Lions and Tigers and Bears!

Paul took the day off yesterday and we headed to the Philly Zoo. It has been on our list all year and we finally went!!! Neither of us had been to the zoo in so many years and there are so many changes!!! We reminisced about our memories and Noah oohed and aaahed over every animal. He was so calm and quiet all day because he was just entranced that the animals he has been reading about for two years were right in front of him. We took him to a local zoo before but it didn't have elephants and giraffes (those are his favorites). Noah got to ride a pony and feed some goats and sheep in addition to looking at all the large animals. The elephants were my favorite too... I could have watched them all day long.




The best part was just being a family. The transition to family life from married life is not instant. I think at first you are just married people with an attachment that doesn't make much sense. When I think of family I think of meal times and car rides but until the "attachment" can interact it is hard to think of it as a family. Noah is at such a great age now and to see his eyes light up at the animals and to be spending our day at the zoo really made me feel wonderful.... and of course we got a pass so we can go back again and again and again!!!!!

Colorado Take 2

I just got this pics from Jenn yesterday... this is the hike we took through the mountains. Isn't it stunning? Colorado is truly one of the most beautiful places....

Reading

As I child I always had my head in a book...I loved to read. I remember poring over Little House and Nancy Drew. As I got older I would beg my mom to buy me books at the grocery store, only to have them finished before we got home. Anyone with a small child knows how hard it can be to find quality reading time, but since the beach, I have somehow found time for it. After Eat Pray Love, I read "The Memory Keepers Daughter" and "Water for Elephants" which were both quick, easy and nice reads. But after the soul probing of Eat Pray Love those other best sellers simply didn't cut it.

Two of my very faithful friends from the far ends of the country recommended The Shack. I couldn't wait to get it for my trip but I didn't have time to run to the Christian book store or Borders and the chain stores and airport book stores didn't have it. I stumbled into a small local bookstore in Carbondale, CO and there it was right up front.

That night before bed I got a few pages in, but I was so exhausted and needed to leave early for my flight home. Once I got on the plane, I never put the book down. All the way through the airport connection I kept reading. When I was on the last leg of my trip I sat curled up in my airplane window seat trying to hide my tears. The little square Delta drink napkins were highly insufficient to help with the emotion that flowed out of my body. Though I must admit, there were a few parts that I wasn't sure about, the clarity with which Mack talks about God and the grace and love that he receives from God are so overwhelming and affirming and life giving I was moved beyond recognition. There must be 50 pages earmarked for further study and reflection. I'm not quite sure what to do with all of it... but for your sake, read the book.

Colorado or BUST

well, we almost busted! what a freaking riot.

I planned to go out and visit my friend jenn this weekend in CO. As it turns out she decided to drive east with a friend right before my trip so that we could fly back together and spend more time chatting... well, Jenn showed up at my house early Thursday morning and we planned to make a stop in baltimore on the way to philadlephia to see our friend Tania's new baby Riley. (because you know, Baltimore is on the way to Philly....)



Leg one went fine. Riley is beautiful, Tania looks amazing (as always) and we moved on. We drove 2 hours to the airport and got there early. We decided to go in and just wait so we would not be rushed. It was 2:00. Our flight left at 5:45. We decided not to check my bag b/c it was a duffel and wasn't too big. But, the original plan was to check it so it had shampoo, perfume, mousse, toothpaste, contact solution and on and on (and all in large quantities). All of these items were confiscated and my bag was rummaged through. Great start.

So, we head in and I yell over to Jenn -- Gate A16. We head down the hall, grab some pineapple and water and open our books at the gate. Luxurious reading time. We alternate taking walks in the airport and just enjoy our very lowkey time together. After four hours of leisure and relaxation, I decide to go to the bathroom and Jenn comes running in and yells -- Steph, we're at the wrong gate. It's 6pm. We grab our stuff and sprint madly accross the airport (our gate was A12, in an entirely different wing) hoping the plane is late or something. We get there and the guy pretty much laughs at us. Nope, only one flight a day into Aspen. See you tomorrow.

We head to ticketing and end up getting rebooked on a flight to Denver (4 hour drive from Aspen) at 6AM and head home. As we drive back to Oxford we realize all of our mistakes (never really double checking the gate, never noticing that the sign in front of us never says Philadelphia, never noticing that every other flight around us is going to EUROPE, never notcing all the duty free shops in our wing, never noticing that everyone around us spoke different languages. Nope, not once did we hear the American twang of southerners or midwesterners.) So, we grab some sushi, play some Wii and head to bed, only to wake again at 3:45.

We make the drive to Philly, board our plane with toothpicks in our eyes and head to Denver via Cincinatti.

We rented a car (which turned out to be a ghetto blue Ford mustang -- completely unheard of in the hippie mountains of Colorado) and drive West. It was awesome to see the scenery and to stop at some cute places. Around 3pm Friday we arrive in Aspen (16 hours after the scheduled time).

My time, though short, was awesome. We totally catch up, do some low key hiking, listen to some music in the park, shop in the adorable town of Carbondale, and basically just exhange this moment in our life stories. After 14 years of being friends and half of that time at a distance there is a lot of catching up to do. I met the new guy, Cam Scott, who was awesome, saw her house, which was amazing (she owns real estate in/near ASPEN!), met her friends who were so nice and sweet... it was really fantastic.

(Jessi Scott and Cam Scott, Jenn's roommates)

I was inspiried to make some changes in my own life... before Noah we were so into the outdoors and there is no reason why we can't be anymore. I will camp with him (even if it is in the backyard). I will hike with him, even if it is on a park trail. I will bike with him (our neighbor just gave us a bike seat). I want him to love nature the way we once did and I have forgotten that. Jenn is also so enviornmentally responsible and I vowed to make changes in my life. Less gas, less electricity, less shopping, less consumption in general. While we were there she made an oven out of cardboard and aluminum foil and baked cookies on the front lawn (they were awesome!) I can do these things and I want to do them. I think after a while of living in suburbia you forget the possibilities.

So, last night I packed up my stuff and was ready to go. This morning I entered into Aspen Airport and checked in to find that I had been "picked on" and had to undergo a full body/full suitcase search. lovely. And, if that isn't bad enough, one of my bags showed traces of an item of concern (WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? i do no drugs, i carry nothing illegal, does that mean lotion spilled on my bag or what????). My items are double inspected then by a supervisor twice before I can get on my flight. But, after I board I have a fantastic trip home, mostly because of the book I am reading, but I'll save that for another post.

Thanks for the brief respite from the everyday. I missed my boys like crazy but as I stepped into the house today I felt refreshed and excited and energized to be a mother and a wife and a part of God's beautiful creation.