Off To The Doctor. And Loveliness.

I was originally scheduled to go back to my plastic surgeon next Monday but I’ve been having some pain and other problems so they told I needed to come in today instead so that they could check me over and see what’s going on.  So off I go on another Happy (Long) Road Trip! 

I mentioned “loveliness” in my title and the first picture of loveliness I’d like to show you is one that features things that are not usually considered lovely as a rule.  Men’s shoes.  Plaid shorts.  A suitcase.

But in this case, those items are lovely because they mean that Steve made it safely home from Florida on Sunday night and it’s just so very, extremely, exceedingly lovely to have him back at home.

And now for a few more traditional views of loveliness, some of them even featuring the owner of said suitcase.

 

            

And my favorite . . .

Twenty-One. Part 2.

On September 18, 1989, Nathan was born in Charlotte, NC after a pregnancy filled with complications.  I gained 60 pounds with him and lost 35 pounds the day he was born;  that tells you how much water I was retaining! Since I had severe pre-eclampsia which was headed quickly to toxemia, Nathan had to be induced about a week early.

We were happy, excited and pleased as punch to finally get to bring him home with us. The little guy was full of personality and giggles and melted our hearts into pools of parental puddles the moment we saw him.

   

Now when I say we brought him “home,” you new readers may not realize that at that particular time in Smith History, home was a 40-foot RV that we lived in full time.  And not just Steve, Nathan and me, but also my sister, Debbie, and her husband, Randy.  The RV afforded the five of us 275 square feet of space. To live in. All the time. Twenty-four hours a day.

I will say this much.  Nathan had the potential to become the most spoiled child ever. I mean, think about it. It was just him and FOUR adults--cooing over him every minute of every day.  Randy and Debbie didn’t have children at that point so Nathan was their baby to practice on.  And love.  And diaper-change. And feed.  And burp. 

For two years straight, the five of us lived together and though, of course, Nathan doesn’t remember those days, a spot in his heart, a place in his psyche, and a part of his personality all have Randy and Debbie’s name written on them.

He was a blessed baby.

During the two-week break that Nathan (and I) got from the road after he was born, we stayed with Steve’s parents at their house in Charlotte.  A couple days after we brought Nathan home from the hospital, Hurricane Hugo hit and we were without power for over a week.  One newborn.  No power. Such fun!

So basically Nathan traveled full time from the age of two weeks until the age of twelve when we left the road to get Sarah into cancer treatment.  And he also traveled—in utero—full time from the moment of his conception until he came into the world.  He was most definitely “born a ramblin’ man.”

Nathan has been cuddled and oohed over and rocked by more grandma’s (from all over the United States) than you can ever imagine.  The kid has never met a stranger.

When Nathan was six, we welcomed Sarah into the Smith Traveling Life.  (We were still living in the same RV but by that time, Randy had Debbie were in their own RV so we all had a bit more space.)    Nathan was such a doting big brother and was an excellent  “Sarah sitter” when we had to rehearse or get some office work done.  He has always been able to make her giggle and smile and he especially brought those talents to bear during her illness when she felt her worst. If anyone could make her smile during that time, it was Nathan.

 

Nathan and Sarah started out pretty entranced with each other when they were young and things haven’t changed much since then.  The picture in the middle is one of my favorites; Nathan had just caught his first glimpse of Sarah in the hospital.

Through the years, the two of them have had fun together, annoyed each other and loved each other. He’s a blessed big brother and she’s a blessed little sister.

I’ll close out with a few more miscellaneous Nathan pictures; some that were in the video (posted Saturday) and some that weren’t.

This is such a happy picture; I’ve always loved it.

Books were always a part of our kids’ lives.

 

Since Nathan had been read to so much, he figured he’d pass the “reading blessing” along.

He also attempted to lead his little sis in prayer over their meal but you can tell she’s got her eyes open and is peeking.

Standing in front of our big RV-pullin’ semi, ready for yet another church service/concert.

  

This is one of my very favorite pictures of the two of them.  We were in a hotel room in some state somewhere getting ready for a concert.  Their expressions tell a thousand stories.

  

 

How I loved that handsome  little face.

 

And then a few years passed and that handsome little face turned into a handsome bigger face. And then the handsome bigger face—attached to handsome bigger body--moved away.  Sigh.

     

But we still have pictures and memories.  Here’s Nathan speaking on Father’s Day a couple years ago.

  

A mission trip to Ecuador.

And the most recent pictures are a few from his 21st birthday party last Saturday.

Before they ate, everyone went around the circle and said something they liked or appreciated about Nathan.

 

The birthday spread.

 

It’s easy to see that turning twenty-one has really brought a new level of maturity to Nathan.

 

The party consisted of table tennis and some Frisbee football. . .

 

. . . as well as a birthday cake that was actually a cheese cake. (Which Nate loves!)

 

To quote from a song we wrote for him for his baby dedication he’s the “son of our love, son our joy, child of our heart.”

Welcome to adulthood, son. We’re more proud of you than we could ever say.

Twenty-One.

Today, my (formerly) little boy turns twenty-one.

It's almost impossible for me to grasp that any child of mine could be that old. But he is! He's a real live adult! He's grown! Up!

A couple days before Steve flew out to Florida to be with him, I got the idea of making a retrospective Nathan DVD to send along for Nathan. I wish I'd had the idea a little earlier because I've got a few "holes" in the time line (age wise) and there are a few different photos I would like to have added.

But it's still a line up of pictures that makes me laugh and cry. And be proud.

Note: The presentation is about nine minutes long so you're probably only going to want to watch it if 1) you're a family member OR 2) if you've been hanging around the Smith family's blogs a long time and watched Nathan grow up OR 3) if you just sort of fast forward through it to get the gist of it.

A little later on, I'll post a few memories as well as some still shots of him so even if you don't watch the whole DVD you can still "watch" the oldest Smith Kid grow up.

Depending on your connection speed, you may need to hit "play" and then "pause" and then wait a couple minutes for the whole video to load before watching it.

And one more thing. I love the second song especially (Life Is A Highway), because Nathan has been to 35 states (including Hawaii) and has also been to Canada, Mexico, Ecuador, and Israel. It just seems sorta appropriate for his life!

There Goes The Sun.

The Beatles made a song famous called, “Here Comes the Sun.”  Well, this week my blogging theme seems to be, “There Goes the Sun,” since this is my second post of the week featuring sunsets.

I took these pictures at the end of yet another bike ride.  I was especially happy that the couple in the picture showed up to watch the sunset because I love having people in photos. 

  

 

So there ya go!  Well, actually, there it goes.   (The sun, that is.)

In other news, Steve flew to Florida yesterday to help Nathan celebrate his 21st birthday tomorrow.  All three of us would have gone but it boiled down to having just one of us go and having some birthday money left over to give him OR having all three of us go and NOT have any money to give him. Considering the kind of financial summer he’s had, we opted for the official One Person/Money Left Over Plan. (Although I must say that I miss being there with him on his momentous day.)   I did send my camera with Steve so that he could take lots of pictures. 

Sarah and I are enjoying our girl time this weekend.  Well, except for the fact that Snowy “dilutes” our girl time just a little by being a male doggie.  Oh well. I suppose we’ll let him stick around.

In closing, here are a few favorite pictures of the two of them.

 

 

When Love Looks Like Potatoes

Two Tuesdays a month, our church has a potluck lunch for senior citizens and anyone else who feels like showing up for a good meal. Most people who attend contribute to the meal and this week I was asked to bring mashed potatoes.

While I don’t feel like I am the world’s greatest masher of potatoes I am fairly capable of turning out a respectably edible batch of them when need be. The only thing? I don’t like peeling them.

And so on Monday night I informed my slave labor husband and daughter that if each of us would peel five potatoes that evening, I would have everything I needed for my (make ahead) mashed potato contribution.

Well, as soon as dinner was done on Monday, Steve left for the monthly church board meeting. Sarah and I got right to work on our potatoes and got ten of them peeled. And then I thought, “Well, Steve’s got a lot on his mind. He has important stuff to deal with as a pastor of a church and I really can’t imagine that he’s going to remember my brief speech about the need for communal potato peeling.

And so I went ahead and peeled the five extra and made up my potato dish and put it in the fridge.

On Tuesday morning when I came downstairs, this was waiting for me. A bowl of peeled potatoes. Peeled by my husband. Placed in a bowl of cold water so they wouldn’t get brown before I got ready to cook them. Peeled by a fella who actually did (amazingly) remember my plaintive potato plea and got up early enough to get them done.

Although my mashed potato dish was already compiled and ready for the oven, I took the husbandly peeled potatoes, added some meat and made a scalloped potato dish for our family dinner that night.

Potatoes peeled with love. The best kind.

______________________________________________________________

A Few Recent Questions and Comments . . .

Steve’s Post on Marriage

Mary H said, “Now, about the numbers, Steve...how about Roman numerals? - I love them - they are not used frequently, anywhere now - I don't even know if they are taught but I love Roman numerals - they make you think, add and subtract and they just look cool.

Mary, Steve actually does use Roman numerals in the sermon notes and service orders he prepares each week. And since I work from those sermon notes to make slides to show on the overhead screen, I am exposed to his Roman numerals on a frequent basis.

And I hate to say it, but Roman numerals actually bug me because they require extra thinking to figure out what’s being communicated. However, as you said, they do look sorta cool. And of course, what would an official outline be without them?

Anna wrote, “Thanks Steve, very well written. I agree with them all except maybe the making bed thing. I am an early riser and my hubby has always enjoyed his sleep. Our bed would never get made until late in the day...our rule, last one out makes the bed. Hope to hear from you again in the near future.”

Anna, Steve forgot to mention that we only make the bed together on days we get up at the same time. Other than that, whoever is last out of the bed makes the bed!

Thanks to all of you for your encouraging words about Steve’s writing and also for sharing some of your own marriage stories and experiences. We love to hear from you!

Post on Healthy Eating

Mrs. Pam said, “Does Steve still get to eat his daily popcorn snack?”

Mrs.. Pam, yes, he sure does. Every evening the lovely aroma of popcorn continues to fill our home.

Lighthouse and Aliens Post

Judy said, “Loved the pics of your little adventure. It sure looked like you had a good time. Would you please share the name of the restaurant where you had lunch. Is the little post office open and functioning?”

The name of the restaurant was “The Captain’s Table. I meant to post this picture and then forgot it.

The decor was pretty basic and simple, but the prices were reasonable (we shared a sandwich and got out for $14) and the food was quite good. We got a seafood wrap and an order of fries.

No, the Post Office is no longer in active use. Although wouldn’t it be so much fun if it was?

Bobspixe said, “When I looked at the "posed" picture of you and Steve, I thought that the "aliens" in the title of your post referred to the two people standing behind you in dark glasses. Then I saw the "space ship" and realized that was the "aliens". Or am I the only one who saw two people standing behind you in the picture?????!!!! (Cue theme from "Twilight Zone".)”

Yes, I noticed those people, too. I am certainly glad they didn’t turn out to be aliens!

And on that subject, I don’t think I made it clear in my earlier post that the “alien ship” was not at all connected with the Cape Hatteras lighthouse; it was a few miles up the road. (The Cape Hatteras lighthouse is far too classy to be associated with little green men!)

Steve Smith wrote, “Hey Beck, in several posts lately you have had unflattering pictures of my ‘back 40.’ What gives?”

Well, let me just say, Mister Smith, that I would much rather people see YOUR back 40 than mine. (I’m not entirely certain of this point, but it could very well be that mine would require a wide angle lens!)