Travelin'

Mom and I packed my little black Vibe (with a sunroof!) last Tuesday night and backed out of the driveway about 7:30 Wednesday morning, heading north for Indianapolis and the American Christian Fiction Writers Conference.

We arrived at the Hyatt Regency Thursday evening and settled into a comfortable room overlooking a small courtyard with fountains of water shooting into the air.

The conference, a huge event, was fun, informative, but also overwhelming. I'm still trying to process everything I experienced. A few highlights:

• Jeanie and Clella, two of my Kindred Hearts, drove a couple hours each (one way) to have lunch with Mom and me. We had a great time chatting and laughing.
• I met my agent, Tamela Hancock Murray, for the first time in person, and ate breakfast with her and some of her other authors.
• I pitched my novel to two publishers and one wants to see the proposal.
• Free books!

Mom and I are in Dayton now, visiting with one of my brothers and his family. Tomorrow we head down to the southern Ohio hills for a few days of internet-isolation and relaxation. This Saturday is a family reunion potluck.

We're making memories with every mile that clicks over on that little Vibe's odometer.

For whatever life holds for you and your family in the coming days,

weave the unfailing fabric of God's Word through your heart and mind.

It will hold strong, even if the rest of life unravels.

Gigi Graham Tchividjian

Christmas and Cookout

This photo was taken the first week in January. That's our undecorated Christmas tree and our just-used grill.

One of the blessings of living in the Sunland!

A Jeremy Moment

The Scene: eating supper with Bethany, Justin, and Jeremy.

Bethany: I don't know why everyone thinks Jeremy looks like Justin. He has my ears, my eyes, my hair color.

Jeremy: Mommy, do you want your ears back?

The Truth Is Out!

I've been keeping a secret from my daughters for about three weeks now. But when I called Bethany from my car just before pulling into her driveway, the truth came out!

When I say that I was calling Bethany from my car, I mean exactly that . . . I was calling her from the phone number assigned to my 2009 Pontiac Vibe by OnStar. As fun as it was to make a call, that's not my favorite feature of the Vibe. No, it has something even better than its own phone number. It has . . .

A SUNROOF!

Unraveling Threads

The tag clerk asked for a phone number and Nate gave his cell phone number instead of our home number

The title is in his name . . . and only his name.

The insurance clerk "moved" him from my car to his own vehicle.

He'll be getting his own E-pass account for the toll roads.


The threads that bind a child to his parents continue to unravel and today it unraveled into a long loose string of a new kind of freedom and responsibility.

Joys of Being a Field Mom

Yep! That's me -- a field mom. As in "track and field." Nate doesn't participate in track. He participates in field. This means that, for more years than I can tell you, we have collected dicuses (or would that be disci?). Let's just call them discs. Who knew there could be so many differences between one discus and another? Things like balance and rim thicknesses.

A couple of discs have taken up residence in the back seat of my car and a few more are in the trunk of Jeff's car. Others are in the garage.

Last week, we got a new field implement -- a very long, colorful, pointed javelin. Nate and I went out in the back yard today and he showed me how to throw it. Not how to run and throw it, just how to stand still and throw it.

Sorry, there was no photographer to record the momentous event. But isn't that a cute photo of my flying high son?

At least, the javelin doesn't get left in the car. No, when it's not being used, it's in a long cylindrical tube leaning in the corner between the doors to the utility room and the garage.

I love being a field mom, I really do*

Birth Day and Birthdays

Jedidiah William Jett entered the world on July 15th at 10:32 a.m. Here he is with his beaming parents, Justin and Bethany, and his big brother, Jeremy. But our celebrating had just begun.

• July 17: our new son-in-law Jacob celebrated his birthday
• July 18: my dad's birthday

And yesterday, July 21st, we celebrated Nate's 18th birthday with a cookout. The celebrating isn't over yet, though.

• July 26: Jeff's birthday
• August 1: Bethany's birthday
• August 11: my brother Adam and his wife celebrate their anniversary
• August 15: my parents' anniversary
• August 21 or 22 (?): my mom's birthday

Conversations with a Two-Year-Old

You are so cute.
I sexy.
You're sexy?
Natalie says me that. I got in her truck with my suit.

*****

Why are you so adorable?
Because I'm picking my nose.

A Grandmother's Favorite Words

• I sleep good. That means Jeremy has awakened after enough sleep to be smiling and cheerful
• Where's Malize? He wants me!
• I love you. Self-explanatory.

Our Visitor

We have an adorable, energetic, cute-as-a-button toddler staying with us for several days. We get to play with Jeremy while Bethany and Justin are on a youth group trip to the Florida Panhandle.

Today Jeremy told me how baby brother Jedidiah, whose planned appearance is mid-July, pushed against his hand. He thought it was pretty neat. And he's excited about "going on the airplane with Daddy to Minnesota" later this summer.

We're having fun, but I'm already planning to sleep a straight twenty-four hours once Jeremy's reunited with his parents*

Sports Star

Nathaniel's photo was in the paper again this week -- this time the Varsity section of the Orlando Sentinel. The photo is an action shot taken at last Saturday's state meet at Showalter Field in Winter Park. Nathaniel placed fifth -- only a mere three inches behind fourth place and a foot behind third!

We're so proud of his accomplishments: a 10-0 season; Orange Belt Conference champ for the third year in a row; 2nd in districts and regionals; 5th at state.

Three cheers for Nate!!!

The Baby Is . . .

. . . a precious little boy! Yes, we're expecting our second grandson in July. My daughter Bethany and her husband Justin invited me to go along to the ultrasound on Monday. We counted tiny fingers and marveled that we could have this glimpse into such a dark and private world.

Jeremy is going to be a big brother. Though he announces it with great pride, we're pretty sure he has no idea that a little intruder is headed his way. Being with this young family at this point in their life makes me wistful for those days when I was the young pregnant mom.

For about three minutes.

I cherish the memory of those days, but I don't want to go back. I love the now and the rhythm and patterns of these days.

This is the day that the Lord hath made! I will rejoice and be glad in it!

Panic!

The deadline for mailing manuscripts to the Florida Christian Writers Assn. conference is February 20, a mere twelve days away. So why am I on blogspot instead of WordPerfect? Good question! I have a book proposal for my novel to revise, an article to write, and a nebulous idea to develop for a second book proposal. I take strange solace in knowing I'm not the only one in imaginative and creative overdrive. My five WordChick pals are as intent as I am on thinking and planning, writing and re-writing. Our slogan is HIP/BIC (Hearts in Prayer / Bottoms in Chair).

I spent last week in Ohio. An unplanned trip -- my uncle died unexpectedly after heart surgery. The minister was right, though. My uncle did not have a heart problem. He was a sweet and gentle man who is now enjoying eternity. A sadness for us, yes, but also an occasion for seeing so many cousins and children of cousins. A joyful family reunion is being planned for September in the Symmes Valley region in southern Ohio. This is where our grandparents lived before moving their family north to the New Holland/Washington Courthouse area in the 1920s-1930s.

No surprise that it's much colder in Ohio than it is in Florida in the month of February. I saw snow, bought a pair of boots, drank cocoa, and cuddled up with a warm blanket.

One of my goals this year, after the writing conference, is to add to the family genealogical record by researching our feminine ancestors and writing about their adventures. And, perhaps, their misadventures.

Greetings!

It's Saturday night and grandson Jeremy, who's almost two, called a little while ago to sing me a song. When I was a younger gal, I couldn't imagine being a grandmother. That was for old people! But here I am, loving every phone call, hug, and cuddle from that sweet little boy. And in July, he'll have a sibling! Life is too good and we are so blessed. Not only are we adding a new grandchild to our family circle, but we recently added our second son-in-law. I may have dreaded the coming of this age ten or twenty years ago, but now that I'm here . . . I wouldn't trade it for anything. "He seldom reflects on the days of his life," wrote the wise king, "because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart" (Ecclesiastes 5:20).