In A Blink of An Eye...

 ...and this girl is 21!

She has roots in Germany

where she summited the 

German Alps,

And she considers Hawaii "home"

where she played softball in the

shadow of Diamondhead,

but

it's in St. Augustine

where she got her wings

and is ready to fly (swim?!) off 

to new adventures.

Happy Birthday,

Dear Hope,

and 

as you contemplate life

remember this...

I love you, Granddaughter,

and also remember this ~

you have an army of loved ones

behind you every step of the way

and a 

solid Rock

 to stand on always!

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you,

because he trusts in you. 

Trust in the Lord forever,

for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. Isaiah 26:3

Happiest of birthdays to you!

Dreams DO Come True!

 

Every child is a thought in the mind of God!  ~E. Arnold

And when God thought of this Little One,

 He thought of Christa and Robert

and their dream of raising a child.

And we're so glad He did!

                           

Introducing...

our Peaceful Warrior!

As her name suggests,

this little bundle of joy

will be a world changer!

And how do I know this?

Because she has already

 changed our world!

                      Photo credit: Donna 

Myla,

may the Lord bless you and keep you

and may His face shine on you!

Numbers 6:24-25

You are loved!

The Magic of Lake Hartwell

In looking up a synonym for the word "clan",

 I came across "charmed circle."  

When you mix the DiGi/Mallard/DellaVecchia/Farmer/Smith clan together,

 that is exactly what you get. 

Then,

 add in a mixture of

Lake,


that had us jumping for joy

Kayaking,

...during which time we found out that Livi

takes after her Nana and can sleep anywhere...

 an Island,

"Livia, how did you like your tow back from the island?!"...

Livi, "I slept"
(lol...pink vest nestled in Rachel's lap)

Bubbles,

Fishing Poles,

where we discovered Livi is a natural caster...

Tubing,

and Forever Bonds,

well,

Magic happens!

Lake Hartwell has proven itself once again.
A summer destination spot where, even when you have a suitcase full of clothes,
you discover all you need to pack are some bathing suits and pj's.
Leave the outfits at home!! They are not needed!

Important goals were set

and accomplished.

(read Our Tree Named Steve with tissues! And read anything by Charlotte Zolotow!)

An early morning fox was glanced on the lake bank.
Fireflies were chased in the dark while on a moon walk,
and
dancing happened in the rain.

Magical,

and let's not forget delicious moments were made...

Lake Hartwell,

you have made a young girl

"as brave as a lion"...

and a young boy

"as brave as a basilisk lizard"...

and you have made the rest of us very, very happy...

We will hold
 your memories close
as we look forward to more in the future!

May 2018 ~ A Month of Milestones

May 2018

was certainly a month of milestones

and memories!

First of all, 

we'll start with Michelle.

Finally settling down after many travels 

with her military husband,

she decided to finish her BA.

And, thankfully, she chose beautiful 

Flagler College 

                                                                                                                                     Photo credit~Michelle

to be her alma mater!

Mish,

we are all so proud of you!

You have excelled on that campus in your studies,

your internship and as event photographer!

Your imprint has been made and you are well loved there...

(I know this as a fact because whenever I was on campus, 

I heard these words over and over -

"We love your daughter!" … lol)

Your future is bright

and all who experience your teaching and talents

will forever be blessed!

Next,

we have sweet Hope.

After a number of years of homeschooling

and some time spent in the Missouri school system,

her parents, thankfully, decided to have

her finish the last three years of high school

here in St. Augustine!!!

And the rest of us were

 extremely delighted

 with that decision!

Hope,

watching you grow up first from afar

and now under the same roof :)

has been a highlight of my life!

Now the rest of your life is an open book

before you with blank pages.

Go

and fill those pages with 

adventure

while always learning along the way!

And keep your eyes on God's path 

laid out before you...

Psalm 119:105

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path"

Lastly,

little firecracker Livia

who rocked VPK and 

who now can't wait for the next 

school year to begin.

There were no tears as this one entered the

schoolroom for the first time.

Her motto is

"Follow me!"

(I hear this a lot on my adventures with her...lol)

and I believe she is going to give her

future teachers a run for their money!

Watch out, World! 

 She is already making her mark!

And, Livi,

always keep your eye out for the beauty in the world!
(even if it interrupts our photo shoot...lol)

~~~~~~~

P.S.

Flagler College has a lovely tradition...

 the graduates wear a sash during the ceremony

 and afterwards they present that sash and a Flagler pin

 to someone who has helped and influenced them along the way.

 Very moving!

A memory I will always cherish

Thank you, Michelle, for this surprise...

An Unintentional Hiatus

An unintentional hiatus has occurred on this site.

  Over half a year of memories and celebrations and random thoughts

not documented on these pages because life just got in the way ...

in a good way!

  As a preface to this post,

I want to share a quote I came upon in December. 

I quote I believe to be so true and one I hold dear to my heart....

"We are the keepers of the

secret power of recognizing and creating celebrations among ordinary days,

and that power lasts all year. 

Everything we love about this season (Christmas)

is scattered throughout the rest of the year too -

opportunities for gathering, music, giving and gratitude. 

How many sunsets will take our breath away this next year? 

How many adventures await us? 

There's so much to look forward to. 

Let's start tomorrow with a walk on the beach!" ~Kelle Hampton 

Or start tomorrow simply with a good cup of coffee in a special mug!

Each ordinary day over the last seven months of 2017

contained a celebration of sorts:

trees clapping their hands,
stars declaring the glory of God
while giving us sweet reminders of those that have gone on before us,
ladybugs crawling on a grandchild's hand,

a dog's greeting,

a stranger's smile....
you get the gist.
Be aware. The celebrations are there.

Those months were also filled with
extraordinary
days!

Birthdays celebrated

Friends and extended-family enjoyed

A brother moved to town

....and an array of other (extra)ordinary events,
each of which deserved their own post.
I may try to play catchup because
I love this blogspot to keep a little of family history documented :)

In the meantime,
as the quote says,
watch for those moments to celebrate,
gather together,
enjoy music...
(and dance like no one is watching.
That's what I have to do. Think Elaine in Seinfeld)...

Watch for opportunities
to give
and
be grateful for all the small and big moments
that make up your days!

Be a memory maker!

#Lupus Warrior

May is Lupus Awareness Month 

From Christa...

💜I was diagnosed with Lupus 5 years ago and stage 4-5 Lupus Nephritis in late 2015.

I am finally ready to do my part to help raise awareness for this extremely mysterious disease.

I struggled with sharing my story for so long

because

I was scared of being labeled as "sick" or judged, and then I realized..

.I DEFINE ME.

Lupus does not define me!!

A very special friend said to me

"why hide who you are?"

So...THIS is ME!...!

For a life without Lupus, we must first know Lupus!
Lupus is a chronic, complex and prevalent autoimmune disease that affects more than 1.5 million Americans. Basically our immune system is confused and instead of attacking foreign invaders as it should, it attacks our own tissues and organs and mine is specifically attacking my kidneys and joints. Lupus Symptoms include:
* Achy joints
* Unexplained fever
* Swollen joints (arthritis)
* Prolonged or extreme fatigue
* Skin rash
* Ankle swelling and fluid accumulation
* Pain in the chest
* A butterfly-shaped rash across the cheeks and nose
* Hair loss
* Sensitivity to the sun and/or other light
* Seizures
* Mouth or nose sores
* Pale or purple fingers or toes from cold or stress
* Dry eye
* And many, many more

Living with lupus can be extremely difficult

and everyday is unpredictable.

Each morning

I make a conscious effort to choose joy

and to be thankful for the life that I have!

I thank God, my Angel, my husband, my family, and my closest friends

for giving me a reason

to be strong and fight each day!

💜#LupusFighter #LupusWarrior #ImAFighter #IWillWin

***

And more from Christa on

Lupus Awareness Day...

"Oh My heart 💜

Imagine the overwhelming feeling of emotions, love, and support

when you walk into your department

covered in purple 💜

This means more to me than I could tell each one of you,

THANK YOU!"

(^^I love these people! Because they love my girl!^^)

Dear Daughter,

you are a warrior and a fighter,

and you have a lot of soldiers who've got your back!

Prayers continue for a cure,

^^ www.lupus.org^^

in the

meantime,

fight on!