Fort De Soto Beach

Yes, it's hot, we miss Minnesota and North Carolina, and there's a lot of unfamiliar things to get used to here in Florida...but some of the new things turn out to be pretty awesome. Such as, for example, living an hour from the #1 rated beach in the U.S.

It was Claire's first visit to the beach! She warmed up to the sand and surf faster than I thought she would, considering how skittish she can be around water. She even played in the tide by herself for a while.

Isaac was back to his old games...chasing seagulls...

Yes, I think I could get used to this....

Davy Crockettette

I don't know exactly what she was thinking...

But I'm pretty sure my daughter is no shrinking violet...

I think she's going to go catch me a bear, probably capturing it by making some impish faces.

House Tour, Part the Second

Our room, complete with a (very small) walk in closet and a bathroom! The pile of boxes in this corner is all long-sleeved clothing, which I am not motivated to unpack in this sweltering heat. Have I mentioned that it is hot? It is. Very.

The kids' room, still awaiting a real bed for Isaac. I've delayed on getting a big bed until we have a big car to haul it around in, but as yet we are still getting by with one car. Claire is demonstrating the proper use of a bed.

We were going to give each kid their own room, but since they sleep so well together, it seemed a bit silly. They're sharing a room still, and it's just fine.

Having them share a room leaves the third bedroom open as the playroom/Vance's office/guest room/Isaac's nap room/multipurpose room. I can tell that Isaac really likes having a designated space for his stuff...the first day he kept retreating in that room to play by himself.

I'll post pictures of the boys mowing the yard soon--that's Isaac's current favority hobby--as well as Claire as Davy Crockett. Exciting times around here, let me tell you!

House Tour August 2009

For your viewing pleasure, I finally pulled out the camera and took pictures of our new place. We're feeling pretty settled now, and I'm realizing that our little house is in a very good location. We've met a lot of our neighbors, and they seem pretty nice.

Bear in mind that we're probably buying a house in 6 months or so, which is why I haven't put a lot of effort into the decor. We are definitely in use-what-you-have mode. That said, I can't stand bare walls, so pictures were up very early in the unpacking process :). Trying to find the balance between making ourselves at home and not making too much work for ourselves in just a few months. Above is the view from the front door.

Note the box to the left of the bookcase. That one is labeled "Bunch O' Junk", and I've been avoiding the second half of its contents. Tonight is the night, though, I think...

The kitchen, which even has a little pantry! I am very glad to have a big oven, although I'm realizing that I need to take advantage of its size and bake in bulk--it seems silly to heat up that whole oven for just one loaf of bread. This kitchen makes me realize how much space I had in my old one, however...there's only a little more cupboard space here than at the old place. But I am enjoying all the counter space!

Moving in, moving on...

Well, we're here! The road that led to Florida had a few more twists and turns than anticipated, but we've made it :).

I tell you what, moving isn't for the faint of heart. I am currently repenting of all the times I have heard other people talk about the difficult transitions of moving and brushed them off, or thought they were just being whiny. After driving over night from NC to FL, cleaning all afternoon, moving all evening, staying up half the night with an unsettled little person, and crawling out of bed to stare at piles of boxes, I have a lot more compassion on the other people who have done this.

It is easy for me to think of all the headaches that moving out of state involves--especially all the paperwork--but we really do have a LOT to be grateful for. All our stuff got here. Even though we're pretty much complete strangers here, about 10 people from our new church came to help us move everything in (most of them I had never met, visualize, "Hi, I'm Terri, nice to meet you...you can move that heavy stuff over there, thanks!"). To top it off, these wonderful people are also bringing us meals every night until Saturday! That's been a huge help. Other nice things: we're really enjoying having more space, we got a washer and dryer quickly and cheaply, and we seem to be navigating around just fine. Isaac has adjusted well, and the house is mostly unpacked after only 2 days.

It's just that nothing feels normal or settled yet, and there seems to be too much to do. It's definitely pushing both Vance and I to cling to God's promises, and to repent of many quick-tempered moments. As things begin to settle down, I'm feeling more excitement for the adventure, more curiosity about our surroundings, and more initiative to get to know people around here. So don't worry, we're not slogging through the mire of despair or anything--we're just trying to reach a semblance of order and sanity. We do miss you all, though!

I'll post pictures soon, I promise. And I guess we need a new name for the blog...any suggestions?

last night in minneapolis

Six years ago, when Vance moved here, he didn't know anyone except his advisor. Five and a half years ago, I didn't know anyone except Vance and a couple people I had met from his church. I don't think I could have known then that I was heading into some of the most formative years of my life (so far :), nor could I have known just how precious so many of those new faces in my life would become.

But here we are, having come full circle: the moving van is packed, the house is cleaned and inspected (thanks to an army of help!), the bags are packed for the car tonight, and I am starting where I began--in Beth's house. It feels right to end here, just as I began, even though I can't quite get my mind around it all yet. Somehow it doesn't feel real, all this leaving. Mostly I'm just doing the next thing.

And although part of me wishes I could really just go ahead and feel all that the little knot in my stomach symbolizes, part of me is grateful for the reprieve. When I do start to think of all the life that we have lived here, and all the rich relationships that we are leaving behind, it is easy to start to feel a little fearful. I think that speaks to both the preciousness of the people we've loved here, but also my quickness to doubt that the God who has so abundantly provided for us could continue to do so somewhere else. So in some ways it is nice to just move on to the next to-do, because I have a feeling that by the time all the dust has settled, I will already see God at work being faithful to us. I think it's probably better this way.

Most of all, I think I'm glad that it's not really goodbye. We'll visit, we hope ALL our friends here in MN will visit, and even though it probably sounds hokey, I'm increasingly grateful for heaven, where there won't be goodbyes like this.

And so we're off, to the next adventure....

Camping and Blueberries

On the fourth of July weekend, Vance decided to take Isaac camping. It was a pretty low-risk, entry-level camping trip, where they hiked about 50 ft from the back door, settting up camp in the wilds of the green area out back. Vance guessed that it took Isaac a good two hours or so to settle down from all the excitement, but they had a GREAT time. I finally opened the back door around 9:30 (no early rising campers here, I guess) to get them up for breakfast. When Isaac walked in the door his first words were, "we went on such a GREAT camping trip!" I think they'll do it again...and maybe they'll even make s'mores next time!

This is a bit more recent (this morning)...I couldn't resist snapping a shot of my messy girl. I'd say she liked my blueberry syrup! :)

We are doing well--I'm still recovering from my weird ear infection/head cold/chronic headaches, but as long as I'm jacked up on ibuprofen, I'm able to pack all right. We're looking forward to having Vance back home tomorrow after his conference in St. Louis, and we're gearing up for our big move out. It still doesn't quite feel real...

Wanting a little more....

If you've spent some time around my dad, chances are pretty good that you've heard the story of Henry Ford being interviewed at the height of his fame and wealth. A reporter astutely asked him about his growing auto empire, "Mr. Ford, how much is enough?" To which Ford replied wryly, "Just a little bit more."

Too true, and too easily backed up by statistics. I read a while back about a surprising survey that was taken, asking Americans what their ideal income would be. Regardless of class or income, Americans typically said that they wanted about 10% more than the salary they currently made. Not many people said they wanted to be instant millionares, the poorest didn't want a leg up into the upper class, and likewise, even the wealthy wanted more than what they had.

And I see the proof in my own life. We're making the transition from a below-poverty-line salary to a more "normal" salary, and already I'm starting to feel the tuggings on my heart. It's very easy to justify the things I want--they're not extreme, most of my friends have those things, and after all, I just want a little bit more. Right? Right?

For the last six years, I have felt a whole lot of grace on the "wanting more" front. Don't get me wrong--I've definitely had days where I wanted a washer & dryer, or a garage, or whatever the current issue was. That's been there. But overall, we have been very happy as we've lived on our little income, in our little house. We've watched God provide, and seen him turn not-quite-enough into an abundance. But now, with the possibility of expanding our lifestyle comes a bit of a sense of foreboding: will I be satisfied with a little more, or will I keep pushing the envelope?

In contrast, we have friends who have made a serious and very practical commitment to living out Jesus' and Paul's encouragement to give generously. Years ago, they decided what they needed to live on, and gave themselves a salary cap. Whatever they make over that predetermined figure, they give away. That sounds nice, doesn't it? But it starts to hit home a little deeper when you start crunching the numbers. I don't know exactly what their annual income is, but I know what they live on, and my guess is that they give 50% or more of their gross income away. They are living very simply--sacrificially--so that they can give to people in real need. I know they still struggle with some of the same "I want more" emotions that I do...but they are putting that greed to death in a way that I have seen few others do.

That doesn't mean that I must spend the rest of my life without a dishwasher, but it does mean that I am motivated to think more in terms of how I can be at work meeting the real needs of the world around me, and less in terms of that little upgrade that I think will make me happy. Because, in the end, the only lasting treasures are the ones you send ahead of you to heaven.

"Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have." - Hebrews 13:5

Home Sweet Rental

Looks like this will be our residence for the next 5 months or so! We're grateful to have found a place that will allow a short lease. To be honest, it's hard to remember a lot about the house, since we saw 16 the day we were looking :). But I'm sure it will be a step up from our 700 sq ft. of married student housing. I'm excited about having a washer and dryer. And a garage. And a dishwasher. And an extra bedroom :) I'm not as thrilled about living right in the heart of cookie-cutter suburbia, but I'm getting over that. And really, for so short a time, I'd be willing to live most anywhere.

I'm very behind in my posts....still haven't put up pictures from our Boundary Waters trip in late May...but it's been a bit difficult to be motivated to blog when there are so many boxes needing to be packed. We've been busy, though! With so many wonderful friends wanting to have us over before we leave, I haven't been cooking very much (only about twice a week), and we've been having lots of fun seeing everyone.

This weekend Vance and I took a belated 5th anniversary trip to Red Wing, which was so relaxing. I feel spoiled to have two weekends in a row alone with my husband, but this one was definitely the most enjoyable of the two. We had nothing on the agenda except eating, sleeping, and enjoying one another's company. I know we're not going to have a lot of free time while Vance is getting acclimated to his new responsibilities, so it was an especially sweet weekend.

Yesterday Vance's advisor hosted a goodbye cookout on Pleasant Lake. The kids (as per their usual) enjoyed scavenging off the buffet table, but the highlight of the evening was Isaac's first canoe ride. Stan let the boys use his canoe, and Isaac had a complete blast! He even paddled pretty well, which surprised me. It was pretty cute to watch them paddling around, since the front third of the canoe was out of the water most of the time. When Vance got him out from shore, Isaac said, "We're not going back to the beach, are we, Daddy?" He got two trips, and would have loved a third.

I'll post more soon, but right now I've got an ear infection, so I think I need to lay low for a bit--experiencing this makes me glad that neither of my children have ever had ear infections!

Moving On

Well, everyone, Vance got the call. We're moving to Florida!

Vance will be an Assistant Professor at the University of Florida. Go Gators! He will be heading up their strawberry breeding program, which is based outside of Tampa. We'll move to FL the second week in August. Vance is really excited about the job, and we are all excited about following God's very clear leading to this new adventure. Who knows what will be in store for us there, but knowing that God's ways are better and kinder than anything we could have chosen gives us a lot of joy.

And yet. Leaving everyone here in Minneapolis--our dear friends who have become like our family--is going to feel like slicing off an arm. I moved up here 5.5 years ago, fresh out of college with a shiny new diamond on my finger, not knowing anyone but Vance. You barely knew me, but you threw me a bridal shower. Some of you flew down for our wedding a few months later. You taught me how to do small group, sharing my raw life with you, confessing sin, sharing joys, and receiving your love and support as I did. You celebrated with me when I was pregnant with Isaac, prayed with me when he was diagnosed with heart problems, and rejoiced when God healed him. You cried with me when my Mom died, and have continued to comfort and reach out to me in my grief, even two and a half years later. You helped me make my transition to two children, have given me advice on how to be a godly wife and mother, you have mentored me and challenged me and made me laugh until my sides hurt. You have loved my children, fished and grilled and prayed with my husband, let us crash your parties, invited us over for holidays when we couldn't travel home... You are dearer to me than I can begin to express. I can't imagine life without you all.

Emotions are strange things, and mine are especially fickle. I'll probably be dry-eyed as we leave you all, and I'll probably burst into tears at some other randomly inopportune time. So if you're reading this and you are one of the dear friends we are leaving in the Cities, know that we really, really love you. And we insist that you come visit us in our new oh-so-tropical home sometime in the dead of February or March!

life with my little people

just a couple stories from the last 24 hours with my kids:

I was putting Claire to bed last night, getting a few cuddles in, singing songs, "talking", and praying over her. At one point I was praying, "Lord, give her a tender heart towards you," and immediately she looked up at me and whapped me right across the cheek! I guess that answer to prayer will be a miracle... :)

We had a church picnic today, and although I swear I brought lunch for the kids, they were much more interested in foraging for more exotic food amongst the other picnickers. They went from table to table, blanket to blanket, scoping everyone out for good eats. Isaac would walk around saying, "What are you eating? Can I have some?" I know I probably should have stopped it, but that would have required me to spend the entire picnic breathing down their necks. And I'm much more laissez-faire in my mothering than that. (don't worry, gentle reader, I don't let my children live like complete animals...I do have a few standards :) Anyway, near the end of the picnic, Isaac showed up at Vance's side with a handful of cheetos. Vance looked at him and said, "Who gave those to you, son?" Isaac looked up in his face and brightly replied, "Anyone!" So much as to say: "it's paradise here, Dad! There's food everywhere!"

They had a great time. And so did we.

whirlwind of spring

I have a lot of things to catch up on...(especially Dad and Deonni's trip with us to the BWCA, and Yesupadam and Monika's visit!)...but really, it has been such a crazy month and a half that I feel the need to just crash and not do much for a few days.

An indicator of our busyness: we've had our latest Netflix offering in our desk drawer since the end of April. We're both interested in watching a movie, but there has not been a single night since that dvd came in the mail that we have both been free enough to sit down and veg in front of a film. Not one night! Crazy.

Now things have slowed down somewhat, for me at least, but Vance is out of town going through the very rigorous interview process for a faculty position. I haven't talked much about that--mostly because there hasn't been much to say, I suppose--but you can pray that God will provide us the perfect place to be. We thought we would know where our future would take us by the end of April, but it's the middle of June and although we may be closer, we still have no idea where we're going. Vance is currently interview in Florida for the last faculty position open to him. Should they hire someone else, he'll be looking into a postdoc for next year, and that could be pretty much anywhere. I think we're getting used to the lack of news, but at the same time, not knowing where/when/how/with whom is getting a little wearying. We can't really plan for anything, but life goes on.

On the flip side, we have an income! :) Vance is technically a postdoc for his current advisor, and that is a huge blessing, as his salary as a PhD student ended in May. He's even making a bit more now that he's got that fancy degree! And I am grateful for any amount of time that keeps us here with our dear friends. I would like to know what's next, but I don't like to think about leaving...

In other news, Claire spoke her first sentence two days ago. She was looking at one of Vance's books, and she pointed and said, "it's a fish!" Papa Frank, you can be very proud of your granddaughter! Maybe she will be the first Whitaker female fishing pro :)

More pictures and updates to come...

Happy Birthday, Nana!

(can I just say that I love this picture?)

Vance's parents came for a visit this past week, and took part in a whirlwind of activities with us--Vance's seminar & defense, graduation, a women's tea at church, Mother's Day, a fishing day (of course), and Claudia's birthday. We had such a good time with them, and we were all very sad yesterday when they left. They are always very gracious to put up with our pint-sized apartment and one even tinier bathroom, and they never complain about the chaos.

Claire was acting pretty grumpy and strange when they first got here, but she perked up after we stopped handing her to new babysitters every five minutes (and after some of the teething pain subsided, I think). Once cheerful, she was eager to show off her new explosion of vocabulary words. I think she's learned about 15-20 words in the last week and a half. It has been astounding to me...all of the sudden, I understand her!

Isaac was of course beside himself with excitement and joy at their arrival. He got to show off all his new tricks, and go fishing with the guys one evening. I think he probably talked Mom & Dad's ears off, but they probably enjoyed that.

We were really glad to celebrate Mom's birthday with her...we hadn't been around for that illustrious holiday before. You can see that the kids were pretty excited about her cake--and Isaac even ate some, which was a shocker.

Just one quick story from today. I was at the grocery store with the kids, picking out some feta and minding my own business, when the Socially Awkward Fairy came along and sprinkled some dust on my son's head. He looked at the lady next to us in the aisle and said in such a loud, excited voice, "Mama! That lady has A BIG BELLY!"

Now really, what do you do?!?!?! I desperately wished for a hole to open up at my feet and swallow me whole, but to no awail. Then I thought, "well, she DOES have a big belly--maybe she's heard that before." And then I realized there was nothing I could do. He was way too loud to pretend that it hadn't happened. So I just had him apologize to the lady. He absolutely got the big-bellies-make-some-people-sad-please-don't-mention-it-in-public speech when we got to the safety of the car, but if you have any good ways of dealing with that type of incident (which will probably recur), please enlighten me!

Goodbye, Mr. Whitaker...

...hello, Dr. Whitaker!

Thursday was a turning point for the Whitaker family--Vance gave his seminar, defended his thesis, and got his PhD! We are very proud of all his hard work! It's hard to believe it's come to an end. Although he still has some things to wrap up, prepping his chapters for publication and such, the big deal is done.

For those of you who are waiting and wondering what the next step is for us...the answer is that we don't know. We are definitely learning to wait and trust that God has worked out our future for us, even though we have no idea what it looks like at this point. Really, all we know is that it probably doesn't look like anything we've planned ourselves... I've been very blessed by God's merciful gift of timely sermons, reminding me who I'm trusting in, and how worthy of my trust he is.

But for now, we're not really thinking much about what we can't know. We're just celebrating!

Sweet Success

You may remember a story from last fall about my big and little fishermen: both very eager, the latter really wanting to catch a fish, the former just wanting to see the worms dumped out into the lake. Well, a long winter stands between that day and yesterday...a winter in which Isaac has spent poring over Vance's fishing photo book, pointing out muskies and smallmouth and northerns, and talking incessantly about the day he will catch a "BIIIG smallmouth bass". He has been fishing in the sandbox in the backyard, fishing for baby Claire in the house, and asking constantly when the fish will wake up. Finally, Vance decreed it to be time. You can see that Isaac is armed with all the essentials: his "new" tackle box (heirloomed to him from V), a water bottle, his self-titled fishing had, and Sparky (for moral support, I suppose).

We were going to a park, or at least that's what it said on the map. Anticipating a playground and a photo-op, we girls tagged along. Turns out that the "park" was really just a marsh, and there wasn't even really a place to park. The water levels looked pretty low, and after trudging around in the underbrush, I began to get worried that we had gone through a lot of work for another repeat performance. Nonetheless, it was good father-son bonding time.

But joy! Look at that fine specimen on the hook there! And look at those faces! Which one is more excited, do you think? Hard to say, but Isaac was the only one I saw out there doing the happy dance.

Vance did all of the casting, all of the hooking, but Isaac got to reel in about 4 sunnies and pan fish. He was THRILLED. If you're not blinded by the joy in Isaac's face, you might notice Claire in the corner, getting filthy-dirty-wet and chunking rocks into the water. That's what she spent her time doing, and she had almost as much fun as Isaac, I think.

Good friends, good times

We had small group at our house yesterday, and amazingly enough, had everyone at the same place at the same time! Knowing that we have a lot of changes in our group coming up, we took advantage of the chance for a group picture. Seeing these faces that I have come to love very dearly brings a smile to my face. What a fine looking group :)

Get in Gear

Today was my first-ever road race, and it was pretty fun! See me there in the blue? Just kidding--that was the elite wave of 10k runners...the people who ran 6 miles in half an hour. I was in a little different league. :)

There were a ton of people there...7,000 runners for the 4 different events. You could tell the serious runners from the hobby runners from the weekend warriors, but it was amazing to see how many people came out to RUN. Not being a runner myself, I felt like I was stepping into someone else's world for a few hours.

I started out 2/3 of the way back, because I didn't want to get in the way of the people who were actually trying to get a good time. But I ended up behind a lot of people who were even slower than me, so I spent a good part of the first mile weaving in and out, just trying to get in a good space.

I could tell we were getting close when everyone kept saying, "There's the bridge! There's the bridge!" (where we had started). The goal in sight, I pushed on and stopped right after I pounded the time pad. It seemed a little anti-climactic, but I didn't have anything to compare it to. Then a guy on the sidelines said, "Come on! You can finish it out!"...and then I suddenly remembered that the finish line was farther up the hill than the starting place. Gaa! It was hard to muster up the energy for that last .2 mile, short as it was. I'm pretty sure I didn't push it to the finish line the "second" time. :)

It was supposed to be rainy and cold, but the sun came out just in time, and it was a beautiful day for a run. I came in 505th out of 1054 women, and 121st out of 221 people in my age-range. I definitely would like to improve my times, but for now I was just glad to have finished! Vance is already talking about me running a 10k next year...

Sprouted Bread

Bread baking has been something I've enjoyed since I was in my early teens...I'm sure it's romantic connection to women for centuries past, the cathartic rocking motion of the kneading, and the praise from my family had something to do with it. In those days I was an occaisional, white-bread baker--now I bake (almost) all the bread for our family, and I try to keep it as whole-grain as possible. The recipe below represents my current favorite marriage of health food and yumminess.

If bread intimidates you, don't let it! I was raised in the meticulous, yeast-proofing, thermometer using, watch-your-dough-like-a-hawk tradition. But the more I learn about the science of bread baking, the more I realize that you can really throw most of that out the window. You can use cold water! You don't have to proof the yeast! You can throw your dough in the fridge and leave it there for days! And best of all, even if your loaf is a little dense or a little dry, your family will still inhale it. Just watch them.

Sprouted Grain Bread

3 c. sprouted grains, from 1 1/2 c. grain*
3/4 c. milk, heated (I use half water, half milk)
1 t. salt
2 T honey
2 T oil (I use half butter, half coconut oil)
1 1/2 c. flour**
2 1/4 t. yeast

*if using grains other than wheat, be sure that some of your mixture has reasonably high gluten content (such as spelt, kamut, etc.) I would reccommend 75% of your grains be higher gluten.
**You can use bread flour, all-purpose flour, or whole wheat flour + 2-3 T gluten, depending on how light you like your loaf. The loaf pictured is made with whole wheat flour and 2 T extra gluten.

Combine sprouts, oil, and milk in food processor. Process for several minutes, while you measure out your other ingredients. In the bread machine pan, pour all ingredients in the order suggested by your breadmaker. Set on "dough only" cycle or similar.

After the dough has been mixing for 5 minutes or so, check it. Interpreting dough texture is (to me) the trickiest part of bread baking. You want the dough to be soft and supple, but not sticky. If it seems sticky or wet, add flour 1/4 c. at a time.

When the dough has completed it's first rise, spread out on a floured surface, and shape into loaf. Place into greased 9x5 pan, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until double, about 45 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes, and let cool on wire rack.

Enjoy!

If you don't have a bread maker, I'd be happy to reformat the instructions for you. Just drop me a line or a comment, and I'll send it on :)

Hidden Falls

Vance proposed a picnic dinner out to a park tonight...who was I to oppose takeout? So we went to Hidden Falls, right on the Mississippi. The falls were nothing to write home about, but the kiddos had fun "hiking" the 1/3 mile up to the water.
See that shiner? It was much more impressive on Tuesday.

my little rockclimber

mmm..Quizno's by the river.

first exposure to soft drinks, I think :)