Tampa?!

But God walks (and flies and plays and swims and dances) with us

James 4:14-15 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? … What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”

It was Dave’s and my turn this year to plan our annual family vacation. Our family wanted a beach. As Dave and I scheduled our flight to Orlando, I told him, “We have access to our BnB at 3:00. So, let’s fly early and shop for groceries before we check in. We can prepare dinner before the rest of the family arrives.”

It seemed so simple.

Each of our four family units (totaling seven adults and four children ages 1-6) made their own travel arrangements from Pittsburgh to Florida. To summarize what happened, a story I may write someday as a humor piece, by the end of our travel day, for a variety of reasons, members of our family got stuck in Chicago, Baltimore, Charlotte, and finally, Tampa, before eventually arriving in Orlando.

All the boarding passes Dan received in Charlotte before he finally managed to get on a plane!!

And then each of us had one issue or another with the rental cars we had reserved!

Orlando airport, waiting on rental cars. And waiting. And waiting …

Dave and I arrived at our BnB, without groceries, not at 3:00 p.m. but at around 9:00 p.m. Other family members trickled in after that. Supper was Moes (“So many chips!”), picked up by Rachel on one of her drives between car rental agencies. In a mix-up, before we left the Orlando airport, she handed me to eat on the hour plus drive to the coast the children’s bag (with gluten free options for Caleb) instead of our order. The total list of our comedy of errors deserves a humor tale!

That was Sunday. Monday, our son Dan tested positive for Covid. He spent much of the week in bed. On Friday, which happened to be my 70^th birthday, I got sick, though I didn’t test (positive) until we got home to Pittsburgh on Saturday evening after getting up at 3:30 that morning to make our flight in Orlando. That’s another story.

Back in Pittsburgh–wiped out. And so happy about our wonderful vacation!

AND I think every member of our family would say we had a marvelous vacation week together. So much joy. Such special memories, including a wonderful dance performed for me for my birthday by Valerie and the kids (including the one-year-old!!) to the song Beloved by Jordan Feliz.

Making memories

So much beauty: the ocean, sunrises and sunsets, the kids advancing in swimming skills, sharing over meals and games … Dave even let me beat him at ping pong. No hurricanes, despite Caleb’s prayers–he thinks Pittsburgh weather is boring. And though we had some injuries, everyone made it home intact.

Back home, between my bed, the couch, and the kitchen table, to the sound of my hacking and blowing, I’m working hard to get everything together to submit Campfire Song Stories to the publisher. It was due, supposedly, August 15. Working with five illustrators, one of them in chaotic Venezuela who hasn’t figured out yet how to get her pictures to me, and one singer, and six stories in one volume, is a bit complex. And pure joy. I am so very grateful for the talents of each of these wonderful people, ages eleven to thirty-something, each one an answer to many prayers and not a little anxiety along the way.

One of Clara’s illustrations for the lullaby that ends Campfire Song Stories. Clara is twelve.

Caleb lost one more front tooth in time for his first day of first grade today. Valerie’s arm injury from a rogue ocean wave will require an MRI. And now Brian has Covid …

Hey, how are you today?