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With such torn hearts, we actually had a conflict on Halloween! Our dear, family friend, Corie Morton, married to her "Hokie Michael", as we refer to him...at 4:00pm, 30 minutes away, the year that our neighborhood decides to start the Halloween parade and trick or treating at 5:00pm.
When you've had the courtship that God intended, you press on with the wedding even during a pandemic.
Corie's been part of our lives nearly the entire 11 years we've lived here:
Swim lessons for Andrew when he was two, before we even knew what Fairview was
Go-to babysitter for years, before having the nerve to go to college and nursing school
Andrew's incredible age-group coach two summers ago
Faithful house and dog sitter since being back in C'ville
Faithful young woman, who I've had the honor to recommend for various positions. We are lucky to have her in our lives!
The service was beautifully Christ-centered. So refreshing. And Corie was a gorgeous bride, for whom I had to unmask for a quick picture before heading back home. So very sad to miss what was an incredible reception by all counts!
Our "hoopie", Storm Trooper and a BlueMan---likely our last year with all three into it!
Mom and Dad were going to be wedding guests, but Mom was tired of being cold, so became her hippie from a few years ago.
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We simply could not be more grateful (or impressed!) with what Olivet has done this fall for families, and the whole congregation. Monthly "Kingdom Kits" are available at fun, safe "pick-up" events that include distanced treats (Kona Ice, hot chocoloate, cider, Carter Mtn donuts...) and are so jammed packed full of activities and lessons we can't get through them all before it's time for another kit.
Wednesday evenings, the kids play handbells with Mr. Craig---brilliant how he color codes the songs for those that don't read music. The handbell choir has grown to 20+! Then the Killian-Lovell quartet plays a few ukulele songs.
Movie night and bonfire - perfect solution for no-contact fun!
Fort building, right in the middle of everything. Inevitable, I suppose.
Since limiting screen time is a joke, why not let him track his fantasy team while he watched football, and monitors his email?!?
It's Bubble-Up time! While Andrew admits he'll miss swimming under the stars at 9:00pm and 6:00am, he said he doesn't feel compelled to try to swim when it's colder than 42 degrees out. So up it goes!
Quite the masked team effort to pull the canvas over the entire pool! I only got hit by breaking ropes 3 times! You wouldn't believe what's underneath to keep it from sinking before the zipper can be assembled into place.
Oh, the clipboard!
Homeschooling this week---the spontaneous, sweet moments....
...the fun science labs...
...and the off-script science lesson of the day.
Masks off for 10 seconds at our King Family Vineyard bookclub---outdoors until we move into Ashley's heated garage. You do what you gotta do!
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I'm in Roanoke, just 2 hours from C'ville, with Andrew and Margaret for a meet tomorrow. So I decided to find the house Mom and Dad lived in (with Kate and Anne---7 and 3---respectively) for what turned out to be God's way of getting them from Richmond in the early-mid '70's to Columbia (1978-1991). It was a mere 9-month stop for them, but long enough to (almost) bring Emily and me on board. We were evacuated just 3 weeks after they moved from this house to Columbia. And what finds BOTH properties were!
They weren't kidding it's a STEEP hill up to the end of their street. This picture doesn't come close to doing it justice.
BIG, beautiful trees in the wonderful unique parking lot of a driveway, with a view to boot! What a great place to ride bikes!
As Mom described, you drive up to the side of the house.
Couldn't quite tell what was going on with the chain link fence in the back.
Heading towards the front door...
...the perfect serpentine wall of which they were so fond!
Oh, heck. As long as we're trespassing, why don't we go all out...
Andrew and Margaret stood by the car yelling at me to come on along quickly before I got arrested! (Good kids, I suppose:-)
But this huge, FLAT, driveway (we don't do flat in Charlottesville)....can you imagine raising kids here?!? Would have been a wonderful property!
501 Dillard Way SW :-)
Ironically, we got absolutely no pictures of the kids at their meet, only videos of their wonderful swims, including Andrew's 9% time drop (12-second) on his 100-breast! Margaret loved her 100-IM and Andrew was excited to have his first opportunity to swim the 200-free. A fun meet, even if COVID protocols kept us sitting in the car most of the day.
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As the insanity of COVID-19 continues, we march on and try to provide some normalcy for our kids and encourage focus on life's blessings.
Doing the best we can with church. Pros and cons in person---just a different set of circumstances to shepherd them through.
The hand-made water canon!
Molly (15!) voluntarily swam all the way across the river to stick with Andrew.
Some days the fish are bigger than others! Grateful to be walking distance here.
Sporting her new mask - Thank you, Tracey!
Olivet's small gatherings
When you lose a bet to your sister:-(
Clearly a good fit for our family...a lax ball is her favorite toy, and pillow, evidently.
Determined to conquer push-ups...his successful jump and pull was his first (and only one not documented).
When your best friend's 17-yr-old daughter is hospitalized 2 weeks after being hit by a car going 50mph, you do what you can to help...hospital visits, food, rides for the 9th grader, and river playdates for the 7-yr-old boy.
Margaret loves showing the way to our special spot.
Penny dragged in this massive stick, with which Matthew made her pose "since she's almost 1!"
Stopped by the Connellys to go to an Olivet event with them and David showed Margaret how to corralthe chickens back into their coop...if only corralling our little people were as easy as David made it look!
In town for another Dr's appt, Andrew seems to confidently have Dody now, regarldless of what shoes anyone is wearing.
The end of drylands in the rain...I thought Bailee told the girls to big step around the pool until she reminded them that they were to be lunging! LOL - I would not have guessed that based on their movements:-)
Michael and Margaret went to Baltimore to be with Susan post open-heart surgery, so some crabs came home to be picked.
Penny's favorite homework position.
Margaret's birthday present and new homeschooling game, "The Scrambled States" is a huge hit! Missing Andrew who swims late nights and early mornings now.
My buddy and I fixed the dining room table---sooooo proud!
Olivet continues to knock the socks off of COVID. Their creativity continues to amaze me. Kelly and Craig are coming up with amazing ways to engage the kids in socially distance ways.
Hide 'n Seek on the grounds; Sharks and Minnows with pool noodles
"Kingdom Kits" that were distributed at a safe on-property event, complete with Kona Ice - always a "crowd" pleaser.
Many activities to keep her busy at home, complete with lessons, prayer books, history, scripture and stories.
Weekly event outside with masks and only close to siblings...this was only half of the group that made the effort to come!
Handbells in the parking lot - can't read music? All you have to do is ring your bell when the pointed gets to the color bar of your color bell. Brilliant - and it worked! So many kids they had to divide the group between the bells and the playground in order to play hymns.
The Kingdom Kit included a cute jar of ingredients and instructions for baking Olivet's 140th birthday cake. Clever, once again!
The "Children's Sabbath" (their elementary version of Youth Sunday" went on as usual! Matthew and Margaret were asked to contribute the Call the Confession and Prayer of Confession. We are working on their public speaking and a 90-yr-old member called Pastor Seth to give his appreciation for their clarity---it DOES, indeed, matter:-)
