A Couple of Hours on the Water

Although the morning started with a trip to the walk-in clinic

(more on that another day),

we took the kids on a well deserved trip to the lake this afternoon.

It is the first time we have had our boat out this year, and we have ALL missed time on the water A LOT!  I had as much fun playing with my new camera as I did playing in the water, so enjoy the results!

 Brenna loves to swim.

Parking the boat in the middle of the lake and diving off the swim platform is her very favorite!

 Joshua loves to do anything Brenna loves to do.

Luckily for him, Sierra chooses to be his personal life guard.

She always swims near him, and when he gets tired, she pushes or pulls him along.

 Happiness is sitting on our boat, watching our kids have a blast, together.

I adore this man.

 Brenna surprised us all, when she totally enjoyed the tube today!

Usually she is a bit scared.

Joshua, however, has no fear when it comes to tubing!

 My beautiful soon-to-be 16 year old is always hiding from the camera.

 Jamison was THRILLED to wakeboard.

I love this photo of him.

 He may or may not have landed this jump, but either way he caught some big air!

 Brenna had so much fun tubing with Joshua that she went with Sierra, too!

 The girls laughed and screamed through a fairly wild ride!

 Joshua helped Daddy drive the boat.

On the way home Chad commented that the steering on the boat was sure got tough for a while. . . too many captains make the ship tough to steer!

That boy LOVES to drive!

 Austin joined us at the lake today.

 Chad made sure they never got too cozy in the tube!

They got by far the craziest (and most fun) ride of the day!

 Look at that hair, I just love it!

 Joshua is not the only Dietrich who loves to drive.

He and his daddy are a match made in heaven.

Yep!

Even momma had some fun in the water today!

I had a blast tubing with Joshua!

We have so, so, so much work to do on the house in the next 10 days -

which made some fun in the sun all the more FUN today!

The Dietrich Insulation Crew in Action

We spent a very glamorous day insulating the second level of our house.

We are becoming an incredibly good team!

 Some jobs seem small.

 Others require teamwork.

 Some tasks were up high

 and involved cool equipment.

 We all have tried new things.

 We even took a few breaks.

 Each task completed brings us closer to the goal.

 The goal today was to turn the whole house pink!

Goal accomplished!

Just the garage to go and we will be done with pink forever!

 Shingles were installed last week (not by us)!

I have to confess, I like our shingles an abnormal amount!

Next week should be a flurry of activity.

The electricians are scheduled to start and finish their rough in.

The plumbers need to finish their rough in.

The heating contractor needs to complete the duct work.

The windows will be installed.

All framing details must be completed.

Because. . .

The sheetrockers are scheduled for the following week.

I am so stinkin' excited!

Also, for any of you who feels sorry for me living in a camper. . .

you can stop!

We are actually doing amazingly well!

And as for the laundry situation,

I was quite spoiled today!

My mom and dad played with the littlest three all afternoon.

Mom also washed all my clothes,

AND

made us supper,

which she delivered to the house.

I was absolutely spoiled today!

Thanks mom!

Waiting For Home

Just over a year ago, the crazy began!

Chad and I decided to sell our house, not having a complete plan of what would come next.  I had hoped it would be easy - quick sale, purchase a new home in the country, move in with only a wall or two to paint before it was "home sweet home."

The week we first put our house on the market, we spent at cabins in Minnesota with Chad's siblings.  On the surface it was a perfect week.  We had a BLAST with our family.  But under the surface, trouble was brewing.  I was considering going back to work, which was heartbreaking to me.  Chad's employees were creating big time stress as they staged a mini-walkout while we vacationed.  We spent much time talking on the phone with his guys and eventually about 50% quit while we "relaxed."

We tried not to let all the chaos ruin our vacation, but It was hard!  My sweet sister, Teresa, reads me so well and knew I was s-t-r-e-s-s-e-d.  One day she took our kids shopping and they came home with the beautiful wind chime pictures above as a gift for me.  "Faith, Hope, & Wisdom" exactly the prayer and blessing I needed for the next chapter in our journey.

We returned home, and began picking up the pieces.  I went back to work.  Joshua began day care.  Chad slowly found replacement employees.  We showed and showed and showed the house. . .

Slowly life has come back into focus.  Things are not the same, or even where I thought they would be.  Yet, it's ok.  I can see His hand in all this and that makes it all worth while.

And during this whole crazy jurney,  I tucked my precious gift into a special corner of my closet.  I know that sounds weird, but I was saving it.  Peaking at it, basking in Teresa's thoughtfulness and love, all the while refusing to hang it until we were HOME.

I packed it away last week, feeling so excited that when it is at last unpacked we will be HOME.

So, Teresa, if you wondered what happened to your precious gift, you now know the rest of the story.  It has fulfilled its purpose, reminding me of your love and that His hope, faith, and wisdom will sustain me.

And soon, very, very soon, we will take turns rocking your miracle baby on my front porch, listening to the soft chimes that will forever remind me of this journey and the lessons learned as it was traveled.

I can hardly wait.

Soon, I will be home.

And you will be a mommy.

I can hardly wait.

July 4, 2012

We usually spend the Fourth of July camping next to the lake, cooling off with tube rides and wake boarding.  Somehow, camping at the lake does not sound quite as appealing when you are living in your camper!  So. . . this year we spent the Fourth of July watching the parade on TV (we have had ENOUGH heat), purchasing appliances (as per our wonderful cabinet builder), and FINALLY having some fun, when we joined many of our BFFs at the Ault's.

I did not take many photos, which is a sure sign that I was totally enjoying my time and gabbing with some people that make my heart smile!  (I also spent a bit of time in the Ault's laundry room!  So thankful for friends that let me drag stinky clothing into their parties!)

 What I do want to remember about this 4th is my sweet Sierra turned negotiator!

We are living at Chad's shop, which is just outside of city limits, and surrounded by fireworks suppliers.  Sierra spent A LOT of time checking out the various fireworks stands.  She decided which had the best deals, and then she came up with a PLAN. She began texting our fireworks lovin' friends suggesting that we combine our fireworks funds so that she could purchase "The Godfather!"  The Godfather was the largest pack of fireworks in the "best priced" fireworks stand.  And Sierra wanted it!

 Her negotiations skills made her father proud!  She swindled (honestly) our fireworks lovin' friends into combining funds so that she could purchase the fireworks package of her dreams.  The pack she chose was HUGE!  Too big to fit into the megga momma mobile - or the jeep!  Chad ended up driving with the hatch open in the jeep all the way across town.  I tell you folks, we have had some "white trash" moments lately.  I will post all about them at some point and I am sure you will laugh as hard as I have!

 Joshua tried shooting off firecrackers for the first time.

He loved it!

 Krissy allowed me to take her photo, which means it really was a holiday!

My beautiful oldest daughter is NOT camera friendly!

 She also travels with a posse these days.

A posse which includes a certain young man. . .

Yep, we have entered another stage of parenting over here!

The above photo makes me laugh out loud!  It is Krissy "encouraging" her little chaperon to find different friends to play with!  She loves little man to pieces, but. . . there is a "new man" in town.

 I dare say Brenna had as much fun catching frogs with Erin as shooting off fireworks.

(Do you see the little guy peaking out of the box?)

Life is all about the simple things, right?!?

 The evening ended with a beautiful sunset.

 And an even more beautiful full moon!

(I love how on a night in which we spend a small fortune on fireworks to decorate the sky, God places the most extravagant ORANGE moon in His sky.  There was not a single firework that rivaled the beauty of His creation!)

We enjoyed a fantastic fireworks display until WAY too late into the night!

It may not have been the lake, but it was a delightful party!

It was a sweet time with friends that I will hide in my heart, always!

Construction Update: Almost Ready for Siding and Windows

It has been a long time since I have posted a construction update!

 The framing crew is nearly finished!

 They have a tiny bit more sheeting to do, and a couple more windows and doors to cut out.

I was so excited when they finished this end of the house yesterday.

I have been waiting to see just how this big wall of windows would look!

 This is the view from the inside.

It is taken from the lofted family room, which overlooks the vaulted living room.

Anytime I near the end of a stage, I tend to get impatient!

Just when I thought framing would drive me crazy. . .

 the plumbers arrived to do their rough in!

 The heating guys were right on their tails!

I am SO thankful that our subcontractors are pushing things along!

 The tasks for today were fun!

We purchased appliances since the cabinet builder needs their measurements.

We also made our final siding decisions.

The shingler will arrive tomorrow morning (supposedly.)

Which means the next photo you see will have shingles instead of children on the roof!

I will be happy to post that one!

After the shingles are installed, the windows go in, the electrical rough in gets completed, and we are onto siding outside and sheetrock inside. 

I can hardly wait!



Battling Entitlement Issues

We have been camper dwellers for 4 days now, and I will confess that the first night was ugly!

Typically, I have myself so mentally prepared for a transition to be TERRIBLY TERRIBLE, that when the actual transition takes place it is MUCH SIMPLER  than I expect.

Not this time.

The first night I arrived at the camper ahead of Chad.  I had two tired, dirty kids, and a fairly good attitude.  I unloaded a bunch of stuff from the megga momma mobile while the kids road bike happily.  Then Brenna wiped out and I carried her crying self in to take a shower.  Joshua was NOT ready to come inside which meant he was crying too, and it just went downhill from there.

The water pressure was like non-existent.

Think slow trickle.

Like 20 minutes later we had 2" of water in the bottom of the tiny tub.

Add to that whining kids

and a huge mess to be put away into a tiny space

and you get a grumpy momma.

I tried to calm down, but I was panicking.

I was thinking that there is NO way I want to live here for a week, yet I WILL be stuck here for 2 - 3 months.  I was not yelling and sreaming, but my body language made my frusteration very clear.

I went to bed, praying I would wake up in the morning with a better attitude.

The next morning,

I took a fairly warm shower under the very small trickle.

Not a great start to the day.

I got breakfast ready for Krissy

and then blew a breaker before I could feed the rest of us.

Krissy got a flat tire so she took my van,

which had all the paperwork I needed to complete my Creative Construction tasks,

and I could not find the second set of van keys in order to retrieve the stuff while she was in class.

By 9:00 am I was in a BAD mood.

The rational part of my brain fully realized that the chain of dificulty was NOT a BIG DEAL.

BUT the primitive fight or flight part of my brain had taken over and I was wishing to FLEE!

I spent the morning cleaning the old house and praying.

Asking God over and over again to forgive my heart for being bitter and entitled.

I wish I could tell you that by noon, I was over it.

I was not.

I was still struggling

and still confessing.

However slowly, really, really slowly

my heart was and is softening.

I am able to see all that I HAVE

rather than

what I feel ENTITLED to have.

So with my thankful heart, let me show you all that God has provided for myself and my family during this time in our camper castles.

Where I once saw a fridge that is much too small to hold "enough" food,

 I now give thanks that I have a working refrigerator.

Where I mourned the loss of  a dshwasher,

 I now give thanks that I have a sink in which to wash dishes in clean hot water.

Where I once grumbled about the lack of personal space,

 I now give thanks that each of our children have beds of their own.

 Where I once saw a BIG lack in counter space,

I now give thanks for a mirror, light, outlet, and sink.

 Where I have many times grumbled about tripped breakers as I slowly learn how much can be plugged in before they blow,

I now give thanks for electricity.

 Where I once grumbled about low water pressure and water that tasted like a garden hose,

I now give thanks for as much clean water as I wish for.

(And it no longer tastes like garden hose, for which I am thankful as well!  White hoses, found by my brilliant husband, fixed that!  Also changing the shower head has much improved the shower quality as well.)

 Where I once grumbled about it being too HOT to tolerate,

I now choose to give thanks for A/C that keeps up - almost all the time.

Where I once questioned what my husband was thinking, moving this family of 7 into campers,

I now give thanks for all that he does to make it as comfortable as possible.

Including using this "honey wagon" to dump the waste water tanks every couple of days so that we can use the toilets and take all the showers we wish.

I am disappointed in myself that even after all I have learned, I still have moments when I battle entitlement.  Even living in campers, I have so much more than women living in third world countries.  The fact that I have clean water, air conditioning, refrigeration, and electricity make my life so much easier than the lives of most of the women in the world.

I have more than enough.

I suspect that in the coming months I will continue to battle entitlement issues.  I know when someone today suggested that Sept. 15 was really not that far away, and perhaps it will take a bit longer than that for the house to be completed, I nearly started hyperventilating.  Nearly.

Then I chose thankful thoughts.

I am learning.

I do not want to live a life of entitlement.

I want to choose gratitude.

Every day.

All the time. 

How about you?