Porch Stories

Stories from the Porch in June

June 26, 2019 by Kristin 7 Comments

I’m going to live in denial that the summer – and the year! – is halfway over. Somebody posted yesterday we were six months from Christmas, so I think I’m going to ignore that countdown for now too. Goodness, I love this time of the year and I want to soak it in. For me, part of soaking it in is remembering what has happened, so that’s what’s happening here. Thanks for joining me on the porch.

Highlights

We started the month with a trip. I know, that’s a nutty plan given how our May was, but I gave Greg tickets to the Cardinals versus Cubs baseball game in St. Louis way back in April before my life turned extra crazy. So we spent two days in St. Louis, and it was really fun. We ate at Fitz’s, where they also bottle delicious soda. We went to the first half of the game that then included a 3 1/2-hour rain delay that sent us back to the hotel and into bed. The next day we went to Grant’s Farm for the first time and really enjoyed it. We ended the weekend by eating at the Boathouse at Forest Park, another favorite STL restaurant.

We were happy to return home and have a stretch of “normal” days that involved inviting friends over to swim, exploring our creeks and land, and being together without an agenda. (I’m also a little obsessed with that field of amber waves of grain in the picture above that we happened upon!)

My sister, Cassie, know lives just four hours away. Considering for the majority of her adulthood and marriage, she’s lived across the world in New Zealand, a dozen hours away in Dallas, and about 11 hours away in Buffalo, NY, I’ll take four hours! She moved to Bloomington, Indiana, this month with her husband and their three kids and after a couple of weeks decided to capitalize on our closeness. She and her kids (and our mom) came to visit and swim. I love watching our kids be together and I love being grownup sisters.

Then last weekend five of my favorite writer friends gathered at my lake house for a retreat. It didn’t really end up feeling like a retreat.

We all came with ideas and disappointments and full schedules and emotions. People had trouble getting here and one of us from the usual group couldn’t be here. We moved locations because my lake house was without power for 18 hours.

But we laughed (and cried), ate several meals together, brainstormed and encouraged one another to work on new projects, watched two movies, and are thankful our usual Voxer conversations came to life around tables and in living rooms. God sure has been teaching me this year about surrendering expectations and holding plans loosely, and I’m thankful to have these friends alongside me – even fro our scattered physical locations for the most of the year.

Favorite Things

Writers’ Retreat – While it didn’t feel like much of a retreat, I’m glad we did it. I call it a writers’ retreat, but it’s about so much more than that. We do talk about our writing – whether that’s actually blogging, book writing, podcasting, or creating products. But we also talk about our ministries and motherhood and marriage and all sorts of other things that don’t have to begin with M. At our retreat, each of us brought our favorite things for each other, so that was fun to share.

And, yes, here are links to all their websites: Mary Carver. Anna Rendell. Amanda Conquers. Kayse Pratt from Anchored Women. Erika Dawson from Faithful Moms. Christen Price.

Yes to Cucumbers Face Wipes – I included these in my gifts to my friends. And I use them every day, usually on my face but also sometimes on my feet.

Burt’s Bees lip balm – I especially like the coconut & pair and mango flavors, but I bought an assorted pack to share with my friends.

(I’m sharing a favorite Summer Not-To-Do List and playlist to my email #PorchStories friends, so be sure you’re signed up. If you’re not already, you can join in the fun here.)

From the bookshelf

“Only Ever Her” by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen – I really loved how this story was told from how it affected different characters. There were lots of relationships and connections intertwined with the suspense of what happened. This was one I didn’t want to put down.

“It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover – It’s been a while since I read a whole book in a day, but that’s what happened with this one. The characters are dealing with lots of heavy subjects, such as abuse, heartbreak, and death, but the writing also includes some sweet, funny details.

“The Middle Matters: Why That (Extra)Ordinary Life Looks Really Good On You” by Lisa-Jo Baker – I actually read this one in my crazy May days, but I wrote a review and shared about the fun preorder bonuses this month, so I wanted to make sure y’all knew about it before it officially releases July 23.

“Britfield & the Lost Crown” by C.R. Stewart – Cate reviewed this adventure book for elementary and middle school readers on the blog this month. She has read it multiple times, so be sure to check out her review if the kids in your life are looking for a book recommendation. It’s the first in what’s expected to be a series. My girl is ready for the next one, that’s for sure!

Stay tuned because on Friday I’ll have a complete list of all the books I’ve read so far this year with links to any reviews I’ve written. Of course, here are some tips on how I manage to read several books a month.

On the screen

“Aladdin” – I really loved Will Smith as the genie and loved seeing this classic Disney story truly brought to life. We’ve loved the theatrical version of Aladdin we’ve seen on the Disney cruises, so our expectations were pretty high, but my kids and I all give this one all the thumbs up. Plus I love that there are good family movies in the theater this summer. Greg took the kids to see “Toy Story 4” last weekend while I was retreating with my blogger friends.

“Second Act” – This movie had more substance and emotions than I was expecting, but I really enjoyed it. I hadn’t heard of it, but my pop culture expert friend Mary Carver brought it to our retreat and we stayed up way too late watching it one night.

“Isn’t It Romantic?” – Again, I hadn’t heard of this one, but Mary came through with more movie goodness. I literally laughed out loud multiple times and Rebel Wilson wasn’t as crass as I thought she might be.

“Designated Survivor” – I am so glad Netflix picked up this show to continue with season three, but a new character is crasser than the original ones. Somebody told the whole show gets edgier, so I’m not sure how I feel about that, but I’m a couple of episodes in and want to keep watching at this point.

How’s your June been? What stories would you bring to the porch?

*****

Stories from the Porch in May

May 29, 2019 by Kristin 21 Comments

May days are my favorite but these May days were especially crazy days. That’s about all the introduction necessary, so I’m going to dive right into the recap.

Highlights

I love my birthday and entering this new decade (hello, 40s!) hasn’t bothered me. We had a great weekend at the lake with four of my dearest friends. (Want to see pictures?) A group of school mom friends celebrated another morning with breakfast. I was really filled up with love, which ended up being exactly what I’d need to carry me through the coming weeks.

Four days after my actual birthday, my dad went into cardiac arrest and never recovered. He passed away two days later. I had a complicated relationship with him, but this past weekend my mom, my siblings, his brother and sister, and I remembered the good parts – how he was innovative and creative as an educator and created an environment at the schools he led so teachers and students thrived.

Between my birthday and dad’s death, Cate turned 12 and we celebrated the second weekend of the month with a Harry Potter birthday party. (Stay tuned because I plan to blog about that!) Plus there was Mother’s Day, which is when Greg snapped the picture I shared above.

The third week of May meant the end of school! There was a day trip to the Nashville Zoo with Ben’s class one day. Then we picked up the big kids from school on that Friday and headed up Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

Jockey Being Family is a foundation of Jockey International (yep, the underwear company!) that supports adoptive families. We connected with JBF when we were in Washington, D.C., for the Angels in Adoption event and were glad to get to know more about how they connect and support families like ours. We were one of five families honored at JBF’s annual fundraising gala and golf tournament. I’m going to blog more about this soon too, but it was a wonderful weekend of being cared for just when I needed a vacation. (And here are some pictures!)

Favorite things

Water Wow coloring books – Rachel is really into these Water Wow books and they keep her busy! Using just water, the pages can be “painted” and then when they dry they can be painted again. And again. And again. She’s been coloring in fairytale and animal books, but I just ordered some others, including one about letters and numbers.

Slugs & Bugs books – Slugs & Bugs music has been my kids’ childhood soundtrack. When creator Randall Goodgame expanded the gospel-centered fun messages from songs to books, I knew I needed them. I shared more about them in a review post.

Pan fried fish at home – When we were at Kentucky Lake with my friends for my birthday, the guys – both the grownups and the kids – caught enough fish to feed us lunch before we all went our separate ways. It was delicious and so fun! Then Greg and Ben went fishing with a friend on Memorial Day, and they caught enough catfish and crappie to feed our family for more than one meal. I pan fried it for dinner on our porch – talk about holiday perfection!

From the bookshelf

“After Anna” by Lisa Scottoline – I picked up one afternoon when my kids and I had a few extra minutes and decided to spend them in the library. Over the next two days, I read it in parking lots when I arrived early, during my son’s soccer practice, while I was waiting for the kids to get ready for bed, and before I fell asleep those nights. Obviously, I was gripped by the story and characters. Told in a before-and-after back-and-forth sequence, the way the story unfolded was well done and kept me completely invested. There was a twist I totally didn’t see coming, which propelled me through the ending.

“What I’ve Done” and “Secrets Never Die” by Melinda Leigh – I’ve mentioned this Morgan Dane series before and was happy to dive back into the fourth and fifth installments. I love the characters’ continuing storylines and like the quick-read mysteries that are told from the perspective of a private investigator and defense attorney.

“The Middle Matters” by Lisa-Jo Baker – I was really excited to be on this launch team and read an advanced copy of this book. I absolutely loved Lisa-Jo’s last book, “Never Unfriended.” I enjoyed this one too. Having just turned 40, I related to so many chapters. This book officially releases July 23, but you can preorder it now and there will be goodies to come. Stay tuned because a full review is coming.

“The Orphan Daughter” by Cari Noga – I really enjoyed this one about a 45-year-old woman who is named the guardian of her 11-year-old niece she doesn’t know well. While several of the storylines involve loss, the book is a good reminder of how people’s stories intertwine to heal. And even better, this is a free read for Amazon Prime members.

“Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens – Cate gave this to me for my 40th birthday and I’m glad I had to get into it. The writing is lovely, the setting is inviting, and the main character is captivating. I’m not quite finished with it, but I’m really enjoying it.

On the screen

“The Village” – I binged this after it had already been on for several weeks, and I really loved it. The show centers on a group of neighbors from an apartment complex whose stories intersect and overlap. I cried in more than one episode, but I really am looking forward to a full season of this show.

Tell me about your May days.

*****

40 things for my 40th birthday

May 3, 2019 by Kristin 7 Comments

I’ve thought much about my 40th birthday. Those thoughts have mostly been reflective, led me down a path of nostalgia, and didn’t really even lead to me anything concrete. Greg and I celebrated life between our 40th birthdays this past fall. (Listen, it was a good excuse for a trip, right?)

So, anyway, here we are. Forty years. It seems like a worthwhile milestone. If you were on my porch, I’d offer you a piece of whatever birthday dessert I end up with, and we could talk about these things, things I’m thankful for, things that mark my life right now, things I’m remembering. There’s no particular order because rambling conversations are real life.

1. I’m really looking forward to going to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin in a few weeks. Jockey Being Family invited us to be one of the adoptive families recognized at its annual gala. We met the JBF folks in DC and I love how they support and encourage families created through adoptions. (Here’s more on that.)

2. I’m a summer girl. I don’t love sweating, but I love the pace of the season, being at the pool, and the longer days.

3. God’s taught me the value of seasons, though — both the ones on the calendar and the ones in our souls.

4. I make decisions fairly quickly. So does my husband.

5. I’m 64% extroverted, he’s 99% extroverted.

6. I like to analyze our personalities way more than he does.

7. Greg and I have been married for going-on 17 years. Most of the time we feel comfortable speaking for each other.

8. The first years of marriage were hard for me. We didn’t understand how to smoothly merge expectations, traditions, and assumptions. I was diagnosed with diabetes in January 2004, after almost 18 months into marriage, and that rocked our world for a while.

9. I wear an insulin pump and have since September 2011. I was nervous about always having it on me, but my doctor at the time said I would regret not replacing the shots sooner. My doctor was right.

10. I have a new diabetes doctor, an endocrinologist, who I adore. He’s from Guatemala and works in Madisonville, which is about an hour and a half away from me. I always learn something that has nothing to do with my pancreas when I’m in his office a couple of times each year. (I wrote about my doctor here because benches, or even doctor’s offices, can become sacred spaces.)

11. Turning 40 did prompt me to get a local primary care doctor.

12. I like going to the dentist. So do my kids.

13. I don’t really like exercising. I tried to like running twice in my life — once in middle school on the track team and several years ago as an adult.

14. When my two big kids were little, I was in a stroller exercise class and I loved it. We met at the park, walked and ran with our strollers, did stretches and using our stroller and park benches, and other cardio things with our babies nearby.

15. I do like to walk and talk with friends. Sometimes I will walk on my treadmill and read.

16. Giving and receiving experiences as gifts is my favorite.

17. Gift giving used to be my love language but as I’ve gotten older I’ve cared more about quality time. (I recently shared about that.)

18. I like medical TV shows, but I cover my eyes regularly when I watch “New Amsterdam,” “The Resident,” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”

19. I’ve never mowed the grass.

20. I made a turkey for Friendsgiving once. And I hope I never have to make it again.

21. But Friendsgiving is a favorite tradition. We’re going a decade strong. I hope it never ends.

22. Also Greg has shot some turkeys that are in my freezer. So I guess I need to fry those. Or he can deal with them in his new smoker.

23. I like to bake deer steaks. And my kids like to eat them.

24. I also learned how to cook steaks from cows in my oven. It’s easy and delicious.

25. I sound like a country girl. Maybe after living in the country on 100+ acres where I can’t see my neighbors, I am a little bit country.

26. I know for certain I’m a pool girl.

27. But I like to be at the ocean too. Although I’d rather swim in a pool.

28. Swimming was the only organized sport I’ve ever played.

29. I’m surprised by how much I liked our Disney World trip in 2014. Then we went on Disney Cruises in 2016 and 2018. We’re headed back to Disney World in October.

30. I like to travel — even with kids. Sure, it’s stressful sometimes, but we’re all better for it.

31. I like to be home too.

32. Being a lifeguard was my first job when I was 16.

33. I can’t believe 16-year-old kids are given life-saving jobs.

34. I did have to jump in from the lifeguard stand and help a boy to the side. He was more cared than drowning. But he shouldn’t have gone off the diving board.

35. Yes, I know. My 3-year-old girl goes off the divining board. I supervise; she’s part fish. And I’m not 16 anymore.

36. My first car was a two-door, hatchback 1987 Ford Mustang.

37. Until the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica I drive now, my favorite car I’d owned was the 1996 (?) Geo Prizm.

38. I don’t know how to drive a stick shift.

39. During pre-martial counseling, we did an assignment that had a list of chores and tasks and Greg and I individually said whether that was typically a husband’s or wife’s or shared responsibility. Driving was one of the tasks. I said shared; Greg said husband’s, which is actually what I wanted to put. Greg almost always drives when we’re together.

40. I’m happy to be turning 40. My 30s were my favorite decade yet, but I think there’s potential for even more adventures and joys in this decade.

*****

I’m celebrating with a fun giveaway on Instagram, so be sure to check that out before it ends Sunday night. {GIVEAWAY HERE!}