Moving….

No, I’m not moving, but my blog is moving.  I’m consolidating blogs.  Most of you know I run a small bath and body business called “Catie Beth”.  I also have a blog for Catie Beth and it’s where I do most of my writing.  Right now, I’m mostly talking about soap, business and how to help orphans, but there are other, slightly more personal, topics that I’d like to post about over there and don’t have time to keep up with both blogs  We have fun over there, with giveaways and sneak peeks at what I’m creating!  So, if you follow me here, I hope you’ll follow me at Catie Beth.

No Greater Love

Right now, I’m in Greensboro, North Carolina; home of my Alma  mater UNC-Greensboro.  Scott, the kids and I drove here from Missouri to reunite with four of my dear friends from college and their families and to visit the campus.  My friend, Jenna and her husband have been our gracious and generous hosts during our visit.  I haven’t seen many of these friends since 2004, and I haven’t been on campus  since 1996.  I have pictures and memories, but I haven’t actually WALKED those familiar sidewalks to and from classes and STOOD in the shadow of my old dorm with these women in over 15 years.

For three of the four years I was at UNC-G, I lived in a dorm called Gray Hall.  I lived on the  third floor (room 325, to be exact) with some of the most awesome women I will ever have the privilege of knowing.  They are the women I call my “lifelong friends”.  We haven’t always kept in the best  of touch over the  years, though the progression of Internet, email and social networking has helped us to do better, but they are still very much a part of my life.  Everyone is married, has a family and some of us have even shared the journey of adoption together.

 

Visiting campus with my girlfriends, husbands and gaggle of children made me feel like nothing had changed and everything had changed.  Some parts of campus were completely unrecognizable. Where a gravel parking lot and old houses once stood, a giant parking garage and baseball stadium rose in their place.  We often had to ask, “what used to be here?”.   Though there were many new buildings, the heart of campus had remained the same. 

However, it wasn’t just the paradox of the campus grounds that unsettled me, it was the feeling of same and different that I felt on the inside.  Being among my college friends on our college campus was like going through a time warp.  There was such a strong sense of familiarity.  We shared so much of life together during those years and knew so much about each other.                          (1992)

                                                                                      (2010)

And though there is much about me that is the same, there is also much that has changed and I imagine the same is true for them.  Though the familiarity was there, so was a sense of remoteness.  Even though we stay in touch, some of us more than others, I can’t just zip down the hallway to chat or vent or pray with them.  And, boy, do I miss that!

This weekend was a lot about the past meeting the present and it left me very emotional.  I love my present.  I love my family and the fun times we share together.  And, I love that I got to share  four years of my past with some awesome women who are still my closest friends.  Being with them again made me wish, even more than I have been lately, that I could have those same kind of close friendships in the present, but it seems impossible given the busyness of life. 

So, I am extremely thankful for my college friends who are also my current friends; even if we have to chat, vent and pray for each other through email or Facebook.   And I am determined to do what I can to not let another six years pass before we all get together again!

Hiking Blog

I have a new blog all about my hiking adventures! It's called Suburban Escape. I love to get out and explore the great outdoors and fall is the perfect weather for it. Come along for the hike!

Sis and Bro’s Lemonade Stand

All summer, the kids have been after me to let them have a lemonade stand.  I put them off with as many excuses as I could…”we don’t have time right now”, “it’s too hot”, “there’s nobody out.”  FINALLY, I let them have their lemonade stand.  They were so cute.  They made their sign together and worked out who handled the money and who served the drinks.  They lasted about 45 minutes in the 94 degree heat, but they had three customers during that time (one even gave them a tip). 

So, why was I so opposed to them having a lemonade stand to begin with?  I don’t know.  Something about them sitting along the side of the road (even if it was right in front of our house) just made me uneasy.  Ok, I admit it.  I’m probably overprotective of them.  I won’t let them go but a few houses away from ours.  It’s just been within the past couple of months that I started letting them go across the street to play outside at the neighbors house without me there to supervise.  And what’s strange about my fears is that I can remember being four years old and running up and down the neighborhood and my parents had no idea where I was until I decided to come home for meal time.  When I was old enough to roller skate, I’d take off up and down the sidewalk.  When I could ride a bike, I knew every street in my neighborhood by heart.  And nothing bad ever happened to me, so I’m not sure why I keep such tight reigns on my own kids.  I guess I just like to know where my kids are and that’s not such a bad thing, is it?

 

First Day of School

We started back to school this morning.  We didn’t finish last year’s social studies before summer break, so I decided we needed to start a month early and wrap things up.   Jacob was excited to start school and asked me all morning, “when are we going to start school?”.  Caitlyn was not so thrilled to be back in school, but she tried to have a good attitude.  Right now, we’re just doing math and social studies.  We’ll launch into a full schedule the end of August.  I think I’d rather eeeaassseee back into school like this.

A Boy Named Patrick

It was evening when the doorbell rang.  Scott got up to see who was at the door.  I was in the living room and couldn’t quite hear what was going on.  I heard Scott say, “We don’t have regular phones, just cell phones.”  I looked toward the doorway and saw a tall, young man whom I’d never seen before.  Based on his height and build, I figured him to be about 15 or 16 years-old.  I got up to see what was going on.  I thought maybe it was the boy across the street and he was locked out of his house.  Scott had handed him a cell phone and he was making a phone call.  I asked Scott, “What’s going on?”  “He had a fight with his dad and ran away from home.  He’s trying to call his mom.”  It wasn’t the boy who lives across the street, so we had no idea who he was.  I eavesdropped on his phone conversation.  His mom wasn’t home.  His Dad got on the phone.  (I could hear him coming through the receiver.)

Dad: “Where are you?” 

Boy: “I tried to go to the gym where I work out but no one was there.  I’m at someone’s house using their phone. Can you come and get me?”

Dad: “You got there.  You can just bring yourself on back home.”

Ok, this was getting really bizarre.

When the boy hung up, Scott asked him some about the fight he had with his Dad and where he lives. “Did your Dad hurt you?”  “No.”  “Are you going to be okay if I take you home?”  “Yes.” “Where do you live?” (Leaving out his home location, but it was 3 miles from our house!) “What’s your name?”  “Patrick,”

So, Scott and Patrick left.  I went back to the living room where the four kids were.  Of course, they started asking all kinds of questions.  “Who was that?”  “Why did he come here?”  “Where did Dad go?”

In my mind, I was already praying for Patrick and for Scott; for Scott’s safety and for their conversation in the car.  I told the kids, “All I know to do is to pray for this situation.  There’s a reason Patrick ended up on our door step and God knows it.  We just have to let Him use us.”  Michael said, “Maybe Dad will tell him about Jesus.”

When Scott returned, I asked him how it went.  He said he walked Patrick to the door and his mom came out.  She knew about the fight between Patrick and his Dad and thanked Scott for bringing  him home.  I asked how the conversation was during the car ride.  Scott said, “I asked him where he goes to school, what activities he does and if he goes to church.  He said his family goes to church sometimes.”  Scott then told him that God always loves Him…that He loves him so much He gave His son Jesus to die for Him so he can have eternal life.  Anytime he’s having problems, he can always go to God because God is always there for him and will never leave him.  Patrick didn’t say anything about that, but I’m praying the truth stays with him.

Wow.  I’m so proud of Scott for taking the opportunity to share about Jesus with this hurting boy…who turns out, is only 12 years-old.  And I’m so amazed that God chose to use our family to minister to Patrick.   I’m going to keep praying for Patrick. 

My Yankee Doodle Boy Turns 6!

I can’t believe my “little” Jacob is now 6 years old!  Where has the time gone?  Seems like only yesterday when Gil arrived to our home in England on July 2nd and said, “Catherine, you don’t look so well.”  Little did I know I would go into labor that evening and give birth the next morning to an 8 lb 13oz baby boy.  Well, I already knew the boy part.  :)  Jacob was an active, spunky baby and he hasn’t changed a lick in the past 6 years.  He loves to be goofy and make us laugh.  The best thing that hasn’t changed over the years is that he’s still my cuddler.  He still comes and sits in my lap and gives me hugs and kisses.  Oh, how I cherish my sweet boy!  Happy birthday!