On Being Outdoors, 1

Mount Rogers Nat'l Rec. Area, May & June 2008...

"I lack the peace of simple things. I am never wholly in place." -WB

Now I know that being in Creation is not everyone's cup-o-tea. For the Fleenor family, we (or at least I, Matt) have experienced the greatest enjoyment outside of the confines of our home, i. e., spending our nights in a tent. To sit beside the (seemingly) ever-flowing stream while "receiving the river's grace", or to watch our kids frolicking in the river pursuing a salamander, or wrestling in the field while the butterflies dance, and even parked under a big green tarp for hours with only conversation to break the drone of the rain, These are the true pleasures of Life. We have had good experience with imparting to our kids a love and respect for the Creation. In all honesty, that was one of my biggest fears as a parent- that our kids would not enjoy the Creation as both M and I do. We are thankful that they've begun to share in this "simple pleasure" (mind you, packing the van with chairs and tents and LOTS of clothes is no simple task), and we hope that they continue to revel in it to an ever increasing degree- even surpassing our own love, respect, and enjoyment. Below are a few more pics from our recent adventures in SW VA's largest preserved space; May they inspire to take a more active stance in protecting the wild spaces of our country...

One tooth, Two teeth, Too Much for me!

The past couple of weeks have gone by in a blink.



Where has June gone and by the way where has my baby gone??






Besides the two camping trips, a beach trip, swim team beginning and kindergarten ending I have been overwhelmed by my growing, changing, adorable 6 year old. Not only do her mannerisms seem to have taken on a smarty swing that I am not used to, her face and looks seem to be so drastically changing that I can't keep up and I find myself often staring at her in sadness. Now I know why (maybe) my mom would be staring at me and I would give her the exhausted "WHAT?" "like, stop looking at me MMMOOOMMM!"

In the past couple of weeks, Anna Clare has turned into a kid who can pick up my spelling of words out so they won't know what i am talking about. She is constantly reading my mail, my mind, my eyes... i can't keep anything from her. She has this voice of, I am not going to say teenager, but older child! When she was at nana's this past week we had a phone conversation and it was like I was just talking to my friend. "what did you do today, mom?" "Oh, that is cool, we did something kinda like that..." "well, do you think you can come to the show (VBS performance)?" "Well, that is okay, maybe next time we can get it on the caleneder and you could come then" "well, it was great talking to you, mom, but I have to go now b/c i told nana i would look at something on the computer with her" I was left stuttering... well "o o o kay" We had just had a 20 min. conversation where my daughter was leading the conversation in every way and we both seemed to really enjoy it! I pray for phone conversations like that daily! (but not until she is older, you know what i mean)

I know I am getting a little sappy but like I said I am overwhelmed with it all! And to top it all off she has lost two teeth in the past three weeks. And her face has gotten freckles, that are just so adorable, but it all makes her look so different to me, my baby is a big girl.
Am I ready for this???

shut up and sweet tea

Can you remember as a child what you thought would be so great about being older (being an adult)?

I have been trying to think back to the day, when as a child, I thought it will be great when I am older because I will be able to do this... or that...

About a year ago, Boone waiting in the chick-fil-a drive thru where I had just ordered a sweet tea informed me that, "when i get older i am going to say shut up and drink sweet tea!" I thought that was so great! I think about the little things that we restrict our children from that are great pleasures to us, well sweet tea and diet coke are huge for me. Which is why he has put that as a top priority for his "when i get older to do list".

The one small pleasure I can remember dreaming on as a youngster was one day having control over the radio. Finally not having to listen to dad's bluegrass/gospel mixes, logan's Doors, greg's Keith Green and mom's easy listening. I actually can remember certain trips when we got to listen to amy grant, michael jackson, or chicago, some of my first favorite singers/groups.

Although, none of my families music is my favorite I do think their love of music and their different genres of music have stretched my love and appreciation for music. Which i am grateful for!

What about you??

... And Now, Marianne.

How does one begin to discuss meeting someone that at first annoys you because they are so light, so free, and so happy? Well, it begins by working with someone- sharing a desk. And then you get to a point where you begin to look at the other person and think, "Wow, what makes that person tick?" 13 months later, we're about as close as two people can get... Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Fleenor.

But Marriage is a funny thing. Sometimes one can be so close to another that the things you once appreciated seem to evaporate in the heat of argumentation, confusion, and sadness. At other times, the very thing that one loves about another person somehow becomes a point of contention. No matter how well you think you know someone pre-Marriage, the act of "becoming one" teaches us something new, reveals the unknown, and provides the opportunity to truly love the other- for Better and for Worse.

Marianne always wants the Best for me, and for our Family. That may be her best quality. She is always looking for a way to provide us with something unexpected, some undeserved gift, something surprising that makes us say "Wow." Unfortunately, we don't always have the means to provide that "unexpected thing", but hey, I love her for always thinking about us and always wanting us to be reminded of how special we are.

Marianne doesn't have a difficult time putting our Family ahead of herself. She is always thinking about what is best for us, for the kids, and for me. Sometimes it makes me sad, because I wish that I could provide more and give more time for the things that M wants for our family. Marianne is always looking ahead to next best thing for our family, and we are better because of it. She is always trying to clear the way so that our family can experience the best that Life has for us. Whether it's packing my clothes, making reservations, or packing that extra thing that we probably won't use, M is always trying to ensure the most joyful experiences for us and the kids. Who can fault that, right?

Another quality of Marianne's that I frequently enjoy is her forgetfulness. I know you're thinking, "No way, I'm sure that drives you crazy (ok, you're right; when it's the keys, the credit card...)." But when it comes to my mistakes, Marianne is the most forgetful person I know. Except for leaving early from our wedding reception and making her wait 5 years (ok M, six actually) to have our three beautiful kids, I can tell you that she's NOT reminded me of any of the other million things that I've done wrong over the past 13 years. She's so forgiving and understanding, and for this our marriage is much better.

Unfortunately, being married to another person really takes its toll on you. And marianne is not the same jovial, happy-go-lucky, bubbly person she once was. It makes me sad sometimes because I truly believe that I've played the lead role in shriveling M's fun-loving spirit. Yes, I'm the penny-pinching miser who never forgets anyone's mistakes and always kills everyone's joy by reminding them of everything that could go wrong. Thankfully, 13 years of being around marianne has had a positive effect on my soul, and I'm not the same "tightly wound" person I was then. For better and for worse, I'm still "loosely wound", but I'm hopeful for the next 13 years, and I'm thankful that i will spend them with you, marianne.

On Baseball....

I will begin to explain why Baseball is the best sport ever created and currently the best game going. Some will say "it's boring", but the same people say that about their own lives. And there in lies the rub. Baseball is such a great game because it is so much like Life. Every pitch counts and you mostly don't know which plays were important until you look back after a few innings. It is for that reason that I ALWAYS (attempt to) keep score at baseball games. You never know the important plays except in retrospect. Isn't that like Life also. We are each caught within our own innings and often seem trapped. But it's not until a few innings down the road that we say, "Oh, the third wasn't that bad."