Tanner's Prayer

Today was the ideal vacation day. Plenty of relaxation, sprinkled with out-of-the-norm outings, and ending how all ideal days should~ with a bowl of ice cream!

Yes, it's true that I ordered Cookies-N-Cream and ended up devouring my hubby's Chocolate Almond Waffle Cone! Please don't judge, you would have done the same, too!

 

For starters, there was sleeping in until 9:30am! Which, for those of you with kids, is the equivalent to 2 in the afternoon. I might as well have eaten bon-bons and stayed in my fat pants all day... it was decadent. I do dress after enjoying a fabulous cup of coffee in a pearl, skinny mug that seems so vacationy and different than my chubby mugs at home, mugs that require both of my hands wrapped around to meet fingers. Even using different bath towels, and eating on resort china lends a subtle nuance of staying in a place away from home, a place appropriately named vacation.

There was the walk with cousins and my sister-in-law Rondi, noting trees that dance and shimmer, their green coins like tiny cymbals. Here, the air is different, crisp and fresh, lacking the saltiness of our beach town.

There was lunch, Bryan and I side by side, making turkey and provolone sandwiches, a treat from the independent, everyday schedule of just me and the boys. Smiling 'round the table, our mouths covered in chip crumbs, we are a family oblivious to the day, time, or urgency of a schedule.

There was venturing into Bend, The Old Mill, window shopping, and trying my new soy palette at an homey organic coffee shop. We discover a foodies dream store ~ selling spices, rubs and extracts, their top-seller, a pesto spice, popular when seasoning chicken or making guacamole. I'll be visiting again before the week is over.

There was spinach salad dinner, a feast for our eyes and mouths, inviting a colorful party of red and orange sweet peppers, grilled chicken, green onions, black beans, yellow sweet corn, drizzled with home-made cilantro garlic dressing.

There was the Fish Hatchery adventure. Sweatshirts on the inseparable cousins, we watch the horizon tug at the sun, drawing its warm temperature down with the ball of fire, each child gifted a quarter. Coin in, turn the handle, open lever, and out spill pellets ~ fish food for 24-inch rainbow trouts. Jumping, water rippling, the kids can't suppress their delight in feeding thousands of open-mouthed trout. Ty's chilly hand holds mine, tight. Mostly to ground himself from falling in the water, or perhaps, because he likes holding his mama's hand. Either way, I'll take it.

Umbrellaing the coming and goings, the savoring and sippings, is the chipping away that God is doing in my spirit today. It's slow-coming, like drinking salty, hot cocoa and feeling the all-over warmth seconds later. I'm steeping in His time, in His teaching, in His soft whispers. My brain is doing much thinking, so much that it carries over into my dreams, echoing His words about what I must let go of,  how to find freedom in His affirmation alone. I fight the urgency to learn this lesson and move on. Instead, I take advantage of the non-hurried, vacation mindset my thoughts and heart are in, following suit with His Truth prodding throughout the day.

And it's big! Life-changing big! What God's Spirit is uncovering in the sticky corners of my heart- scooping and scraping out to make room for space and light- will be a mountain step in my faith journey. It's a process not to be hurried or forced, but to lean into, and listen, as if my life depends on it. Because it does. My life must be changed. I can't sense His tug, and ignore it. I must turn over control to the Maker of All, allowing Him to transform this inner war into peace. Where self-talk or positive outlook can be fabricated from my merit, His work will heal completely, as only the Healer can... I can't wait to share the process with you!

Finally, there was Tanner's bed-time prayer: 
"God, I love you, I love you brave. I hope that everyone {he names every. single. person. in our family} is having a good time this week. You make my heart happy...  I pray that you are proud of me..."

From the mouth of babes. It doesn't get more simple and sweet than that.

As I settle into an over-sized bed, much larger than at home, I echo my son's prayer...

God, I love you, I love you BRAVE! You make my heart happy. I pray that you are proud of me.

There, the perfect end to an ideal vacation day.

A slice of Sunriver, Oregon heaven!

Vacationing with my hubby's side of the family is in full swing!

At the age of 4, Bry's memories began, their family of 6 piled into the Volkswagon Bus, sans air conditioning, Beach Boys blaring, the 14-hour road-trip en route to Sunriver, Oregon for a week of pure bliss. And now the family has grown to 3 daughter-in-laws, 6 grandkids, and a partridge in a pear-tree in the form of 3 suedo granddogs! We come from Encinitas, San Dimas, Carlsbad, Rancho Santa Margarita, and Huntington Beach by car and plane.

Every other summer, we anticipate this time, packing sweaters for the chilly evenings, and plenty of sunscreen for swimming, river-floating, and biking. Surprises await the cousins in coloring books, and glow sticks for the epic tradition of after-dark dance parties, the youngin's coming down from their sugar highs, and full, played-out days.

Seven days of endless bike paths, floating down the Deschutes River, enjoying home-made dinners on the porch,walking into the Village to enjoy Goody's flavor of the day {waffle cone, please}, savoring sweet family moments and holding them close until two summers from now, when the family returns to this slice of heaven in Sunriver, Oregon.

And heaven it is!

Settling into our condo, each family is greeted by the thoughtful assurance of mom and dad: fresh ground coffee for the morning's brew, creamer in the fridge, bananas and oatmeal, wipes and diapers for the babes. Extra, small notions that grow my heart.

It's going to be a special week!

The morning sun stares through the skylight and cheers us out of bed, beckoning us outside amongst the pine trees, shining river, his rays illuminating the bike paths and sprinkling of flowers.

Oh, the flowers!

Queen Ann's Lace scatters among the river brush, their cream faces lifted, reflecting glory to their Creator. Baseball size wish flowers, and lavender, furry-orbed puffs. Neon magenta petals push their way above the reeds, mini joy explosions of beauty. I can't process it fast enough. His Glory is manifested all around.

In the trees, vibrant hues on every leaf. Green, a thousand shades, underfoot to high above. He spared no expense when creating Sunriver!

As always, we start the first morning with the traditional bike loop, pausing near the local airport, model airplanes sputtering down the runway and barely breathing as they float horizontally above the ground. Tanner and Ty pop their curls out of the bike trailer to watch, their eyes still, the four of us squinting in the sun. Magic moments, these are! Built upon one another, they create a mountain of memories.

We bike further down the path, and approach Sunriver Stables, a barn welcoming horse-rides. Tanner debuted his first pony-ride on our last trip, at age 2. "Blueberry" was the appointed pony and walked an unsure toddler around the ring. Fast-forward to the present, our oldest now four, and Ty where Tanner was then, with all the confidence his spirit can contain. Amazing how two years grows us~ it promises stronger determination and more steady footing. Looking at my oldest, I see former fear replaced with excitement at the opportune, an eagerness to try. And my heart grows.

Comfortable afternoon hours settle into reading on the porch, Ty napping in the corner room. Cousins shoot their dart guns, others walk to the Village Country Store for fresh peaches and milk. Rondi and mom prepare dinner while baby Wyatt crawls on the white sheet, it's soft cotton hugging the grass lawn. Dad and Kristy play Ladderball and I sip a glass of wine, the most reverent act one can do while sitting on a porch.

Dinner is ready, and we gather inside to hold hands and thank the Lord for this food, this family, this place, where for one week of our busting-at-the-seams summer, we fly or drive to be together, and enjoy a slice of Sunriver heaven!