Musings.....

Have you ever marveled at how quickly time passes?

Friday afternoon, while cleaning my house, my cell alerted me to a text.  My teenager was asking permission to get on a different bus and hang out at her friend Karissa's house.  Karissa and Courtney have been great friends since about 4th grade.  They are organizing the post-prom party for their close group of friends, to be held here in our backyard. (pray it doesn't rain on 6/5!!!)

She wanted to know if Karissa could come prom shoe shopping with us later that evening. My initial reaction was "oh man, 2 teenagers and a tween with me for 2 hours...yikes..."(Claire needed to come with us as she needed a new swimsuit and shorts...all of a sudden, our area of NYS is having summer-like weather!).

BUT....I was gently reminded by the Spirit of God, that these days are precious.  Courtney is only going to be at home for another year and a few months and then she will be off to college somewhere.  So.....I invited Karissa to have dinner with us.  I bbq'ed some chicken, made a quick spinach salad and roasted some herbed new potatoes.  Steamed some peas.  Made a tall pitcher of iced tea and we all brought fully-loaded plates out to the deck to enjoy a meal together.  My husband and I really like Courtney's friends and we feel it is important to role-model good table conversation, etc.

Us girls left for a trip to a town a bit north of us and Halleluia, Courtney found the perfect prom shoes....ON SALE! 

 YEAH! And I found a swimsuit for Claire with bottoms, top, and skirt for under $20.00.  The original price was $44.00....I will NOT pay that kind of money for an 11 year old's swimsuit!  We really were blessed. 

Claire in new swimsuit and cover-up skirt

helping to stabilize the new kayak

 Because I had saved money on the shoes, swimsuit and shorts, I treated the girls to ice cream at this place.  It is one of our most favorite homemade candy and ice cream shoppes in our town.  

The 3 girls kept me laughing all evening.  I watched them interact with the tween and realized just how polite Courtney's friends have been to her little sis.  I am so thankful for that...it can be difficult having 2 daughters who are 5 1/2 years apart.  Yet, by the grace of God, they have always gotten along so well and Courtney's friends always seem to include Claire in their conversations when Claire is around.  It made me realize just how quiet our house might become after Courtney is away at college!

On Saturday afternoon, after a morning of doing stuff around the house, overseeing my teen drive to and from driving class, and helping my husband replace a brake light on my car, we decided to get the new kayak in the water.  Claire decided she wanted to join us. Courtney had her first weekend since September, free, with no homework or research project so she chose to remain at home and have some downtime.  Claire, Dave, and I put the new tandem on the car, along with one of our other ocean kayaks and away we went to the closest state park (Grafton State Park in Grafton, NY, to the east of us) to kayak on one of the 3 lakes.  We chose to do Long Pond. 

Claire started out in her own kayak, with me in the front of the tandem.  About half-way down the lake, the wind really picked up and she had difficulty paddling the green kayak.  So off to a large rock island we paddled where she and I switched spots.  She was much happier paddling tandem with Daddy.  At the end of the lake, at the other boat launch, Dave took the green kayak and I took Dave's spot.  We had so much fun paddling, splashing each other, racing, and just enjoying the bright sun that finally chased the haze away and gave us blue skies, a warm wind, and even warmer temps!  It was about 76 yesterday and just perfect for a long afternoon on the lake.

And...while reflecting back on our day, I realized that although Dave and I could have used an afternoon by ourselves to re-connect in our marriage, and enjoy a picnic lunch, it was much better that we all had lunch together at home before heading out.  It was necessary for my teenager to be home alone with some peace and quiet...she had a bit of a rough week...and it was important that our tween feel included in our kayaking expedition.  How quickly the time is passing.....and like our pastor said this morning during his last sermon on the "Marriages that Last" sermon series:  once the children grow up and leave the home, we will still have each other.  It will be then that we can kayak with no children tagging along, and yet.....how we will miss that, I am sure!

That's it for around our house this weekend....as I write this, the teen and Dad are off to youth group at the Student Ministry Center at our church; my tween is playing next door with her friend, Meredith; I have just finished this post and a load of laundry (my Sabbath was yesterday so today after church I have been finishing up my weekend cleaning) and I am about to stretch out on this deck on this gorgeous evening and sip some Wild Mountain Blueberry coffee and continue reading the Mitford novel......I savor the peace and quiet, yet welcome the sound of my family when they return......

Be blessed as our weekend winds to a close, and your work week begins!