite a wintry mix this weekend, and plummeting temperatures, in general we have been truly beckoned by the call of Spring outside our doors in the last couple of weeks.  It feels good for our souls to have this physical transition from winter to spring happen all around us, and we look forward with hope and anticipation of what’s to come.

Today had its own interest and beauty, although the damp cold temperatures were unwelcome. I snapped a few photos of the trees and plants in our yard that were beginning to bloom due to the warm temperatures and the spring showers.  The grass is greening up and the blossoms are bursting forth.  The birds are swarming our bird feeder and we’re noticing more varieties than we have seen this winter.  Our son is really enjoying all the activity, too, but he and I can hardly keep the feeder filled!

This is our first spring in the new house, and we are thankful for a pretty well landscaped yard, but know not what might come up where!  So the excitement for seeing what may bloom forth from each corner of the yard is an exciting adventure in itself.  We’ve done massive pruning to several shrubs and trees, hoping to encourage even more wonderful fruits and flowers this year.

Another Winter Passing

In many ways, I am noting that this Spring seems to be bringing a true passing of a different kind of winter in my life, and my family’s.  A year and a few months past my mother’s passing, and a year after beginning intensive counseling to recover from the difficulties and struggles of my past few years, I am feeling at a very different place (physically, spiritually, and emotionally).

In Florida, the skies were so big and open, you could see storms coming at their fast pace towards you.  Often you could not predict if they’d come directly over you or pass to the side, but you could watch it happen right before your eyes all the same. We watched the fronts of hurricanes come upon us, as the winds began to gust more strongly, and the circular wall of clouds that wrapped across the sky came with great foreboding.  But of course, many days in summer, great storms of dark ominous clouds, with their frightful fingers sticking down and their green cast, also came and swept up at a quick pace.

While I became somewhat used to these occurrences, and gradually less panicked at first sight of them, my heart always reacted, wondering what the seemingly “end times” caliber storm might bring.  Often the worst would pass just aside from you, and you could sit and watch the storm rage down on the next county over (or next neighborhood).  Anyway, with that imagery so engraved in my brain, the figurative storms that have passed over me in the recent past are palpable for me, and I can see them now in the distance behind me.  I was not left untouched by them, although I know that many of the fragments and scattered debris have been picked up, and many wounds have begun to heal. I have cleared them and come to the bright sky on the other side.  Not to say there are no potential storms ahead. But I am thankful at least for these to have past. Lo, the winter has past, and the spring beckons me forward into new life.

Literal New Life Ahead

Caryn entering the third trimester

We’re counting down to June for other reasons aside from weather since that is the due date for our baby girl. Entering the third trimester, I am starting to get more excited about the coming of this little gal. It has been much harder to think about it than the first since I have a busy time keeping up with our everyday life and our toddler!  It’s such an active and exciting stage for him, it hardly leaves me time for dreaming about little baby girl.  I think it’s now really sinking in about her being a girl and I’m starting to be really excited for that aspect of our new adventure.

We are starting to receive clothes here and there from folks handing them down, and for that I am excited and thankful. It’s quite a mysterious new world of girls baby clothes: leggings, dresses, skirts, and frills.  There sure is a LOT of pink, but I’m glad to bring it on.  I’m glad that a sort of eclectic style in girls clothes seem to be popular; I hope that will continue and give me some grace for learning how all these little mini-outfits work together!  Little girls’ world, here we come!

 

We have a daughter January 14, 2011

Filed under: family,Parenthood,pregnancy — Scott @ 11:39 pm

We hope to meet her around the middle of June!

 

Milestones December 14, 2010

Filed under: Uncategorized — hokiecaryn @ 8:09 pm

I am putting together Christmas cards and thought I’d share a bit here of looking back on the year of milestones that Josiah has passed.  In a brief summary, I recognized from reviewing our photo history of 2010, that we started the year celebrating Josiah’s ability to stack and his enthusiasm for walk behind a push toy.  He loved riding in his wagon and being outside.  After his first birthday, he took off walking down the hall. Now he’s running, jumping, climbing and rolling.  His desire to do things often outweighs his ability, but that continues to push him to learn and grow.

His vocabulary has increased dramatically; it’s amazing to have him express specific thoughts, wishes and feelings.

Of his growing vocabulary, his most frequent words seem to be: crash, wet, stuck, train, fall, uh-oh, oopsie, hot, tractor, truck, dump, bob (as in the builder), wet, ‘side (for outside), no, shoe (=going out) and ah-ha.  He sweetly says “thank you” more frequently, and he has also been praying at the table with us and ending with “a men.”  Just recently we’ve also come across him singing little sweet songs.  One common one is just a tune with “ma ma” and “daddy”.  But it’s sweet to hear his creativity translating into his language and music development.

He has taken to caring for some of his stuffed animals: feeding them, and introducing them to his favorite things.  He tried the same with my dad’s cat over Thanksgiving. It’s sweet to imagine how he will take part with our new child.

At some point over the year, the trucks and construction equipment switch was flipped; and more recently his obsession with trains flipped into high gear!

Josiah has consistently tried to be a big helper. The more physically able he is, the more he tries to do.  When we were preparing to move this past Spring, we often turned around to find him trying to lift heavy boxes and sometimes “packing” by putting stuff in boxes for us.  We still have him rush up to Scott when he’s carrying things; he will try to put at least a hand on whatever is being carried to offer his “help.”

He often tries to help me put dishes away; I’ve basically given him the “task” of taking the silverware and dumping them in the drawer; I just sort later.  He helps some with pulling laundry out of the drier and often tries to carry the basket!  The latest thing he tried to do was very surprising. He’s always been interested in helping sweep, and a couple times I have actually found him grab the dust pan and hand broom trying to sweep up things here and there un-requested. it’s quite amazing what they come up with on their own!

We look forward to more learning and growing ahead. It goes so quickly, sometimes it’s nice to reflect back and try to remember what we already miss!

 

Trains & Early Christmas November 28, 2010

Filed under: family,update — hokiecaryn @ 1:17 pm

We had an early Christmas over Thanksgiving with the Broadway family in Wilmington, NC. Josiah was eating up the attention from his grandaddy, Aunt Jenn and Uncle Chris.  He also quite enjoys the cat, although the cat still doesn’t quite reciprocate his affections.

We enjoyed the relief from the very cold temperatures. It was kind of fun to get to use some of the summery clothes I had in store for Josiah from our hand me downs. But he still liked wearing his hat!

Though Josiah was pretty active last Christmas, he had a whole new involvement with it this year. It was fun to have him be more aware and involved. Here he’s showing how serious he was about his gifts. He helped deliver them to each family member until he got too involved in playing with his new toys!

The kitchen pans were a hit for him. He’s been very into mimicking me in the kitchen again so I thought some pots and pans would be fun for him to feel like he was really cooking; and so I could get my pots and pans back!

The other hit for Josiah was taking him to a Christmas train exhibit in town. They had small model trains and larger ones all set up in a big room. He was in awe and so super excited.  Some switch has been turned on for him just recently and he is officially obsessed with trains.

It’s been fun to see him really get in to it, and it is fun to have things like this to take him to!

 

Schooling Dilemma, part 2 October 15, 2010

Filed under: books, music, media,culture,Education,faith,family — hokiecaryn @ 10:57 pm

We have been deeply pondering the topic of raising and educating our children for a number of years. One regular topic of conversation has been the idea of homeschooling our children, at least through their elementary school years. We’ve engaged in this conversation with certain friends, but in general it’s felt… unsafe… to discuss. Opinions and feelings vary widely. But, with trembling, we feel like we should start talking more openly about what we are learning — to gain insights from our friends, and to share the insights we have gained. Though what we write below may sound dogmatic, understand that it is written in a spirit of humility and friendship.  Ultimately, this decision comes down to each family’s personal conviction. — Scott & Caryn

We’ve often had discussions with friends about another question in the dilemma – is it right to abandon the government (public) schools? If the “good” people leave, will they just degrade more?  Is it our place to stay involved?  These are also hard questions to answer and I hear many people questioning this when they look at alternatives to public school.

In Schooling Dilemma, Part 1, we took a quick look at the question of homeschooling. Now let’s dig in a bit deeper together…

First, we consider the conversations with several neighbors and friends in different parts of the country questioning whether their children are even learning in school.  Even teacher friends attest that students acquire knowledge for standardized testing and waste a large chunk of their day in travel to school, administrative tasks (attendance, class changes) and dealing with misbehaving classmates.  Literacy rates are falling and schools are failing. This is not to knock teachers by the way. They are not always the problem.

It seems an interesting option to teach and train at home, have children more effectively learn and efficiently use their time; and then use the extra time to engage together in the community.  Choosing alternative school options does not withdraw students or parents from society at large.  We can engage in extracurricular activities which do overlap with the government school realm (or local city/county leagues), at public venues such as libraries and rec centers, at playgrounds and Chick-fil-a.  A book Caryn read recently even suggested that as tax paying citizens, you are able to enroll your children in certain classes/activities with the public school even if they are officially home schooled. And then of course later there are opportunities with community colleges, etc. We have many interesting options available today.

(more…)

 

Reuniting with old friends October 15, 2010

Filed under: adventures,update — hokiecaryn @ 11:27 am

I was thinking about autumn before it was here.  Not to over-romanticize it, but I thought about its arrival as the arrival of an old friend.  But I had a slight hesitation wondering whether I’d love it as much as I remembered.  As with an old friend you haven’t seen in a long time, you remember that you got along well, but many years have passed and you aren’t quite sure how you’ll get along as the “older and wiser” versions of yourselves.

Well, I have reconnected with both autumn and actual old friends and so far all experiences have been pleasant!  We are loving autumn, the beautiful change in color, the crisp fall mornings.  I’m even enjoying the days of temps from the 40s to the high 70s and having to remember to wear layers!

Since we moved back, we have already had the privilege of seeing several old friends.  Several of our friends live here in Blacksburg still, and some have swung back through for a visit.  Ironically, we moved to the land of Disney and everyone said, “Make sure you have room; people will all want to come visit you.”  Aside from a handful of visits including our parents, this was not very true for us.  But we moved back here, and in the first couple of weeks we were getting notice of friends coming through week after week.

Many of the friends we’ve been able to reconnect with, though we’ve been parted by miles and very different experiences, there is much common ground in our lives.  So we’ve been pleasantly surprised at how our “new selves” connect with each other, and we can appreciate our past relationships as well.

This past weekend, we reminisced and newly enjoyed our friends the Thorsons who were in town.  Distanced by several states, and then 1/4 of the globe for the last few years, we’re finally within a few hours drive of each other, and they were visiting Blacksburg for a wedding.  We had a very fun night talking at the good ole’ Macados restaurant here in Blacksburg.  While nothing seemed to have changed in that eclectically decorated restaurant, our conversation throughout the evening (mostly regarding parenting and children) has definitely changed.  But they were moments I will treasure along with memories of our old friendship.

The Thorsons left Sunday morning, and in the mood to embrace autumn again this past weekend, we forsook the house projects (and church in the traditional sense) and headed out to the Blue Ridge Parkway.  The drive out Route 8 is beautiful itself, and only sparsely populated.  The inviting town of Floyd was here and gone quickly and in about 10 more minutes we were to the familiar entrance to the Parkway.

We pulled off a few seconds later at the first of many scenic overlooks and enjoyed looking out over “The Saddle.”  We took in the view, chatted with other visitors, and Josiah walked along the rock wall several times.  Itching to stretch our legs, we took a path just off to the side up an incline to a small frame structure with a beautiful view.  We were surprised how daring Josiah was climbing around on the incline and the rocks, and he actually walked the way back down the trail, which was steep in places – like most trails it had many challenges of roots, rocks, and slippery spots.  But he was an amazing little trooper.

Then we drove a little further to Chateau Morrisette Winery.  They were having a bit of food and music starting soon, and we just wandered around, did some wine tasting and let Josiah walk all over.  He found a couple other toddlers to play with, running around in the grass, and the enjoyed the store at the winery.  Then it was time to pack up and head home for naps.

It was a lovely day.  I look forward to treasuring interaction with more old friends, including the beautiful places around this area that are part of what kept us in love with Southwest Virginia even after we left.

 

Autumn…ahhhh October 2, 2010

Filed under: family,News — hokiecaryn @ 3:50 pm

Loving Autumn. A long lost friend has returned into our lives, and I love it as much as I remember.  There are some challenges – raking, black walnuts barraging our house and yard, and trying to get us dressed in appropriate layers for the day.   I am still counting my blessings since it is our first in such a long time.  There are surely worse places to experience a real autumn. It has been crisp and beautiful here.  I had to cope, too, with a couple rainy days in a row. That’s new for me. I’m used to sudden changes in weather and return to hot and muggy soon after a shower has bludgeoned us (in Florida).  The clouds hang low, and the moisture sets in.  It may come down in rain, it may hang in the air in a mist.  But there are bright blue skies on other beautiful autumn days.

We are enjoying warm cups of tea, sweaters and comforters back on the bed.  Some day we’ll get our furance working and have central heat.  I turned it on the other day and apparently it wasn’t quite ready to be used, as it was making a horrible hammering noise and sounded like it was going to shake itself to pieces or blow the house up.  I realized later talking with Scott that there is probably a valve that was not opened. Hopefully the serviceman can help us with that this coming week!

Ah the excitement of a new home.

We just spent today out having a very fall festival kind of day at Sinkland Farms.  What a beautiful spot on Route 8 in Riner!  In the valley with rolling hills and higher mountains around this beautiful spot hosts a large pumpkin patch and festivities for the family to enjoy.  Josiah had a lot of fun. Of course being outside is always fun for him, and having some freedom to roam.  Although today he has been somewhat clingy. Scott just got back Wednesday from a 10 day trip and Josiah still doesn’t really trust him out of his sight. But he had a lot of fun.

We got to do a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch to pick our pumpkin and Josiah found a tiny one and held onto it for dear life. He also went “shopping” in the gourds, and just had fun poking around. Here are some of the pics from the day.

 

Reviving Ancient Methods: Apprenticeship August 19, 2010

Filed under: culture,Education,family — hokiecaryn @ 1:57 pm

Continuing to read Laura Brodie’s book, Love in a time of Homeschooling, I hit another trigger point for discussion.

Brodie recalls seeing a young man, Grant Colfax, as a guest of Johnny Carson.  Colfax was going off to Harvard, never having completed a year of formal school.  His parents would later become famous in the homeschooling world as the authors of Homeschooling for Excellence.  But this was the first Brodie had heard of anything like homeschooling.  Colfax had grown up on a remote homestead in Northern California. This author summed his experience: “Much of his education had been hands-on, helping his parents clear land and build a farm. He had learned biology while raising animals, geometry while constructing a house, and his discovery of Indian ruins on the family property had inspired him to study North American archaeology.”

Investigating Ancient Methods

Reading this made me recall part of another book I recently read called, Living at Nature’s Pace: Farming and the American Dream by Gene Logsdon, a friend of author Wendell Berry. Logsdon’s book is a collection of essays in response to the dying vision of farming in America, seeking a return to traditional farming methods and wondering at their success potential. (more…)

 

Schooling Dilemma, part 1 August 17, 2010

Filed under: culture,Education — hokiecaryn @ 2:42 pm
Tags: , ,

In the beginning stages of exploring options for our children and schooling, I went to the library recently with the intent to start collecting some resources.  I started a book called Love in a time of Homeschooling.  An English professor and mother of three, Laura Brodie shares her journey with her eldest daughter in deciding to take a sabbatical from school for one year to homeschool her. Brodie conveys herself an unlikely candidate for homeschooling.  But as she saw the crisis of her daughter’s experience in school, and the dilemma of the education system, she tries to take action as she can.  This book is the story of her year, what she tried, and her reflections. The take-away is not an answer to what’s the best way; Brodie admits she’s still seeking a remedy for her children, and knows that each one is so unique in their needs.  But it is interesting reading the chronicles of her decision, the year at home, and her experiences.

I’m not surprised by some of the insights from her research because I’ve been hearing similar things throughout the past few years about the state of the “public” education. (more…)

 

More on Grief, Loss & Sorrow August 14, 2010

Filed under: faith — hokiecaryn @ 12:50 am
Tags: , , ,

Wow, what an inviting topic for a post. I won’t be apologetic though.

Many smarter, wiser, and experienced people have gone before me in this journey of entering grief, loss and sorrow; for them I am thankful.  Beginning almost 10 years ago now, before experiencing (or recognizing and dealing with) my own grief, loss and sorrow, I tried entering into some authors and people’s lives on these topics.  It felt foreign to me until I was able to recognize my own journey in them, and connect with my own personal experiences.

Scott and I shared several posts around Easter of last year reflecting on difficult pain and suffering, and God: Haiti & Suffering, Dallas Willard on never tasting death, and reflections from women who have lost a child. Those are all good to revisit.

In the past, when someone was hurting  I would keep them at arm’s length, say “I’m sorry”, and then try to say something positive and move on.  I know how trite and unhelpful this was, but it was my initial response in my ignorance. Having journeyed deep into grief, loss and sorrow, I now have a little more understanding of why “they” encourage you to offer a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on and an open door to talk. And to offer silence, without answers. (more…)

 

On Grief, Loss and Sorrow August 13, 2010

Filed under: faith — hokiecaryn @ 3:51 am
Tags: , , , , ,

It’s the middle of the night. I’m awake and can’t get back to sleep.

Neither can my son apparently.

Instead of agonizing about not sleeping (since I’d already done this for about an hour) I got up to write. Tonight triggered me into deeper thinking on topics I have resisted recently. Topics that aren’t really pleasant to think about, feel, or share — sorrow, grief, loss.

I actually ran across a saved draft of a post that I never finished. Since I wrote the text below almost 3 years ago, hopefully it’s safe to share at this odd hour.

This was what I wrote to an email-group of parents dealing with grief that I was moderating at the time (another story). These parents shared in a common grief, and to be a part of their sharing together was awkward at first, but I found it most humbling and educating to be invited into their pain and their search for light in dark places. In the year of 2009, I had my own very dark places to trod.  Remembering my previous experience with others’ grief helped me tremendously. I’ll share what this group inspired me to pen almost 3 years ago as I tried to encourage them in their own grief journeys. (more…)

 

Are you a BOurgeois BOhemian June 27, 2010

Filed under: around the house,culture,family — hokiecaryn @ 12:37 pm
Tags: , , , , , ,

I ran across a reference to the term “Bobo” or “Bourgeois Bohemian” today. I feel like I’ve seen it before, but hadn’t quite figured out what it meant.  There are several statements and quotes throughout the article of different people defining the subculture; this one struck me.

Ad from Rich Hippie clothing store in TX.

It’s hard to miss them: The epitome of casual ‘geek chic’ and organised within the warranty of their Palm Pilots*, they sip labour-intensive café lattes, chat on sleek cellphones and ponder the road to enlightenment. In the US they worry about the environment as they drive their gas-guzzling sports utility vehicles to emporiums of haute design to buy a $50 titanium spatula; they think about their tech stocks as they explore specialty shops for Tibetan artefacts in Everest-worthy hiking boots. They think nothing of laying out $5 for a wheatgrass muff, much less $500 for some alternative rejuvenation at the day-spa – but don’t talk about raising their taxes.

(more…)

 

A Day in our New Life June 20, 2010

Filed under: adventures — hokiecaryn @ 1:07 pm

We’ve been pickin’

While we are back in the country of bluegrass music, we were not pickin’ tunes this weekend, but we were on Bluegrass Trail out at a blueberry picking farm!  Josiah and I had a good time picking snow peas the other day, so on Saturday all three of us took a beautiful drive out to Sinking Creek farm to collect blueberries.

The first time I picked blueberries was two years ago in Alaska.  We found bushes growing wild out in an Alaskan valley north of Anchorage and stopped to collect.  I was on watch for bears the entire time – if there are tasty ripe blueberries, there are likely hungry big bears around!

But this weekend our venue was the farm of two horticulture experts who teach at Virginia Tech.  The blueberry bushes were laid out along the slope of a hillside, with a beautiful view of a very typical Blue Ridge mountain scene.  It was a wonderful morning to be pickin.  We grazed along, trying to pick thoroughly, and listening to the conversations among the different groups of people out for the morning’s “work.”

Berry picking is a wonderful way to slow down, relax, and enjoy the morning in beautiful countryside. But it would be hard work if you are laboring for your job… I don’t think Scott and I would make any money since it took us over an hour to pick about 5 lbs of berries (Josiah picked and ate another 1/2 lb).  But for people looking for a nice outing and fresh berries, it was a casual and wonderful way to spend a bright summer morning — and the first day of summer at that!

I look forward to harvesting other crops at local farms, and hopefully some of our own in our newly planted veggie garden. If I can manage to keep the deer out of it, we will have nice tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers coming our way later this summer. We can hope anyway!

Dog Days of Summer

We also went to the Summer Solstice Fest in downtown Blacksburg. We  listened to our friend Jeanette’s steel drum band play on stage, and then watched the dog parade.  These weren’t just any dogs, they were dogs in costumes!  Josiah was a little tired by this point in the day, but I think he enjoyed his spot for the dogs walking right by, and he got a couple doggy kisses, which always make him giggle.

I can’t tell you what’s going on with this dog in the jacket, hairpiece, and soda can necklace, but it was too funny and had to be captured and shared with the world!

 

Hello, Virginia May 26, 2010

Filed under: adventures,update — hokiecaryn @ 9:29 pm

I always thought the “Virginia is for Lovers” slogan was a little silly; I guess it doesn’t seem as broad reaching in a lot of ways if you think of it as only a getaway for couples or something.  But I know that it can be much broader in the definition of lovers. I have been reminded these last two days that I am a lover of Virginia, especially the area of southwest Virginia where we have found ourselves once again. I am a lover of other people and things, and I can find many of those people, places, and experiences here in Virginia. So I guess it makes sense to me as we return.

The 2 hour plane trip from Florida left me a bit dissatisfied in the leaving process.  I was grateful to have a short trip where my toddler was confined less than 1/6th of the time that he would have been in the car. But there is something good about physically driving from sea to mountain through the states.  For that I have my husband’s experience as he called me along the way to live vicariously through.  It was also awkward to not share the actual move with my husband as he went ahead of us.  But I know many people have to move for jobs weeks or months before their families can join them. So I am thankful that our separation was only minor.

I find myself wondering slightly if the last 7 years was all a dream. How odd that feels. It of course was such a significant expanse of our lives, and yet, being back where I came from, something about it seems unreal.  My friend who did a similar move and return to the same place said she felt the same way sometimes, so maybe I’m not alone.

We have felt so cared for.  In the days before coming and the days after we arrived, our friends here have already stepped in like we never left and reached out a caring hand. There are no words to describe how wonderful that feels.  I feel unworthy, and question whether I have it in me to do the same.  I am still so exhausted and feel it will take me a while of recovery to get back to “normal” still, although it feels less far away than it did in December.  I have to just accept where I am, what I can not be right now, and accept the love and friendship that we have without doubting my own worthiness.

Thank you friends for your care.

In December, I made a desperate call for help to a counselor and began a fast-paced journey through some of the baggage and wounding I have experienced. I sensed the cloud beginning to lift, and interestingly that’s when I finally realized how far I’d gone and how much I wanted out of the darkness.  The small bit of light gave me hope that there was more, and made me realize how dark the darkness truly was; the clouds heavy and thick.  The irony in this is I left the “Sunshine state” to come back to a place that has many more cloudy days.  But I am praying and hoping that this radical change for us will be sunnier in the long run.

I felt ushered out, released to move on.  In the last couple of weeks, I was certainly sad as I said good-byes to dear friends who have walked alongside us through many adventures and misadventures, if you will.  Dear friends who we do miss.  I had slight moments of questioning and doubt; is this the right move? Should we really do this and leave this known quantity behind?

But in the last couple of days, especially after Scott was on the road, I was anxious to get out.  Though thankful for friend support in the final days, and my dad’s company through it, I was done and ready to go.

As Josiah and I took off from the tarmac in Sanford Airport, I had a flood of memories and thoughts about the last few years. I waved at the last palm trees I might see for a while, and to a paradise that so many people seek out.  I said good bye and joined the other millions of people who would now consider Florida as a destination, not a home.  As we flew into Blacksburg, we left the sun and blue sky and descended into a thick blanket of cloud and fog cover.  To some, it may have felt depressing, to me, the experience felt warm and cozy and familiar.  As I saw the shape of Mill Mountain, and the other peaks around the city of Roanoke, I was anxious to set my feet in my new homeland.  The flight attendant on the loud speaker said the line about if this was your final destination, that she hoped we enjoyed our stay, or whatever it is they say.  And it is.  For some unknown amount of time, I will re-adjust my heart and head to embrace SW Virginia, Blacksburg area as my final destination until further notice.

I wait expectantly and hopefully to what that might mean.

The first evening, after unloading some of our things, and eating a tasty friend-brought meal, we took a stroll with Josiah through the neighborhood where we are staying.  We visited with a couple of friends along the way, we watched tee-ball practice, and horseshoes, and sat in peace … and soft grass!  Scott and I looked at each other and said we could get used to this.  I know that busyness will find us.  I know it may be other circumstances and events that make us stop and smell the roses.  But I hope we have at least a season here where we can enjoy the little things about our new lives.

 

So Long Sunshine State April 17, 2010

Filed under: Uncategorized — hokiecaryn @ 9:16 pm

The past few months have been somewhat of a whirlwind. By December of 2009, after an arduous year, we came to a decision point and felt the pull towards a job change for Scott and possibly a move. Scott pursued some contacts back in his engineering firm where he had worked previously, and it turned out the doors flung wide open for an opportunity at the same company, new project back in Southwest Virginia.

We hadn’t necessarily been planning to move back there, but God has seemed to be very much in the details in this opportunity and we feel that we can’t deny that the path has opened wide for us. We look forward expectantly to what He has for our family there.

Separation has happened a bit more quickly from Orlando than we expected for circumstances mostly out of our control. Maybe it is grace that will make the whole process more gradual and natural coming off a very emotional year.

We plan to move by the end of May, which interestingly marks our 7 year anniversary of moving here.

Scott has already started working for the company from here, and is really loving the job. I am thankful that he is really flourishing at the change has already been so good. We are all looking forward to the change in many ways. Although there of course is sadness in leaving this area and the friends we’ve had for several years now.

We appreciate our friends here who have made our years in Orlando so meaningful. To our friends in Virginia, we hope we might have more occasion to cross paths with you. If you are Hokie fans, please give us a shout out if you are back in town for the games!

I know the next few weeks will go quickly. We’ll send out new contact info when we have it.

Farewell Sunshine State! Look for more details to come hopefully!

 

Unashamed March 18, 2010

Filed under: faith — Scott @ 9:10 am

A wonderful quote was brought to my attention by The City, a journal published by Houston Baptist University. You can read the latest issue of The City in online form, and even subscribe to the print journal for free. It really is a very good Christian journal, and available for free to anyone. I highly recommend it.

Anyway, here is the quote from Gennadius, who died ca. 496.

Those who objected to the Christian gospel ridiculed it, mocking it because of its absurdity. For there is nothing more ridiculous than the word of someone who preaches that the Son of God was born and brought up by Jews, who rejects neither the cross nor death, who says moreover not only that Christ rose from the dead but that he ascended to heaven as Lord of all, that he will raise everyone else from the dead, and other things the apostles preached. The pagans mocked these things and ridiculed them, thinking that they would make the apostles shut up. Therefore Saint Paul, feeling obliged to reply to this opinion of the apostles, began his teaching thus: I am not ashamed of the gospel.

- Gennadius of Constantinople, Sermons

Though the gospel is utter foolishness to the nations (1 Corinthians 1:23), it is in fact the wisdom and the power of God. May we too be unashamed.

 

Family Portrait January 26, 2010

Filed under: family,update — hokiecaryn @ 9:11 pm
Tags: , ,

Well, it’s been a while since we’ve posted anything about our family.  2009 was quite a year for us; not all positive, but not all negative either.  Needless to say, we are happy to move into 2010, hopeful for what the new decade holds for this Davis family.  I thought I’d at least share a family photo from the grandparents’ house at Christmas.  I’m trying to convert Josiah to be a fan of moose like I am, so I found some CUTE fleece pjs for the holiday cold nights for him. Anyway, this is us.

Happy New Year and New Decade to you and yours!  More updates to come soon.

 

Haiti – a miracle in the midst of horror January 22, 2010

Filed under: News — Scott @ 12:13 am
Tags: ,

A husband finds his wife in a fallen building. You probably don’t want to watch this alone. It’s beautiful, but trust me, you will sob.

 

Haiti, Suffering, and God January 15, 2010

Filed under: Uncategorized — Scott @ 9:58 am

Much has been said and written in the last few days about the devastation in Haiti. My heart has been deeply moved by the horrific pictures and stories coming out. What are we to think about these things?

The best response I have seen is an article which was originally written in response to the tsunami in Thailand several years ago. The entire article in helpful and well-written. Here’s the conclusion at the end, but you really should read the whole thing.

Tsunmi and Theodicy
David B. Hart
First Things, March 2005

I do not believe we Christians are obliged—or even allowed—to look upon the devastation visited upon the coasts of the Indian Ocean and to console ourselves with vacuous cant about the mysterious course taken by God’s goodness in this world, or to assure others that some ultimate meaning or purpose resides in so much misery. Ours is, after all, a religion of salvation; our faith is in a God who has come to rescue His creation from the absurdity of sin and the emptiness of death, and so we are permitted to hate these things with a perfect hatred. For while Christ takes the suffering of his creatures up into his own, it is not because he or they had need of suffering, but because he would not abandon his creatures to the grave. And while we know that the victory over evil and death has been won, we know also that it is a victory yet to come, and that creation therefore, as Paul says, groans in expectation of the glory that will one day be revealed. Until then, the world remains a place of struggle between light and darkness, truth and falsehood, life and death; and, in such a world, our portion is charity.

As for comfort, when we seek it, I can imagine none greater than the happy knowledge that when I see the death of a child I do not see the face of God, but the face of His enemy. It is not a faith that would necessarily satisfy Ivan Karamazov, but neither is it one that his arguments can defeat: for it has set us free from optimism, and taught us hope instead. We can rejoice that we are saved not through the immanent mechanisms of history and nature, but by grace; that God will not unite all of history’s many strands in one great synthesis, but will judge much of history false and damnable; that He will not simply reveal the sublime logic of fallen nature, but will strike off the fetters in which creation languishes; and that, rather than showing us how the tears of a small girl suffering in the dark were necessary for the building of the Kingdom, He will instead raise her up and wipe away all tears from her eyes—and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor any more pain, for the former things will have passed away, and He that sits upon the throne will say, “Behold, I make all things new.”

Read the whole thing…

 

Mommy Favorites January 7, 2010

Filed under: around the house,family,Product Review — hokiecaryn @ 10:08 pm
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As we are already approaching 11 months with our first child, I thought I would write a post about my “mommy favorites” — things that I found to be essential in helping us survive the first little one.  [I may add more and add photos later!]

I start by acknowledging my situation and preferences are potentially very different from the next mommy.  We are frugal and in a fairly small house, living on one income.  We had a son who was colicky for 3 months, never really enjoyed tummy time until he was ready to start inching around, and is just his own baby — every baby is so different in many ways!

We had plenty of preconceived notions, fears, and exciting wonderful things we looked forward to.  We had some definite and some pseudo opinions; many of those have changed drastically since we had our baby!

I’m going to include here some of my favorite things from our experience.  I hope that it might help someone out there.  I had several great moms send me their short list and I found it helpful.  I haven’t really included toys. That’s a whole other post! (more…)

 

 
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