dedicated to my father (and mother)...

....a poem inspired by both of my parents. I figured Father's Day was as good a day as any to share it.  It is currently on display at each house in a fancy frame on rainbow-colored paper (courtesy of Deb). :)

_____________________________________________

The Best & Worst of You is Me

I sing praises to you for I have your eyes
         And your crooked smile which captivates the world,
         And the prominent line of your jaw and high cheekbones that supermodels envy
         You even gave me your cocoa-colored hair—though at times it’s almost unmanageable--
         And it was only the other day when someone told me I talked just like you did, waving my hands wildly, my voice increasing in pitch with every syllable, my million words becoming a single one because breathing was a foreign concept.
I sing praises to you for I feel you in each step
         As I venture down the street, your blood pumping through my veins
         My heart beating with your love and compassion and generosity
         Giving to those who know you and those who don’t and then the ones who don’t wish they knew you.
I sing praises to you for you are my greatest teacher
         Sometimes it’s what you do, not what you say,
         And mistakes lead to yelling which lead to crying which lead to “I’m sorry’s” and hugs that make everything okay
         Eyeliner and mascara and powder can hide imperfections of the face but they do nothing for the impurities of the mind and soul and my beauty can’t be purchased but comes from the light that you have shown me
I sing praises to you for sometimes I can be too stubborn
         I often forget that being wrong is not synonymous with being defeated
         You should never underestimate a person or judge someone or make the boy who sits behind you on the bus feel like they will never be as good as you are because one day they might be better.
         And that if you tell someone you hate them and that they are ruining your life  you can apologize and they might forgive you but they will not forget –I said that to you once and still today it sometimes comes up in conversation.
And I sing praises to you because nothing is impossible
         Bruises can cover every inch of your body and the scars will probably never fade but you can dance and laugh and tell the world that pain is just a state of mind
         And I will dance and laugh with you because even though the world thinks you’re crazy I believe with every ounce of my being that you are absolutely right, pain is just a state of mind
         And there is enough of you in me to keep my head held high long after you are gone.

9/18/10

weekend getaway...

Nothing like a random, spur-of-the-moment camping trip!

That was how I spent this past weekend. Mom and I headed off to Beaver Dam State Park on Saturday morning. She bought a ton of camping stuff last summer but was never able to actually use any of it, so she was pretty darn excited. And I guess I was, too. I love traveling and exploring new places.

Deb and I, we're old-school. We tent-camp. After checking in with our less-than-friendly campground host, we had our pick of over 20 campsites. They were pretty spectacular! Nice, big shady areas and not many neighbors. It was the perfect campsite. And it was supposed to be perfect weather. Except it wasn't. But I guess we're lucky, because even though it was cloudy and windy, it never did rain.

It took us awhile to set up. Why? Because someone (*cough* Mom *cough*) decided that the directions for setting up the tent needed to be read. Maybe it's just me, but this was not the first time either of us had put up a tent, and as far as I'm concerned, if you've put up one tent, you've put 'em all up. So I just started dumping parts out and putting them together, and it took me awhile to convince my mother that the tent, could, in fact, be constructed without the guidance of the manufacturer. And then, of course, Mom had to set up her air mattress. I couldn't help but laugh. Tent-camping with an air mattress? (This is how I know she's gettin' old....haha) I almost wish now that we would have recorded our campsite shenanigans. I'm sure it would have been quite humorous.

The main activity at the lake, was, of course, fishing. And I used to love fishing as child. However, I don't remember it being quite so boring....painfully boring. Not to mention I didn't remember being such a sissy when it came to spearing the worms. (If only Mom wouldn't have insisted on getting those ginormous Canadian nightcrawlers when we stopped at Wal-Mart!) Maybe the fish knew it was free fishing weekend? Or maybe the fish in our farm ponds are just more gullible. Either way, these pictures (courtesy of Deb) just about sum up the whole experience.

beautiful cast....

patiently waiting...

10 minutes later...

maybe a change of position will help?

Nope. Guess not. 

Oh, but I wasn't completely unsuccessful. I did manage to catch a.....

....Branchfish. Yep, that's right. What, you haven't heard of branchfish before?

Due to some abnormally strong winds, my line ended up in a tree (possibly more than once, no more than ten times, though....haha). But I was determined that I would not be walking away empty-handed. So this little branch was my prize. Beaver Dam can keep its fish!

___________
side note:

My fishing experience, of course, made me think of the Gospel story where Jesus tells Simon-Peter and Andrew  to come with him and that they would be "fishers of men" (Luke 5:1-11). While I won't detail my entire train of thought (still exhausted from that camping trip!), I spent the short hour that I wasn't, uh, napping, contemplating this analogy. And while I can only imagine the confusion the disciples must have felt at first, I understand that it was the perfect comparison for Jesus to use.

Fishing requires knowledge of the desired 'catch', patience, dedication, and care. In the same way, when spreading the word, we must know our audience, know God's word, and be patient when sharing the Good News with others. Knowledge, patience, dedication, and care were skills that these fishermen possessed, and I would imagine that's one of the reasons Jesus chose them to be his followers. Really, it is an excellent analogy, and for me, it definitely shed a different light on spreading God's word.
__________________

Sunday morning, even though Mom had packed everything imaginable for breakfast, I convinced her to go into town and see if we could find a coffee and donut shop. No such luck. So instead we stopped at at Casey's to get our donuts and coffee. lol And then we went back to our campsite and cooked breakfast. After we tried fishing some more (still a fail) we packed up all of our stuff to head home.

We fended the weekend by stopping at the Hettick Backwoods Berry Farm and picking some strawberries, then coming home and making homemade strawberry shortcake....YUM! :) All in all, if was a wonderful weekend-even the fishing part. I'm looking forward to some more fun camping adventures this summer!


from Jess, with love<3
always

You would have never guessed it....

...but I have another little sister as well. I felt kind of bad for not even mentioning her the other day. We call her StephyJ, and she's 13 going on absolutely adorable! She reminds me of a strange combination of myself and Jenn. Like Jenn, she’s musically talented (in fact, as I type this, she’s downstairs learning a Foo Fighters song on her new electric guitar), and like me, she enjoys acting and musicals. She’s smart but doesn’t like school. She looks more like me (only much cuter!) with her brown hair and dark complexion. She loves to write, like me, but she is definitely more messy, like Jenn. She’s very mature for her age, which is probably why we get along so well. And she has a sense of humor like no other. When the three of us get together (and we’re not fighting), you are guaranteed at least a million laughs. I can pretty much con her into helping with any of my ‘projects’, which include anything from arts and crafts to baking extravaganzas to outdoor adventures.

I was too young to really remember Jenn being born, but when Steph arrived, I was 8 years old. I was so excited when Mom and Dad told me I was going to have ANOTHER baby sister to cuddle and, yes, boss around. :) We have quite a few hours of home video where I talk about my new baby sister and make up songs and dances about her. I even (much to my mother’s embarrassment, and now over 10 years later, my own) asked my classmates and teachers to make cards and get gifts for her and my mother. I still have that huge box of cards. My favorites were “Debi, it’s gonna be a BOY!” and “If you have your baby and don’t like it, I could probably keep it for you.” And the baby illustrations provided by a bunch of 7, 8, and 9-year-olds were priceless. The day she was born, I was coming back from a field trip and the bus dropped me off at the hospital on our way past so I could go see her. It was one of the most exciting moments of my life!

She has grown up quite a bit since then. Now she’s a little fashion diva. And she’s almost taller than Jenn and me. She’s always reminding us that her doctor says she is going to be 5’7”….my 5’4¾” self hopes that’s not the case. The oldest should be the tallest, in my humble opinion. :) Anyway, this weekend we have had plenty of bonding time because Jenn has been working and going to graduation parties. We spend a lot of time these days watching the old school Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys shows from the 70s…I’ve got her hooked! The other day StephyJ decided she wanted to make ice cream cone cupcakes….only we didn’t have any ice cream cones or sprinkles. So she convinced Mom to take us to the grocery store. It turned out to be quite an interesting trip. I got the sprinkles and some more icing, and Steph got Reese’s Puffs cereal, a Lunchable, and a magazine, pulling a classic Stephani. Five minutes after we left, I all of a sudden remembered that we’d forgotten the cones. Oops. When we finally made it home, there was quite the surprise waiting for us…

 Yep, apparently in our short absence, it hailed…..a lot! It was mostly melted by the time we got home, so I can’t imagine how big it was originally, but I’m glad we missed it. Finally Steph and I started making our ice cream cone cupcakes. Steph wanted yellow cake with chocolate icing and I wanted chocolate cake with white icing, and neither of us were willing to compromise. So…..

…we ended up with 48 ice cream cone cupcakes. Yikes. Too bad everyone in our house is trying to watch their weight and eat healthy. One of those cupcakes probably equals 3 miles on the treadmill for Jess. However, they look absolutely delicious! Ice cream cone cupcakes, anyone?

Then yesterday we went shopping and to see Pirates of the Caribbean 4, for the second time. We just love that movie. And Johnny Depp. And whoever plays the cute preacher boy. Haha I love shopping with Steph because we have similar taste in clothes, and plus, she will tell you how it is when trying on clothes. I wish I would have had an older sister to take me shopping and loan me $40. Poor Dad hung out in Cabela’s while we shopped. He used to be quite the shopper but I don’t think he has it in him anymore. Lol

Today we are going to a Memorial Day service with the fam, and then who knows what adventures we will have! Maybe washing Mom's car, since it's going to be a gazillion degrees today. lol Even though today is just another 'day off' for some people, I'm hoping that America doesn't forget what this day is really about. There are countless men and women who have died so that we could be free. Fathers, mothers, daughters, sons, that have sacrificed everything to make sure America stays "the land of the free and home of the brave". I pray that God rewards their bravery and protects all of the men and women serving today!

So all in all, Stephyj and I have had quite the successful weekend! Happy Memorial Day, everyone! :)

from Jess, with love <3

always

another one prepares to leave the nest...

It’s hard to believe, but tonight my family will be celebrating the graduation of my little sister Jenna…although at almost 18, she’s not really “little” anymore. Just yesterday, I was the one graduating high school. Only “yesterday” was actually 3 years ago. So I guess maybe there’s some distortion of reality here.

Even though Jenn drives me crazy sometimes, and if you ask her, I drive her crazy all the time, I am so proud of her. I know that when she started high school people had expectations of her that were based on my high school performance, and I’m sure that wasn’t easy for her. We are two very different people; about the only thing we share is our parents, bright blue eyes, and a love for music (although for the most part it’s very different types of music...haha). While I am more serious and goal-oriented, Jenn is carefree and laid-back. I am more academically talented; she is more athletically talented. We are practically mirror opposites. But just because we are different doesn’t mean her accomplishments are any less or more important than mine, and it’s not easy to make her understand this.

High school is hard for so many different reasons, and one of them is that there is so much weight put on academic excellence. Anyone who doesn’t excel academically tends to get lost in the shuffle. Jenn has so many gifts, but you can’t measure her achievements on a grading scale. She’s a devoted friend, an amazing singer, a self-taught guitarist, a talented volleyball player, and the best center-fielder I know (despite having to sit out her senior year due to an injury).

However, as I said in my speech when I graduated (yesterday, of course!), “You are more than an A on a test, more than the winning touchdown, more than a plaque on the wall. Each one of you is a unique individual with the ability to leave this world a better place than you found it.” And this is so true for Jenn. Ten years from now, high school won’t matter.  Jenn is going to go places in life, and people will remember her, but it will be for her unique personality, caring heart, and (hopefully!) her musical talent.

She probably doesn’t remember it (and maybe she would deny it if she did), but when she was younger (much younger), she looked up to me. We spent many a day dressing up our kittens in doll clothes, catching crawdads in the creek, and “adopting” critters we found on the farm. We camped out in the backyard, put on finger puppet shows, and ate Play-Doh together (yup, kinda gross but totally true). I would give anything to go back to those days when all we had was each other (although we can leave out the Play-Doh eating part…haha). We still have our good moments, but I know we probably spend more time these days arguing than anything else. And while I know most siblings have their fair share of fights, I hope that Jenn’s graduation is a new beginning for us as sisters as well as a new beginning for her life. I would love for us to one day be best friends and not just sisters. Because a lot of things have changed, but one thing stays the same; we are part of a family, and when it comes to the brightest of days and the darkest of nights, all we have in life is God, and the love of our family.

So congrats to my “little” sis Jenn (aka Rockstarr Jenn) and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for you! I’m sure it will be bright, bold, and beautiful! :) 

from Jess, with love <3

always