Happy Father’s Day!

In honor of Father’s Day, I want to share a few of the things I’ve learned from my dad over the years.

One of the most important things I learned from my dad was to serve. When we were younger, my dad would take my siblings and I to the homes of elderly neighbors. We would visit with them and hear all about their children and grandchildren and life stories. And then we would mow their yards and do whatever housework we could help out with. Truth be told… I really didn’t like this growing up. But… truth be told now, I am so grateful for it. My dad introduced me to what it really means to serve those in our communities. To look after the widows and helpless. To love and serve and listen without expecting anything in return.

I also learned from my dad that it’s never too late to follow a dream. He was in his 40′s when he left his career managing restaurants and went back to college to finish a degree he had quit on 20 years prior. It was while he was in college in his 40′s that he and my mom decided to move our family overseas.

I’ve heard it said that the best way to show love to your children is to love their mother. And he does that. My mom could certainly hold her own when we were growing up (she wasn’t exactly a damsel in distress waiting for dad to do the disciplining), but Lord help the child who spoke disrespectfully to our mother in front of our father. He loves her, defends her, respects her, and cherishes her.

My dad isn’t a super emotive kind of man. He doesn’t cry much or get overly exuberant. He’s steady and often quiet. Unless of course you start talking about God or China… in which case he has plenty to say. I will say, that watching my dad become a grandfather has been fun. Where he might have been more reserved before, he acts silly in order to get a laugh from a grandchild. {exhibit A: the pink furry scarf on his head // exhibit B: all six of his grandkids}

My parents with their five children, three son-in-laws, one daughter-in-law, and six grandchildren.  {I know I use this family picture all the time, but it just makes me laugh so much… can’t help it, haha!}

Happy Father’s Day, Dad!

4 Wheelers and Horseback Riding

Twice a year one of the mentors for our adult class at church invites us all out to his farm for a day of fun (this is us there last October). This past Sunday was the big day! First up, some of us girls headed out on the 4 wheelers to explore!

Mandy and Lilly on the left and Abigail and I on the right. Abigail grew up driving 4 wheelers and I was really impressed with her ability to navigate so quickly and safely through the woods on one. I’m pretty sure we would’ve been going at a snail’s pace if I had been driving. {photos courtesy of Mandy}

After the 4 wheelers, Abigail and I decided it was time for some horse back riding!

Headed off for one of the trails, waving like princesses as we go. Because you know… princesses can wear shorts and ride astride. At least these two can.  {photo courtesy of Mandy}

As you can see, of all the photos above only one is actually mine. I got busy talking and not taking pictures. Which is okay with me. I mean, I love to have the pictures to go with the memories, but I’m also not one to beat myself up over missed shots. Some days I’d rather just live in the moment and not behind the lens and some days I like to juggle both.

After half an hour on the trails horseback riding, we headed down to the lake to watch some of the kids fish. After that it was dinner time and I chatted with my mommy friends and held babies. There was a bonfire with hot dogs, chili, and s’mores. And so much good conversation. It reminded me how blessed I am to have such a great group of friends.

Happy birthday, Mom!

Today was my mom’s birthday. So in honor of that, I want to share a few of my favorite things about my mom. {Mom I know you are reading this so forgive me for this first story… I just have to share it!}

{my mom at my age}

First of all, you should know that my mother has a certain sense of decorum in the way she carries herself, speaks, and acts. I was raised reared (my mom says you raise corn, you rear children) to be polite and respectful. Certainly to never draw attention to myself by acting inappropriately. Which is why one of my favorite stories about my mom involves the time she let loose a little and actually MOOED (loudly, I might add) in the middle of a restaurant. I am so not kidding. My younger sister was also present for this and every time we talk about it, the two of us dissolve into giggles all over again.

{dancing with my mom the day before my wedding. She is more laid back and cuts loose more often now that we’re all grown and moved out}

On a more serious note, my parents always emphasized education and hard work. And they led by example. For example, my mom has her masters in education. I can’t tell you how many of my thought processes have developed because I grew up with such an intelligent and well educated mom. I thought most gender stereotypes were a joke until I moved back to the States and came to college where I met people who were deeply entrenched in certain ways of thinking. To be honest, intentional or not, my family brought me up to be a bit of a feminist. And I am so grateful for that.

{on my wedding day}

I get my love for cooking from my mom. Even in my most angsty teen years when I didn’t want to talk to my parents, you would find me helping my mom prepare dinner every evening. It was a way we could connect even when I didn’t want to share my feelings. {side note: that phase did come to an end, my mom and I are close now!} You can certainly learn to cook by using a cookbook, but it is so much easier to learn by helping out someone who really knows what they are doing. And my mom is an incredible cook.

{seriously, how many times have I shared this photo? Haha! Sorry about that. It’s just that I’m always talking about my mom and cooking and her recipes! For anyone who hasn’t seen this before – this was my 19th birthday when my mom gave me her most coveted recipes!}

This isn’t something I realized until recently, but I learned to have quiet time from my mom. When we all lived at home, she would wake up at the crack of dawn (or before) in order to have quiet time to sit and study scripture and pray. I always knew this when I was growing up, but didn’t think much of it. I guess I just assumed everyone’s mom did that. After I became a Christian, I began setting aside quiet time every day to journal, read my Bible, and pray. It wasn’t until much later that I realized how many people struggle to prioritize quiet time with God while it was seemed easy for me because I had such a great example of it at home.

{last summer}

I learned about hospitality from my mom. I can’t tell you how often we ended up with a new person at our dinner table. I can remember so many times when my dad would bring someone home with him and mom would pull out an extra place setting with a smile. And the first time I brought my 19-year-old boyfriend home for Christmas, my parents treated him as one of the kids. My mom is a wonderful mother-in-law to Christopher. When he hears crazy stories from some of our friends about their mothers-in-law, he just shakes his head in disbelief because he can’t relate at all. It does my heart so much good to know that my parents love the man that I love.

{mother’s day a couple of years ago}

Finally, I learned about self sacrifice from my mom. My dad moved around a lot when he was growing up, but my mom didn’t. At all. However when she and my dad decided to move our family to China, I never heard my mom say a negative word about moving. She left behind friends, family, and a life she loved to minister alongside my dad in a place without air conditioning or even reliable electricity and internet. I know what it looks like to follow God’s leading because I watched my parents do it as I grew up.

{My parents, their five kids, and six grand kids! And yes, my nephew is trying to escape in this photo hence why I think it’s hilarious!}

Happy birthday, Mom! I love you.