WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE ON

We have LOVED our season passes to the family-run amusement park that we've visited all summer (thanks Grandparents for the great birthday gifts!)! We've gone many times and spent a 7-8 hour day riding rides and enjoying the wave pool and water slides. But the one thing that we have not done is stay until closing, when it is dark. I'm sure the girls could have made it, but Mom (that's me!) was always wiped out by that time. So yesterday, after just two hours at the park, Avery & Ella suggested (in a persistent way) that this was the day to come back "when the lights are on". So we went home for an afternoon break and dinner and returned to ride the rides until the park closed.

The first 1.5 hours were still daylight, so we enjoyed some of our favorite rides and anticipated what was coming (when the lights come on!).

By 8:00 it was getting dark and we decided to ride Ella's most favorite ride, the YoYo (this is her favorite because she was finally tall enough to ride it, halfway through the summer :)

Next, Avery decided to wait (and wait, and wait, and wait) in line for her favorite ride, the "Screamin' Eagle"

During Avery's wait in line, Ella and I went to the "kiddie rides" -- maybe this will be her last summer to enjoy them! The boat she rode in had a very fitting title as we close our our summer . . .

Sea U Later summer -- it's back to school tomorrow!

AWAY FROM HOME

Last week my grandma, who is 96 years old, moved into a new home. She has lived in the same small town her entire life and this move to assisted living, about an hour away from her hometown, is a practical, necessary move at this stage in her life. She is now close to my mom and dad and my sister, Coleen, and they will be able to visit her often. The girls and I traveled to see Grandma earlier this week and it was hard to see her so disoriented and unhappy. She just wants to go home.

As I was driving to and from my visit with Grandma, I thought a lot about "home". I am a home-body. I like to be home. It is safe and comfortable and I can be myself there. I can understand why this move is hard for Grandma. But I've been thinking about what the Bible says about home . . . that this world is not my real home. That I am like an alien and stranger on earth (1 Peter 2:11). That we are longing for a better country in heaven and that God has prepared a city for us there (Hebrews 11:15-16).

Grandma was so sad that she refused to let me take her picture with the girls. So I am including a picture, taken last September when we celebrated Grandma's 95th birthday.


When I got home on Tuesday night, I read this poem in my devotional book (this is the final stanza):
And now "my Home is God", and sheltered there,
God meets the trials of my earthly life,
God compasses me round from storm and strife,
God takes the burden of my daily care.
O wondrous Place! O Home divinely fair!
And I, God's little one, safe hidden there.
Lord, as I dwell in You and You in me,
So make me dead to everything but Thee;
That as I rest within my Home most fair,
My soul may evermore and only see
My God in everything and everywhere;
My Home is God -- author unknown

Grandma with 9 of her 13 great-grandkids.


"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms . . . I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."
--Jesus (John 14:1-3)

FRIENDS

Avery calls her closest friends her "besty-best" friends. I am thankful that God has blessed me with MANY besty-best friends -- going back as far as high school! Recently I was a part of a special day -- Kim & Jason's wedding. Besides the honor and fun of helping them with the details, I loved spending time with some of my besty-best friends (I will call them BB's) who came from near and far to celebrate the occasion. One of my BB's, Kim, was my co-coordinator. We had a great time working together to get the bridal party down the aisle and finding a safe place for the gifts!

No one will ever know if we planned the polka dots . . . was it a coincidence or not?

Liz did an AMAZING job with the reception. She is so talented and has a huge servant's heart!

One of the highlights for me was spending time (not enough!) with Penny and Susanna who traveled from far away to celebrate with Jason & Kim.
A verse that reminds me of my BB's is 1 Thessalonians 5:11, "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing" I am so thankful for my friends -- they are a precious gift from God!

KIND-OF COUSINS

The best way to describe my girls' relationship with Calvin, Abigail and Easton is "kind-of cousins". They have the kind of friendship that doesn't get unfamiliar, even after months of separation. Yesterday they enjoyed a reunion, as Susanna and the kids were in town for a few days. They fell into their regular routine of "house" with Avery and/or Abigail in charge and acting as the mom (of course!).

Since it was a hot and sunny day, we enjoyed a lot of outside time, including a picnic and water play. Oh how we miss Susanna, Dan and our "kind-of cousins"!

WEDDING COORDINATOR

I have a new title to add to my resume of experiences -- "wedding coordinator". About 5 months ago, my good friends, Kim & Jason, asked me to coordinate their wedding. I was honored to be asked and baffled about what exactly that would mean! Over these last months, I have learned a lot, and yesterday Kim & Jason became "Mr. & Mrs." It was beautiful! Everything went smoothly and it was a meaningful and memorable ceremony and reception.

Here is a picture of Kim and her mom, Fray before the wedding.

Kim & Jason's sisters were all bridesmaids. Here is a picture of Kim's sister, Allison, and Kim G. who helped me coordinate the details of the ceremony.

This is a picture of Jason & Kim, after the wedding, with one of their flower girls, Abigail. When Ella looked at this picture, she pointed to Kim and Jason and said "This is now the Zentz family". I love how God formed a family through the covenant that they made to each other! What a special day!

THE COTTAGE

When we visit Grandma & Grandpa W. in the summer we go to "the cottage". It is a beautiful, peaceful place to spend a couple of days. Mom & Gary have created a wonderful home-away-from home where they spend a good part of their summers. Friday was a rainy day, so there was a lot of game playing, rock collecting (in between showers) and inside play. This worked out fine, as Maria took the opportunity to go visit (Great) Grandma Hall in the hospital. But Saturday was sunny and warm so we got outside.

The girls had quite a few rides in the paddle boat, first with Grandma and then with me.

Ella, our little helper, saw Grandma scrubbing the paddle boat and immediately asked if she could help. Later she told me "Mom, we just washed the boat and now it's dirty! Wash it -- dirty -- wash it -- dirty. Isn't that how life goes?" I guess she can relate to what it feels like to be a mom!

Avery was excited to go swimming, but was a little less enthusiastic when she felt the seaweed.

We rounded out the day with a ride in Grandpa's pontoon boat. Both Avery and Ella got a chance to "drive". Notice Eric in the background, resting his back. Laying down has been his primary position for the past 6 weeks :(

Thank you Mom & Gary for a fun mini-vacation! To see more pictures from our trip to the cottage, click here

PRESENTING "THE ARISTOCATS"!

Friday night and Saturday morning Avery and Ella had their theatre debut, performing in the musical The Aristocats. It was a great show! Avery played Berlioz, an Aristocat kitten, and Ella was an Alleycat in the ensemble. A very fun "perk" included personalized seats in the dressing rooms for performers :)


Our good friend, Heidi was also an Aristocat in the ensemble. It was fun to see Heidi and her family a lot throughout these last two weeks!

We enjoyed family and friends joining us to watch the performance. And of course we had to go for ice cream afterwards!

On Saturday afternoon, following the final performance, we attended the cast party. Tug-of-war and a pinata were huge hits!

Overall we were very pleased (and impressed) with the quality of the program and educational component. The girls learned theater technique, terms and etiquette -- I learned a lot too! While it was an intense two weeks (I would recommend it for older kids -- 8 and up) Avery is already talking about doing it again next summer.

O HAPPY DAY, HAPPY DAY!

One of my new favorite songs is written by Steve Fee. The lyrics go like this:

Oh happy day, happy day

You washed my sin away

Oh happy day, happy day

I'll never be the same

Forever I am changed

This is the perfect theme song for the day we had today. At 10:00 am we participated in the groundbreaking for our new 700 seat worship center. It has been awesome to see how God provided over 3 million dollars for this building -- all from the sacrifice of people who love Jesus and want others to know His love too. The perimeter of our new sanctuary was outlined in white on the ground and shovels were placed around the border. Mayor Duffy was present, along with a couple of news crews, and after some praise songs we each had the opportunity to dig into the ground, beginning the foundation for our new worship center. I am bummed that I forgot my camera -- the image of Avery and Ella digging in the ground was beautiful!

Later in the day we gathered at the lake for our annual "Church at the Beach" celebration.

The line of people out in the water include the 13 adults and kids who were baptized, as well as the people who baptized them.

Our neighbor, Anaja and Cousin Kelli came with us. It was amazing!

Truly a Happy Day in every way. We loved singing praises to God in a gorgeous place that He created and listening to the stories of 13 people who've given their lives to Jesus. I've included a few photos, but you can see the album if you click here. O happy day, happy day!

INTERESTING ANGLES

Last night we had a family get-together at our house. Ella asked to use the digital camera to take some pictures and she very diligently and responsibly moved around the house, photographing the different people who were here. I love that a 6-year old sees life so differently. She captured many different angles:
TYLER
AIDAN

ERIC

She made unique photo choices (our family picture from 2002!)

And she even had a few traditional, good shots!
JILL & AVERY
I love my clever little Ella!

MAKING DO

Last week the girls and I went to see "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" at the theater. We all loved it! The movie is set in 1934, during the Great Depression, and we had some good talks about how life was different then and the many things that we can take for granted.

Grandpa & Grandma Connor have been visiting and yesterday Avery and Ella decided that they were going to "decorate" Grandma and me.

They used "weaving loops" (the kind that you can weave into potholders on little looms). In fact, I believe this particular bag was Eric's when he was a little boy :)

Anyway, at the end of the "decorating", Avery said "I did a good job making do with what we have" This was a direct quote from Kit Kittredge. I guess she learned an important lesson, albeit an interesting life application!

ARISTOCATS & ALLEYCATS

Avery and Ella started a summer theater camp this week. This is a new thing for us -- we've never done a lengthy summer camp like this before. So far they love it! Today was the big AUDITION day -- another first for them! They were given their script yesterday -- an abridged version of the Disney musical, "Aristocats" -- and they were instructed to practice their lines and song for auditions today. Avery decided to audition for a lead role, which meant that she had to practice dialogue and sing a solo. Ella chose to try out for the ensemble. She also auditioned dialogue and sang with a group. I came early to pick them up and was able to see both of them perform their speaking parts.

Well, we got the cast list this afternoon and we are excited! Avery got the role of Berlioz -- an Aristocat kitten. She will have dialogue and songs to memorize and she is already marking up her script. Ella was cast in the Alleycat ensemble -- a role that will include singing and dancing with the rest of the cast. We are excited for both of them as they take on this fun endeavor!

They will perform "The Aristocats" on Friday, August 1 at 7:00 pm and Saturday, August 2 at 10:00 am. If you are interested in coming to the show, let me know and I will give you more details.

MARION'S BROCCOLI SALAD

My mom has a great recipe that she has passed along to my sisters and I. Through the years, we have shared the directions to make this awesome dish with our friends and families. Today I was asked again to share the "secret", so here it is!

MARION'S BROCCOLI SALAD
2-3 stalks of broccoli -- cut up & discard stems
1/2 lb. cooked & crumbled bacon
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup golden raisins

Combine the following and mix with other ingredients:

1 cup Miracle Whip
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. apple cider or white vinegar

Here is my mom, Marion, with 5 of her granddaughters. The Tillis family produces a lot of girls!

P.S. I added one extra ingredient that was not in my mom's original recipe. Can you guess which one it is??

FUN FAMILY TIMES

We are having a great time with Eric's dad (Jim) and Sharon with us! Below you see Aunt Sheila, Sharon, Dad and Uncle Emmet.

Today we gathered at Darrin & Jill's house for a fun family BBQ. Well, it was supposed to be a BBQ, but it was pouring a good part of the day. So we enjoyed fun times inside -- especially the cousins!

Later, most of us took a long walk. Eric didn't make it far because of his back, so I went home with him. But Avery and Ella trekked the whole way.

For the full photo album of fun, click here

MOMMY, CAN I HELP YOU?

This is the phrase I often hear from Ella. She is a GREAT helper -- hard-working, detailed, and cheerful. Whether it is dusting, making beds or breaking up bacon for a salad (like this morning!) I can always count on my little helper to volunteer and make my job easier.

Before too long, Avery showed up to help too. I guess even work can be fun if you're doing it with your best pal!

FIRST GRADE THOUGHTS

Today Avery brought me her journal from first grade to put in her "keepsake box". I LOVE reading it -- her thoughts are so precious. And it is amazing to see how she has developed in her spelling & handwriting in less than two years. Here are a couple of her entries:

November 15, 2006

"I am thankful for Mommy. Cose she cooks good. Also Dad he is home from work. Also God he dide on the coros. And Ella cose she is my sistr."

December 12, 2006

"I love trees thae are butuful Becuse thae reminde me of God thae are shapt like a triangl Gob is three in one like a triangl."

I love my beautiful Avery!

Avery -- November 2006 (6 years old)


Avery -- July 2008 (8 years old)

LITTLE FISHIES

Every summer I am amazed at the progress in Avery & Ella's swimming. Two weeks of lessons and they become like "little fishies" in the water! Ella started the summer fearful to get off the ladder. She refused to get in unless Eric or I would swim with her. But now she is taking off with no bubble and swimming with her face in the water! Avery is working on her dive and trying to get faster and faster times across the pool. We are thankful for our generous neighbors who let us swim in their pool whenever we want! To see more fun photos of Avery, Ella, and our neighbor friend, Anaja, click here

NEW LIBRARIES

Many of you know that one of our favorite summer activities is exploring new libraries. We love our county's library system because we can check materials out from any library and return them to any library. And there are almost 30 locations to choose from! We have already visited 7 different locations since school let out -- some old favorites and a few new. Today we visited a new library in the city and we loved it!

As Avery and I were selecting books and DVDs, Ella was reading to a new friend.

Then, much to their delight, they were invited to play cards with a group of girls.

The only problem with all of these library trips is the heavy bag of books at the end!

(photo taken by Avery)