The waning days of summer

Three days ago, my eldest son boarded a plane for Colorado. The night before had been filled with packing & organizing & re-packing & chatting about the week to come, so when the clock blared loud at 3:15 a.m. (who flies out at 5:30 anyway??!), his demeanor was tinged with both excitement and exhaustion, anticipation and... hope.

Several hours later, he landed in Colorado Springs with a few of his fellow teammates, and from there they made the short jaunt to the Olympic Training Center where they're working hard this week, training for a dream.

Parenting truly is bittersweet.  On the one hand, children are supposed to grow up! God designed them that way, after all, and I wouldn't have it any other way. But when I watched my oldest babe stroll out the door-- suitcase in hand, adventure on face-- the tumult churned anew. Because the big girl in me was jumping up and down, cheering for all to hear... here comes my boy, and I am so, SO proud. But deep down inside, where no one but the Lord could see, a terrible ache spread slow... because my son is growing up.  All too quickly... growing up.

Thankfully, we live in the modern era.  Praise God for cell phones-- he called!-- and we talked long, and oh, how I rejoice in the gifts of the Lord!!

As we await his return, we pack and play and run and swim-- anxious for summer's last hoorah.  Back to the beach we go (as soon as we pick up our sure-to-be weary traveler from the airport), back to the glorious expanse... where earth meets sky, and the heavens truly declare His glory!

There are days when I wish summer would linger forever-- days on the sand, days that move slow.  But then I remember the beauty of seasonal change-- my favorite being next in line-- and I breathe deep the provision of the Father.

Taste and see that the LORD is good;

blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.

Psalm 34:8

Open Water

Smith Mountain Lake Open Water Swim

September 29, 2012

3.1 miles 

Air: 64 degrees

 Water: 75 degrees

Bub's first open wwater swim.
Bring. it. on.

Chris had to work on Saturday (due to end-of-the-fiscal-year chaos), 

and my Mom was committed to an all-day conference at church,

so it was just Pops & I who hopped in the van (with my three little ones in tow)
 to journey south and cheer for Bub!

At the starting line, the swimmers waded waist-deep into the water
to await the crack of the gun.
Once the official fired that no-turning-back-now shot,
they all launched forth, and the real battle began!
No walls.  No flip turns.  Just repetitive forward motion.

For three. grueling. miles.

Thankfully, Bub is much like the Energizer bunny-- he just keeps going & going & going.
As a result, he wasn't too overwhelmed by the course.
 Excited? Yes.
Nervous? A bit.
Ready to hit the water?  You better believe it.

With the help of some binoculars and the zoom lens on my camera,
we were able to keep track of Bub in spurts & snippets.

And thanks to this pier,
we were able to get a bird's-eye view of the swimmers as they raced past.  

Each time, we were able to find Bub in the pack...

(below, in the very middle of the photo :) 

...but then we'd lose him and have to wait until he passed our way once again.

After three full laps around the 1 mile loop,
 Bub rounded the last buoy and made his grand exit from the lake.

The finish line in sight, he dashed up the beach...
#97 was finally done.  

After 1 hour and 8 minutes...
Done.
Near the very top of the pack...
DONE!

As for next year, he says he'll definitely participate again.

And I think... I think... Chris & Noh-man are planning to join him. 

They're hoping to compete in the 1-mile race, though... 

until the next year when they ALL swim the 3-miler!

As for me, I think I'll stay on shore with my camera :)

The last 10 days

Ten days ago, we left northern Virigina and headed north on a whirlwind tour of the Mid-Atlantic region. Our first stop-- Penn State University & the Eastern Zone Championship. Noh-man was competing again, and he was looking forward to a crazy few days with his swimmer-pals as we looked forward to a few tasty treats in State College. The weather was gorgeous, the ice cream (at the Creamery... more on that later) was delicious, and the company (Poppa came in from SD!) was the best. The meet itself... not so much. But I snapped a few shots of the big event... and then we moved on :)

After Zones, we were off to Lancaster, PA for my cousin's Sunday afternoon wedding AND... tuxedoes. The boys have been desperate to dress "in style" at every wedding we've attended in recent years, and this go round, as Junior Groomsmen, their dream finally came true. They looked smashing (I think :), and they loved every single second of if!

And lastly-- our efforts at capturing a family photo... just the six of us.

Let me sum up that experience this way-- as of right now, I think I'm officially adopting my sister-in-love's philosophy. As long as all bodies are present, consider the photo a success. Agreeable, happy faces-- all smiling at the camera at the same time-- are an unrealistic expectation :)

It's always an adventure!

Anyhoo... next stop-- the beach.

But I'll save that for tomorrow :)

1000 Gifts: The Championship

Truly, my cup overflows.

And I am undone.

God is SO good... He leaves me nearly speechless.

But not quite :)

"Great is Thy faithfulness," Lord, unto me.

The 2011 Long Course Age Group Championship

Christiansburg, VA

July 28-31

(#995-1029)

The opportunity for all three boys to compete in their championship meet

Cheering for Big Man via the telephone, as he swam in Charlottesville while Bub & Noh-man swam in Christiansburg

Big Man's new title-- the Backstroke Champion (according to his coach :) after winning the League title on Friday

A superb team of families... of coaches... and swimmers

FAST (the team)

For Noh-man... racing hair. Or perhaps-- Uncle Dave hair? Either way... a lack of hair.

And Uncle Dave, who drove from South Carolina to cheer for the boys

And Aunt Wilma, who held down the fort at home so that Dave could come to the meet

The YMCA for a little pre-race fun

And time together to ease the stress.

God's peace amidst the storm. His presence during the fight.

Prayers for His best... whatever that may be

And His faithfulness, His blessing, His goodness... even when things didn't turn out as we hoped

Comfort and certainty... the assurance... that He has something better...

because His ways are always higher, His thoughts are always better, and His plans are always greater than anything we could ever imagine on our own

Three fighting spirits

Three champion-sized hearts

And my sister-in-love's reminder-- Man looks at the outer appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

Just in time.

Philippians 4:13

"No fear!"

Crazy hard lessons learned, especially for Chris and me

And their courage untold, their determination... magnified, & more character demonstrated in a span of two minutes than most adults display in a lifetime.

Goals

And the opprotunity to pursue them.

Competing with the best in the state... and coming out at the top

God's hand of deliverance-- like David and Goliath

Answered prayers

A coach... from another team... who cared

The prayers of loved ones, the encouragement of others, and the little kindnesses offered throughout the day that display His love in mighty, mighty ways

Brother cheering for brother, praying for brother, hurting for brother, persevering for brother... LOVING brother more then himself

Sacrifice

And the privilege of parenting such fine young men

Life... shared.

God's grace.

"Therefore I will praise you, LORD, among the nations;

I will sing praises of your name."

2 Samuel 22:50

and the list goes on...