A Mama's Heart on His Journey to Manhood: He's Almost 13

He's turning 13 soon.

I can't even wrap my mind around that. With both of my kids, I've loved watching their personalities emerge and I look forward to the days when we will be friends.

For now, our job is to raise them. Thirteen is a significant milestone on the journey to manhood, so we've decided to recruit some friends. During the six months leading up to Justus' birthday, he is spending an evening each month with a man he admires. The goal is to gain perspectives about what it means to be a godly man.

Jeremy and some buddies took him on a camping weekend back when he was eight to introduce the concepts. They use Raising A Modern Day Knight as a basis. The paraphrased qualities outlined there are:

• He accepts responsibility

• He rejects passivity

• He leads courageously

• He expects a greater reward

Fast-forward again to now. While Jeremy and I were setting up these outings with our friends, it occurred to me that I wanted in on the action! I told Jeremy I thought that having his mama weigh in on these things from a female perspective would be beneficial. So, I scheduled a date...

(He's almost as tall as me, y'all!)

We went to our favorite spot here in Sugar Land, Japaneiros. It was a packed house, so we sat at the sushi bar, but were kinda stuck in the middle so we couldn't really see what the chefs were doing. We had a great conversation. He made me laugh. It was cool out so, we chose Starbucks over Swirrl. As we walked, he flipped out about a Bentley, a Ducati and a 350Z. He's a car guy. Town Square on a Saturday night typically boasts a few interesting vehicles. And he showed his enthusiasm, as only Justus does, enough that some onlookers noticed his passion and commented on it. Ha. I've always said I wish I'd named him something that means enthusiasm!

We talked and laughed and shopped. When, we got home, I was exhausted, but he wasn't quite ready for the night to end so we sat on the couch together for a while. I feel privileged and blessed to be his mom.

The teenage train is coming. Even as a former youth minister with nearly a decade of experience, it's daunting and a whole different ball game when you're the parent!

God, help me lead Justus into manhood with Your love, Your grace, Your compassion and Your best for him in mind. Bless his teenage years with godly friends, growth, wonderful opportunities and the ability to leave a positive mark on his world for You.

Irony

I already told you how excited I was to dump 2013 and move on to better things in 2014. We greeted the New Year, as a family, with friends, excitement and fanfare!  Among my favorite moments, was toasting the words we had chosen for the year. There were lots of thought-provoking words in this small group of friends. Since this is my blog, I only feel at liberty to share mine with you. I chose the word: Abundance. For me, that means I look at where I am right this moment and recognize all the ways I already have abundance in my life. That, of course, is paired with doing what is necessary to attract more of these good people, things and opportunities in my life. As far as New Year's Eves go, it was practically perfect in every way. It was full of smiles, expectation and optimism all around.

That lasted for about 80 minutes.

I wish I was kidding.

We left our friends'  home to drive to our place. It was to be about a 45 minute drive. Someone in the oncoming lane had their bright lights on, which blinded Jeremy from seeing the road angle around the spot where the median started. So, he hit the curb and flattened both tires on the driver's side instantly. I called for Mazda roadside assistance. They said they'd send a tow truck and that I should get a text message with the ETA shortly. We waited for about 40 minutes without hearing anything, so we accepted our friends' gracious offer to let us stay in their guest room and on their couches for the night. I called Mazda to cancel the tow truck. It was about 2:00am when we got the kids tucked in and headed to bed ourselves. I received at text at 2:17am that indicated the tow truck was expected to arrive at 4:40am. So I called the towing company to make sure they knew we had cancelled the request. The dispatcher must have been having a crazy night because she couldn't get me off the phone fast enough. She hung up without verifying which job I was canceling, but promised to return my call in a couple minutes. Needless to say, I didn't hear back from her!

From http://instagram.com/htowndaners

It's New Years Day, so all the tire stores and the Mazda dealership are closed-as they should be! After pancakes for Jeremy and the kids and coffee plus a delicious green smoothie for me, our friend offered to drive us home. Fantastic! A shower sounded wonderful. I was ready.

We pulled into the driveway only to discover that neither of us had taken our house keys because we had left through the garage door. That garage door opener was still across town! We had diligently locked up the entire house, including every last window. Now, there WAS another garage door opener inside Jeremy's truck. But that also was all locked up tight-and the truck keys were in the house. Because, after all, we were taking my car.

We tried everything. Our previous neighbor just finished dog-sitting for us on Christmas Day and I was hopeful that they'd left our key at their house, but it was safe and sound with them on their trip. We tried picking locks. We tried windows. Jeremy called roadside assistance to come open his truck. We waited quite a while for the locksmith to arrive. And he struggled a bit to get the door unlocked, but finally we got into the truck, then into the garage and into the house!

Tomorrow, they'll tow my car and replace both tires. All of which is covered under Roadside Assistance and my Warranty.

It's frustrating to go through something like that and feel like you're exhausting all of your options and getting nowhere. It's easy for negative thinking to creep in and decide that 2014 is going to be just another hard year. But I realized something very important.

We had everything we needed and then some. We had abundance.

We have fantastic friends, who were so eager to help and showed kindness upon kindness. We had a warm, comfortable place to sleep and eat in the morning. We had not one, but two Roadside Assistance plans to help us out and a warranty to cover the tires. We had two neighbors who were willing to loan us what we needed to try to get into the house or have a place to go. All of that on top of the possibility, that something far worse could have happened to us on the road last night. I had everything I needed and then some.

I love that it's like that with grace. For grace to be applied, it isn't earned or deserved by the recipient. Even so, there is more than enough grace for our undeserving selves. It doesn't run out. There is plenty to go around. In the New Year's Day incident, Mazda will absorb the cost of the mistake of hitting the curb. Toyota will cover the cost of being locked out of the truck. Our friends covered us as host/hostess for the night. We don't deserve that favor. And that makes it so precious.

Grace is a gift to us, never lacking in the extent to which it covers us.

Revisions

Sometimes in crafting (and in life!) you have to scrap the original plan and go with something else.

~Man, there is so much truth in that statement.~

You may remember that I ambitiously started a paper rose wreath eons ago... {http://lifeuncontainable.blogspot.com/2011/04/hot-glue-and-paper.html}. Well, more than two years later, the wreath sat unfinished in my closet until I packed it up and moved it to our new place.

That's when inspiration struck.

I realized I was ne-e-e-e-ever going to finish a wreath full of tedious paper roses without dying of boredom. Plus, there was these three menacing burlap sacks I picked up at a flea market in February and had yet to do anything with them. So, I decided that burlap would cover the wreath much more quickly and I could repurpose the roses.

I covered the wreath with burlap poufs and moved the roses to a "W". Fifty-eleven hot glue sticks later...

Ta-da!

Swamped

I just need a hug

And a live-in-chef-nanny-housekeeper-personal assistant.

Or an "Oprah vacation", the kind where they pack your bags, take care of your obligations, whisk you off to someplace relaxing and foot the bill.

Or family nearby.

Or just a hug.

Yesterday, at the bank, the teller who is a perfect stranger looked at me and said, "You look stressed." Holy cow?!? Is it that obvious? I mean, it's not without merit. 

We're moving, which is a long tale in and of itself. Long story short, it wasn't our plan, but it is apparently in God's plan, so I'm down with doing that. It's not easy. It means downsizing a lot for a little while. That's the cost of my one non-negotiable, which is that my kids stay in the same schools. I am going through the counter-culture process of getting rid of "stuff". Even some of that work has been, not just time-consuming, but hard as I come to terms with why I keep things. Who knew going through my belongings would cause me to address things like guilt, security and wastefulness? In the end, it's just things and I have some faith that a lighter load will be healthy for me. (I'm reading 7: A Experimental Mutiny Against Excess. It's really helping me keep this change in perspective.) Since everyone is asking, moving day(s) are July 21-31. We have a big overlap, which will either make it more chaotic or more manageable in bite size chunks. I'll let you know.

My kids are home for the summer and we are full force with their activities-all planned pre-move-awareness. Justus has enjoyed Strength Camp and is looking forward to church camp next week. He kicked off the summer with Musical Theatre camp and will conclude it with Football camp. Lexi is performing in Willy Wonka with Queen Theatre. She's working hard at three nights/two weekend rehearsals each week and Tech Week starts next week (eek!) She kicked off her summer with Musical Theatre camp, followed by VBS. We've had a fun summer! Needless to say, my Mazda has seen a few miles since school has been out.

Jeremy and I are both working from home, which anyone who has ever done it knows the perks and pitfalls of that! Correction: he designs patios at home and spends a lot of time in appointments and overseeing installations. He's been working jobs from Sugar Land/Richmond/Rosenberg to Cypress. His truck has seen a few miles, too.

I'm excited that one of my very best friends just got engaged this past weekend! Her wedding is fast approaching in November and I'm helping her plan it. If you know me, this event-planning thing is right up my alley. I love it! We're playing catch-up to get where we need to be for a wedding four and a half months from now. So that is busy-busy-busy.

Our small group has grown so large! It's thirteen families, which is sixty-four people. Whoa. We made the supremely difficult, but exciting decision to multiply into two groups. I'm excited to see what God will do as we create a little margin in our groups. I hope to grow deeper in our relationships with each other. I hope to continue to have room to add new families. I hope to be preparing the next set of leaders for the time when we've outgrown our homes again. Change always brings out all kinds of feelings. I'm  working on planning a special last time together in August before we multiply into two groups.

I'm sure there is bunch of normal life going on, too. I guess I'm feeling kind of numb to it all. That's what happens during stressful seasons. I put my head down and try to get after it. I guess this is a bit of an attempt to re-connect with people. I miss people. It will be good when July is over.

Failure and Growth

Without divulging all the ways I got irritated with myself for not meeting my own expectations, I wanted to share the conclusion I came to tonight.

One last thought that encourages me... 

"Everything is figure-outable" ~Marie Forleo's mom

Swinging for Curveballs

May has thrown some real curveballs. In a lot of ways I'm feeling like I've been pegged by every. single. one. It is beyond frustrating!

My natural inclination is to become cynical.

Fortunately, God knows me better than I know me. He keeps putting little reminders at just the right moments in my days to show me that He has a plan. Even in the chaos! He's using conversations and texts and messages from friends to keep me from diving head first into Cynical World.

I'm pushing forward.

I'm keeping my chin up. (ok... trying!)

I'm looking for that next right step.

I'll be grateful for the good.

And maybe even the annoying, bad and frustrating, too.

(Thankfulness is a pretty effective attitude adjuster.)

For those who have tossed me a "life raft" in the form of a gentle reminder or check-in, thanks!

______________________

Side note: We just finished Annie with Justus which features the song, Tomorrow. And we're gearing up for Willy Wonka with Think Positive. Maybe I need to pay attention. :)

Five years from today...

This morning, I found myself thinking about what my life might look like five years from now.

Source Dan Zadra. Looks interesting!

Frankly, my five year plan needs some serious fleshing out. The details are not clear. Maybe writing them will help. So here goes:

I see Justus, taller than me, as a high school Junior. He's playing football and thinking about college. He's still serving with his buddies at church, but their horizons have grown. And as long as I'm dreaming, he still wants to tell me all about his day.
Lexi is a fifth grader. She's a great student with a love for the stage. She has lots of friends and a full social calendar. I picture the children's ministers giving her opportunities to lead, as they have done so well with her big brother. We enjoy special mom/daughter times often.
Jeremy is rocking his job. We're still having a blast dating. We're showing hospitality and traveling more together. He hasn't quite mastered the art of a clean garage, yet, but the motorcycle is back in one piece. (Just teasin'.)
My career has taken off. I get to set my own schedule and work from virtually anywhere doing what I love and making a difference for many, many ministries around the world.
We're still in Sugar Land, enjoying the friendships we've built over many years. And (bonus, cause it's my dream!) some family members have taken up residence nearby. Yay!

Yes, that is a bit more clear now. I'm actually feeling a little reserved about hitting "Publish" on this one. But I think the conclusion is worth the risk of sharing. The point is this. I came to the conclusion that today needed to be filled with choices that my five-years-from-now-self would appreciate!

Every day, in every moment, you get to exercise choices that will determine whether or not you will become a great person, living a great life. Greatness is not something predetermined, predestined or carved into your fate by forces beyond your control. Greatness is always in the moment of the decision.” – Jeff Olson, Author The Slight Edge

10 Life Lessons I've Learned from Running and Boxing

1. The hardest part is getting started.

2. If you do, you'll be glad you did.

3. When you throw a punch, the power comes from your waist/hips more than your arms.  Know the source of your power to hang on... to accomplish any good... to overcome... (2 Cor 4:7-9)

4. You probably need less gear than you think. 

5. Keep your eyes on your own bag.

6. Somewhere along the way, you might reach a runner's high. Savor it. Enjoy it. Take advantage of the feeling that you can run forever.

7. Accountability will keep you in the game on the days you want to quit.

8. It is consistency that results in noticeable changes. You probably won't see them today or tomorrow, but they do accumulate into BIG changes over time.

9. Rest is necessary for peak performance.

10. Keep going. You can do more than you think you can.

So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.

(1 Corinthians 9:26 NLT)

This One Goes Out to the Real Girls

I just got home from a fun dinner with some of my girlfriends. I had a blast, but I've got something to say...

Love You to the Moon and Back

I woke up Valentine's morning and had a leisurely morning of work (if that's actually a thing!) at the Christiana's bay house on Tiki Island. Seriously, I think that place is magical. I can get so much done there.

An Instagram Journal of the February Freezer Experiment

I have a dream that one day that healthy dinners will cook themselves, set the table and light a candle.

Until then, I'll keep trying ways to make dinnertime for our family easier! Making decisions when I'm hungry is not my strong suit, so I usually plan ahead. In January and February, we planned WAY ahead and prepped 20+ dinners at one time each month. I was inspired by a Dump Chicken pin I saw on Pinterest. So last month, we made four batches of five different recipes. Most of the meals were good, but even I was groaning about having that again by the fourth time. Williams like variety!

true friends > Hard Times

Grateful for...

Fun-filled Night of Girl Talk and Pillow Fights

We decided to host a Pajama Party for Lexi's birthday. She's at an age where all the girls are quite ready for sleepovers, so we thought we'd enjoy all the fun of the sleepover and all sleep in our own beds with a Pajama party. Lexi was thrilled that she'd get to stay up way past her bedtime. I'd call it a win!

Oh! What Fun...

In mailboxes this week...

I was inspired to find my archived Christmas cards... we are definitely incomplete on this list. Wish me luck in finding the past years' cards!

• Christmas 2011
• Christmas 2010
• Christmas 2009
• Christmas 2008
• Christmas 2007
• Christmas 2006

A Bunch of Crazies - My Favorite Kind!

I adore these people.

 We have our quirks. Our stories. We might even be a little crazy. They are my family.

The Vaudrin (pronounced "vō-dren") Family, that is.

I'm Late Late Late Late Late Late Late!

I know.  It's been ages and ages since I've posted!

As of late, my time has been filled up with full-time mama duties (it's summer, after all!) plus full-time entrepreneur endeavors.  And since I have no capacity for reason, I encouraged Justus to get involved in a production of Alice in Wonderland with the Queen Theatre.

All kidding aside, it's been a wonderful experience!

He earned the solo dance for Footloose in the fifth grade program at his school.  From there, his teachers said, "You HAVE TO put him in something!"  Not long after that, I spotted a call for a dance crew from the Queen Theatre on Facebook.  When I asked Justus if he was interested, he said,

"Yes!"

We didn't waste any time, practice started the very next day!

Justus is the farthest bee to the right, dancing with Alexis.

Preschool Graduation... watch out Kindergarten, here we come!

Little Miss Lexi graduated from Cornerstone Christian Academy Preschool yesterday and we couldn't be more proud!  The teachers and students put together a wonderful little program to celebrate the occasion.  I picked up Justus from school so the whole family could be there.

 The Bears Class Praying (...and maybe sneaking a peek at mommy)

Lexi blowing kisses to her family 

Mrs. Drake-seriously, what a blessing this woman has been!  She LOVES our kiddos and teaches them with such fun and enthusiasm.  I'll never forget the day Lexi started explaining the water cycle to me, complete with the term "evaporation", which she said with such confidence!  They were always acting out Bible stories and memorizing verses and lines.  To hear Lexi read is a marvelous thing!  She picked it up with such vigor this year.  I'm blown away.  She likes to read verses during devotions at dinner and does quite well!  You really should come have dinner with us to see!  My eyes are welling up with tears as I think about Mrs. Drake and the incredible impact she's had on Lexi this year.  You can almost see the admiration written all over Lexi and Payton's little faces, can't you?  Words cannot say thank you enough and she'll always hold a special place in our hearts.

Signing

Program is over... time to goof off!

All the Bears Class handprints

The kiddos in their Christlike Behavior Crowns

Lexi, the preschool graduate, with her proud Mama and Daddy

and big brother, Justus!

Our very special friends, Martha and Payton

So proud of my best girl!

13 Years. 13 Photos. 13 Pieces of Our Story.

Thirteen photos that tell our story:

1 - Our first apartment
2 - First Colony Bible Chapel
3 - Our first home
4 - Jeremy in front of Reliant Stadium-one of his Baker Concrete Construction projects
5 - Our son, Justus
6 - Our next home
7 - Our daughter, Lexi
8 - Me in front of the Chevron tower-I worked at the very top.
9 - Apple fanatics (He converted me.  It wasn't difficult.)
10 - First Colony Church of Christ
11 - Our boxer, Bella
12 - Our current home
13 - Our favorite "go to" date spot, Japaneiro's

Over-Stimulated

Image source: a-craft a day blog

Today marks the beginning of two crazy (the-good-kind-of-crazy!) weeks in the Williams' home.  (Many things to be thankful for, which is awesome in uncertain, sometimes worry-filled days.  Philippians 4:6 has been a theme lately.  More on that another time!)

We're kicking it off by celebrating Mother's Day.  When I think about Mother's Day, it's really hard to think about me--my thoughts turn to my Justus and my Lexi and how I am completely blessed beyond what I deserve to be their mama.  They are so much fun and such a joy!  I fear that today (Mother's Day) is going to go by so quickly and there aren't enough minutes to soak up the overflowing love I have for them.  I need at least a week to savor all this!

Funny how on a day when we celebrate motherhood, my thoughts still turn towards my kiddos.  Tell me I'm not the only one!

This may have been very poor planning on my part, but our anniversary is May 15.  Tuesday.  I've been looking forward to celebrating 13 years with Jeremy for several months now.  Jeremy often tells people that "we've had a good marriage and a bad marriage, both with each other."  There is so much good to celebrate that I've been bubbling inside with anticipation for MONTHS.  So, a Tuesday night date night is in order.  And I can't wait!  But again, I know that one day could not possibly contain enough moments to count the blessings in our life together.  I probably need at least a week for that, too!

Friday, I get to get away to the lake house in Austin with some of my girlfriends.  I'm blessed with wonderful friends.  Miles, busyness and time often get in the way, but my girlfriends are treasures.  I'm glad I'll get to spend a weekend with some of them!

On Sunday, I turn 35.  Ha!  How did this happen???  Maybe you're like me and your birthday causes you to reflect on your life.  I'm not sure where I thought I would be at 35, but I am loving where I am today and where I'm going.  Everything certainly isn't perfect, but it's still wonderful.  I want to spend my birthday basking in that peace and thanking God for it.  So, I probably also need a week for that because I'm sure to forget pieces, but maybe in the course of a week, I could reflect on all that I mean to.

(So by now, May needs to be 7 weeks long.  Any objections?!?)

After that, my baby girl graduates from pre-school.  Lexi got rave reviews from her teacher.  She's doing so well all around!  I'm looking forward to sending her to kindergarten.  (And, yes, I know that's weird.)  But she is soooo ready for it.  She is blossoming and it's fun to watch her radiate the way God made her... she holds nothing back!  So, while it's kind of unbelievable to realize that we are outgrowing the preschool years, we have so much to celebrate.  We need a week for shopping and teddy bear tea parties.

We'll follow that up with a visit from my in-laws over Memorial Day weekend.  It'll be great to see them! One of my favorite parts of that is seeing my kiddos spending time with their grandparents.  That's certainly something we miss living so far away in Houston.  So, I'm looking forward to filling that up while they are here!  You guessed it, an extra week would help.

Our last celebration is the end of an era for Justus.  He is completing elementary school and moving on to middle school.  Whoa.  It's mind-blowing to even think that is possible!  He's such a good kid.  Really!  He makes good grades.  He chooses good friends.  He plays his heart out every week on the field in flag football.  He won the dancing competition for the solo in his 5th grade musical.  I've always said that I wish I could have named him something that means exuberance.  He just LOVES life!  His Uncle Ryan always quotes him, "THAT.WAS.AAAAWWWWWEEEESSSSSSSSOOOOOMMMMMEEEE!!!"  I might need a week to contain the pride I feel for that kid and to wrap my mind around the fact that he will soon be a middle schooler!

Like I said, it's going to be crazy.... the good kind of crazy.  The word that would describe it is over-stimulated.  With so much wonderful crammed into such a short amount of time, I'm going to have to be deliberate about slowing down, breathing and savoring the moment.  The moments pass by too quickly.  But it's in moments like those that memories are formed and a life legacy is made.

God, don't let me rush from one thing to the next this month.  Help me to slow down and feel it all.  Thank You for being so good to me. ~D

Dinner and a Show!

I received a poster in the mail for Disney on Ice's Dare to Dream program.  When Lexi spotted it, she promptly hung it up in my office and declared just how much she was dying to go.  So, two tickets were purchased and she was presented with them on Valentine's Day.  Lots of girlie screams later, we were on our way for a fun girls' night out!

I found out that April 11 was National Cheese Fondue Day, so I made five o'clock reservations for us at The Melting Pot.  Lexi wasn't a fan of the spices in the cheese fondue (but, trust me, it was delicious!);  she gobbled up the s'mores chocolate fondue for dessert, though!  That's my girl!

While we waited, she drew a picture of her favorite people around the fondue pot.  Daddy, Mommy, Justus, and Bella made the list.  Let me tell you, I had some killer eye lashes!

We headed over to Reliant Stadium for the show.

 On the way in, we checked out the merchandise store.  Lexi had her eye on an Ariel action figure, so we decided that she was coming with us.  We had to snap a quick pic of her excitement for Daddy before we hit the escalators... she's seriously about to bust!

 The show was great!   We saw the stories of the princess and the frog, Cinderella, and Rapunzel.  Lexi's favorite part was the finale when all of the Disney princesses, especially Ariel, came out for a final number on the ice.

We both went home giddy.  One of the best nights ever!  So thankful for my little girl.  She's such a blessing and getting to spend time with her is one of my favorite things to do.