Another Fantastic Book...

So I finally got around to reading The Shack by Wm. Paul Young.  What an incredible book!  I've had it hidden in my night stand forever and was in need of a book to read on our most recent trip so I grabbed it before we left.  Wow!  I seem to pick books that hit me where I'm at, at the right moment.  This book was exactly what I needed to read.  I think there are more pages with writings in the margins and underlined sentences than any of my college text books!

I wasn't really sure what I was getting into when I read this book.  I must admit that the first few chapters were difficult (especially being a parent) to get through, but I think for that exact reason, I could really relate to the story.

At the end of the book, it was suggested that readers share their thoughts on the book - tell others about it, recommend it, blog about it, etc.  Since I could really relate to almost every aspect of this book and enjoyed how it shared about a relationship with God that is different from most mainstream religious groups, I feel led to share my thoughts as well.

This story is basically about a man who's lost a child and is having a terribly difficult time dealing with the aftermath of it.  He returns to the shack where her murder took place by an invitation from God (aka Papa).  Most of the book deals with his discussions with God, Jesus and Sarayu (Holy Spirit).  The relationship that God seeks with us is one of action.  He desires us and longs for us to give up the rules and laws of this world and allow him to live in us.  He loves us as His children and forgives us like we do our own kids.  He can't choose one of us over another, just like I couldn't choose to save Riley over Kendall or vice versa.

Here are some of things that left an impression on me.  These are quotes from God (in any form of the Trinity) speaking to Mack from The Shack.

"...when all you can see is your pain, perhaps then you lose sight of me?"

"Relationships are never about power, and one way to avoid the will to hold power over another is to choose to limit oneself - to serve."

"Trust is the fruit of a relationship in which you know you are loved."

"Submission is not about authority and it is not about obedience; it is all about relationships of love and respect."

"Lies are one of the easiest places for survivors to run.  They give you a sense of safety, a place where you have to depend only on yourself.  But it's a dark place, isn't it?"

"Lies are a little fortress; inside them you can feel safe and powerful.  Through your little fortress of lies you try to run your life and manipulate others.  But the fortress needs walls, so you build some.  These are the justifications for your lies.  You know, like you are doing this to protect someone you love, to keep them from feeling pain.  Whatever works, just so you feel okay about the lies."

"Most emotions are responses to perception - what you think is true about a given situation.  If your perception is false, then your emotional response to it will be false too.  So check your perceptions, and beyond that check the truthfulness of your paradigms - what you believe.  Just because you believe something firmly doesn't make it true."

"Forgiveness is not about forgetting, Mack.  It is about letting go of another person's throat."

"Unless people speak the truth about what they have done and change their minds and behavior, a relationship of trust is not possible.  When you forgive someone you certainly release him from judgement, but without true change, no real relationship can be established."

"Forgiveness in no way requires that you trust the one you forgive."

"...forgiveness does not excuse anything."

"So is it alright if I'm still angry?...It was wrong, and anger is the right response to something that is so wrong.  But don't let the anger and pain and loss you feel prevent you from forgiving him and removing your hands from around his neck."

"Son, you may have to declare your forgiveness a hundred times the first day and the second day, but the third day will be less and each day after until one day you will realize that you have forgiven completely."

Wow, huh?  These are just a few of the things that stuck with me.  The book makes you look at your own life and re-evaluate things.  What type of things are you struggling with?  How are you dealing with them?  Have you given them up completely to God so you can be released from their power over you?  

I have read some powerful books and this ranks among the top favorites.  I still have to say that Heaven Is For Real is my favorite read on this subject...Mitch Albom's books,  Have A Little Faith and The Five People You Meet In Heaven were also top favorites.  I also enjoyed 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper as well as Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture.  All are books that made me think about my life and the direction I was headed at the time that I read them.  If you haven't read any of the ones I listed above, I recommend all of them! 

Happy reading!

Walking Down Memory Lane...

For us a trip back to Lancaster is always a tough one.  Andy and I both grew up there and Riley spent the first three years of his life there too.  My own family has such deep roots in our hometown, so visiting is always bittersweet.  There are things and people that you miss, but things continue to change and it's not always like you remember it.

But seriously?  What's not to love about this landscape?

We tried to get in a lot of fun stuff with the munchkins while we were there.  Here's a glimpse of what we were able to get done in our short visit: 

Catching lightening bugs (aka fireflies) at dusk at Grammy's house - such fun and something they hadn't been able to do in Utah

Kendall had more fun playing with the leaf off of one of Grammy's plants because she hadn't mastered the skill of catching them!

A trip to Pappy Chooch's model train barn is always fun!

Train layouts in every direction!

Trains, trains, everywhere!

Pap showing Riley the older, first section of the train barn.  Pap even decided to donate the first two engines and one box car to Riley's future O gauge Lionel layout.  Andy and Riley have been discussing the possibility of building a layout in our basement since there is plenty of space.  Riley made his Momma proud by picking out two Pennsy engines.  They are GG1's which is Pap's favorite engine so we will think of him each time Riley runs his trains.

Even Kendall had fun checking everything out!

Swimming with our friends, the Millers - we try to do this with them if we are visiting in the summertime

Riley and Jill have been friends since they were born and still get along so well.

Kendall drinking yet one more glass of Turkey Hill "yemonade."

Is this the life on vacation or what?

The sillies don't take a vacation in our family!

We also got to spend time with my oldest, dearest and closest friend and her boys at Long's Park

These two have also been friends since they were born and just pick up where they left off.  

Crazy, just like their moms!

Myles was so sweet with Kendall.  He's such a good big brother!

Buddies!

Goofy kids

Jameson liked hanging with the big boys!

What would a trip to Lancaster be without stopping at Strasburg to see some real trains?

 Dad and the kids checking out the passenger coaches

What luck!  We got to watch them load up Thomas!  We waved goodbye to him as he headed out to visit other children all over the east coast.  Strasburg Railroad actually owns Thomas the Tank Engine.

Lots of leftover Thomas stuff still around from the week long Thomas celebration

I took the kids to one of our many favorite places for dinner - The Conestoga Wagon.  I promised them if they ate all of their dinner we'd stop at Pine View Dairy for ice cream as our dessert.  We use to take Riley to Pine View when he was just a little thing and our favorite part (aside from all the delicious flavors of homemade ice cream) was to go see the calves and cows.

Checking out the new calf stalls.  Kendall is just like her Momma and has no problem petting the cows and letting them lick her hands! 

Riley loves seeing the cows as much as they love seeing him!

And if you are going to hit up your favorite dinner and dessert spots, you shouldn't miss out on your favorite donut shop!  Can't pass up the chance to eat long johns from Achenbach's Bakery in New Holland!

Eating the extras the following morning!

We also got to visit with my aunt, uncles, and cousins while we were in town.  That was such a nice opportunity to catch up and see each other.  Jon and Laura were such gracious hosts!  Just wished that my parents, Matt, Mere, Alice, Lori, Jason and Madison were there too.

We saw some other friends as well while we were home.  We visited with my friends from CV who I miss dearly - but don't miss working nearly as much as I miss them!  Chris and Sherry Miller were kind enough to host the fun gathering.

Catching up with my CV teacher friends - miss you all so much!

We went to the Hoffman's for dinner and caught up with them and the Wilfongs which was delightful.  I love having friends who you can just pick from where you left off with.  (Facebook helps keep in touch too!)

Our former neighbors, the Farabaughs, from the "Loop" in Springdale were sweet enough to have us over for dinner while we were in town too.  We also got to see John and Linda which was a great surprise.  Sadly we were missing the Dansich family.  Jen was trying to come into town for the same week, but with her kids' schedules, it didn't work out.  They were missed none the less.

Our dear friends, Jeff Farabaugh and John Wingenfield

Andy's mom was gracious enough to make our favorite meal for us while we were there.  No one makes hamloaf as well as she does!  Andy's Aunt Shirley was able to stop by to visit with us for a little during dinner too.  What a great treat it was for her to see the kids and vice versa!

I also got to see some of my former students.  What a great experience it's been for me to be able to watch these girls develop into such strong, independent women.  Lindsay took some pics of the kids for me.  She's an amazing photographer (my kids aren't the most cooperative subjects!).  I also got to have a delicious breakfast at Jennies (love local diners for breakfast!) with Kristin.  It was awesome to catch up with her in person.  I'm so proud of each of these girls and so glad they still feel they can come to me for advice.

Andy  and his cousin Jeff were able to spend some time together during this trip as well.  These two grew up more like brothers than cousins.  They have always been close at heart even though they have often been separated by thousands of miles.  What a great relationship they have.  I could tell when Andy came home that the visit with Jeff was exactly what he needed!  People who know you, really get you, and keep you grounded are invaluable.

On our way out of town, we decided to visit Inner Harbor in Baltimore, MD.  We were flying out of BWI which is just about 10 min. south of Inner Harbor.  Neither kid had ever been there before and both were sad to have to leave.

Riley thought the Constitution looked like a pirate ship!  He begged to go on EVERY boat!

Hanging out at the harbor - National Aquarium behind them.  Kids were bummed we didn't have time to go there too.  I think in the future, when we schedule our DC trip, we'll have to make extra time for a visit to Baltimore as well.

That anchor is bigger than them!

This is the type of image that makes my heart smile!

He really wanted to check out the submarine so I convinced Andy to take Riley for a tour.  The kid was in HEAVEN!

He was amazed by the three tiered bunks as well as the size of the bombs on board!

There's never enough time to visit everyone we want to see or do all that we want to do.  We were hoping to take the kids to the Turkey Hill Experience, visit with more of Andy's cousins, see other friends, visit other favorite eateries, visit Central Market, etc.  Too much to do and not enough time.  That seems to be the story of every trip to Lancaster!  I'm just very thankful we got to spend time with those that we did.  

Meatloaf on a Bun!

I was brave and tried one new recipe for yesterday's Utah Railway party at our house - no pressure, just all of Andy's managers from URR and 2 from Wyoming were at our house with their spouses and children!

I wanted to make burgers that weren't your ordinary ground beef on a bun so I found this recipe and we really liked it.  I must admit that I forgot to add the cheese - didn't realize I forgot it until they were all made, but they still tasted good!

Here's the recipe.  Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded Colby or Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 egg
• 1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat a grill for high heat.

In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, onion, cheese, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, egg, onion soup mix, garlic, garlic powder, parsley, basil, oregano, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Form into 4 patties.

Grill patties for 5 minutes per side on the hot grill, or until well done. Serve on buns with your favorite condiments.

The Biggest Thriller is a Caterpillar...

"...I like the way they creep!"

If you aren't blessed with a little boy who loves all things tractor, then you probably don't recognize that song from the "I Love Cat Machines" movie.  Today Riley chose to watch this movie this morning and then got inspired to color some pictures in his tractor coloring book.  Sadly, the coloring book is a John Deere book so this is what he did to make it the way he wanted the tractor to look:

He wrote CAT across the John Deere and made sure to color it YELLOW!  This one's for you Pappy!  ;)

Lord Of The Rings

Kendall has officially finished her first full year of The Little Gym.  She started the year as a Little Beast and finished as a Super Beast.  Next year she's going to enter the Funny Bugs class which is an hour long independent class.  I have talked to her her teacher about moving her into the gymnastics class they offer and she thinks after a few weeks of being in class without mom will get her ready for the gymnastics class - our future gymnast has already mastered the necessary skills to be accepted into the class early, but just needs to be able to handle going to class without mom.  She's following in her mom's footsteps with her love for tumbling and the bars!

Here is a video of what she's been able to accomplish this semester in Super Beasts.  She's got very little fear as you will notice.

For All My SAHM Friends...

This came through my email inbox today.  Even though I have seen it before, but decided it's time to share with those who haven't...

A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard. The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog. Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a Cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing. In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door. He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, look ing for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened. He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls. As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went. He looked at her bewildered and asked, 'What happened here today?' She again smiled and answered, 'You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world do I do all day?' 'Yes,' was his incredulous reply. She answered, 'Well, today I didn't do it.

Growth...

That's the one word I would use to describe this school year.  My little boy is growing up.  He's no longer that nervous, little 6 yr. old who told me as we pulled into the school parking lot that his stomach felt funny (I told him later that's called butterflies).  He walks (usually runs) into school with his head held high, his shoulders back while yelling good morning to a friend walking in at the same time.

He loves his school, as do we.  (Bet you couldn't have guessed that by all the long hours I put in for the Jog-A-Thon, helping teach science, teaching PE classes, chaperoning field trips, attending PTL meetings, helping at lunch, etc.)  Not only do we love his school, but we really love his teacher.  She's the kind of teacher every first grader should be lucky enough to have.  She's experienced without being old-fashioned or set in her ways.  She's loving, yet firm.  She's patient, yet encourages the highest standards for behavior and academic performance.  She loves each and every one of those precious little souls who walk through her door every day.  You know that because she tells them all the time, but also in how she behaves towards them.

She knows all of Riley's strengths, weaknesses and potential.  She knows if he's being lazy or genuinely struggling with something.  She knows his little quirks and loves him in spite of them!  She has been so instrumental in helping us to help Riley at home.  She has offered great advice in a way that is loving and heartfelt.  She is an incredible teacher but more so, she's a fantastic person.  Most of you know it's hard for me to send my children off to be educated by someone else, but with Mrs. F., there are no reservations.  The lessons she's taught Riley will stay with him for years to come.  She's built his foundation (his roots) in learning and his quest for knowledge.  She's also helped to develop his character, his self-worth and his confidence in Christ.

So how do you thank someone like that?  You really can't put a price tag on that type of accomplishment.  She deserves a million dollars, but sadly that is not mine to give.  So, instead, we are giving her some plants because she loves to garden along with a special note from me about how Riley has grown and been able to bloom and one note from Riley with a picture of his favorite animal on it.

Here's our thank you gift for Riley's teacher:

The two in the red pots are going into a cute gardening bag with a letter from me and a letter from Riley for his teacher.  The one in the middle is for his teacher's aide.

You have MINT so much to us with mint tea in the pot

Thanks for all your THYME and compassion with lemon thyme in the pot

Thanks for helping me GROW

Riley's school principal, who I really enjoyed working with this year, is leaving to take another position in a Lutheran school in Colorado.  The entire Chunko family will be sad to see him and his wife leave Grace, but know that God has something awesome in store for our school (his wife was the 5th grade teacher too).  For him we got a gift card for Starbucks and have it placed inside a paper coffee sleeve and it says "Thanks A LATTE!"  

We had planned to purchase the book "Hooray for Diffendoofer Day" by Dr. Seuss, but I didn't realize B&N would have every Dr. Seuss book except that one!  That book is the last one Dr. Seuss wrote (he actually didn't get it finished) and it's about a teacher who must prove she's taught her students to think or they will be sent to Flobbertown.  

That's what I get for waiting until the last minute to go pick it up!  Oh well.  I'll save that idea for another teacher!

Can't wait for tomorrow at 11:50 when summer vacation officially starts!  Whoo Hoo!  We have so much fun stuff planned!

The Art of The Thank You

Have you ever noticed that in this day and age, the art of the "thank you" has disappeared?  When my brother and I were kids our parents drilled it through our heads that saying as well as showing thanks was important.  Whenever a relative sent us a birthday card with any amount of money in it, we were required by my parents to call that relative on the phone and thank them personally.  Sometimes that was a little uncomfortable with some of my mom's many aunts who we didn't know very well, but a necessity none the less.

I require my children to do the same.  While it may not always be an actual phone call (different time zones, etc.) but they are required to thank the person who sent them something or gave them a present.  If they don't make a phone call, they are required to write a thank you to that person.  For Kendall, her thank you's are just scribbles on the card, but it's the thought that counts.

When someone gives me something or even hands something down to me for my kids, I thank them in person and again through an email or FB post.  Just to make sure that person knows how grateful I am.  I am glad that my mom has taught me the art of the "thank you" so that I can pass it down to my children.  Whenever we leave someone's house after a visit, I make sure to write a thank you in some form to let them know I appreciated their hospitality.

I'm not saying that I'm perfect at this task and that I have never gotten busy with life and forgotten to do the extra thank you, but I try to make it a habit to do it right away...now I have to go finish writing the thank you letters to all the companies that made prize donations to the kids' school for their Jog-A-Thon!