Summertime in Williamsburg

Here are some pictures we took recently. Except for the first two, all the rest are in Colonial Williamsburg. It's so pretty here in the summertime, though very hot right now as well! We are looking forward to the coming week, when Ben's parents are coming to visit us for a week. We'll go to the Colonial W'burg 4th of July stuff, and we are also planning to take a day to drive down to the Outer Banks. Fun, fun!

Turkey and baby turkeys (turklets?) that we saw beside the road less than 1/4 mile from our house:

Pretty carnations Ben got me on a particularly stressful workday (which has been pretty much every day lately!):

Ben, a cat-lover, found a cute kitty in Colonial W'burg who was just waiting to be petted:

Bruton Parish:

Pretty silhouetted home and trees:

Pretty flower in the Colonial W'burg garden:

A moth (photo by Ben):

Colonial home:

Another colonial home (this one looks different than many of the others in CW - it's brick and has a huge, distinctive, gnarly tree in front of it):

Famous colonial home (I forget the name of it):

Tweet Tweet - Baby Birds are Here

We have this ceramic pot that is mounted on the inside of our patio's overhang. It was there last year - Ben put it there to see if some birds would nest in it. We are now on our 3rd set of baby birds between last spring and this one! We missed the first batch of birds earlier this spring somehow, but the latest ones have been very cooperative in terms of allowing for a photo shoot. They are so adorable with their little furry mohawks and when they chirp for their food with mouths wide open! Enjoy...

Baby Birds

June Update

June seems to have slipped up on us, and I just noticed we haven't posted since May 20. Well, part of that is because I joined Facebook world in late May, so now I tend to use that for keeping up with friends rather than the blog. However, I know some people, especially family members, aren't on FB, so guess we better keep the blog posts going at least periodically!

Let's see, May 22 was our 5th anniversary, and we spent it at work mostly (boo!) but then took a happy little drive on Colonial Parkway followed by a picnic (in the new car, sunroof down!) on the York River - complete with sandwiches from Colonial Williamsburg's one and only The Cheese Shop. I don't think we did much else that weekend that I can remember (man, my memory is going - that was 2 weeks ago yet it feels like ages ago!). Ben gave me a papasan chair for our anniversary, and I am thoroughly enjoying that (he is too); it's a great thing to come home to after a long day at work :)

The past couple weekends we have spent doing massive cleaning, rearranging, sorting out of old papers and stuff, and then throwing whatever we can away. It took longer than we thought and we aren't even done yet, so this weekend will be partly spent doing that. It is so refreshing to get rid of things that you really don't need and have only been keeping "just in case." My theory is that if I run across something that I didn't remember I had, and if I haven't needed it in the past two years since moving here, chances are I probably won't need it in the future--or if I will, it won't be the end of the world to get rid of it. Oh, yes, and another part of this project has been to go through our computer files as well--consolidating, organizing, and getting rid of duplicate documents. We did that in anticipation of getting new memory for our laptop (thanks to Ben's parents!)--which we successfully installed without losing any data, but which we were trying to play it safe with in case something did happen (one never knows with computers...).

Otherwise, we have been enjoying going on evening walks (when it's not raining, as it seems to have been doing most of the past week) and just soaking in some sun on our porch. There is a lot of wildlife around here that seems to come out even more in the summer: raccoons, deer, frogs (LOTS of 'em), bunnies, and baby geese and ducklings. I'm including a few pics of the goslings here - they aren't the best photos but they really were sooo cute with their young, furry feathers.

This summer promises to be relatively uneventful and low-key, as we aren't planning any major vacations due to Ben's new job and not having the time off to take. It's sort of sad, but sacrifices must be made early on for the benefits later, so we are trying not to complain and to at least be glad for the weekends!

Well, that's all for now. Hope everyone has a good weekend!

The New Car

Here are pictures of our new car! I (Jenny) will primarily drive it (to and from work), while Ben continues to drive our old (2002) Honda Civic to and from work. The new car's best perk (in my opinion) is the sunroof--something I've wanted since I was 16! It also has a 6-CD changer and is generally quite nice on the inside (more luxurious than I ever expected with an Accord). We were fortunate to get such a good deal on it, thanks to our good friend Susan's dad/family friend Bruce (pictured in the first photo below with me)!

Side view:

Matthew, Ben, me and Daniel in front of the new car:

My Brother, the Graduate

We just returned from Atlanta yesterday and have posted photos of Daniel's graduation and surrounding events on Picasa. Here are the links, below. A few more highlights of the weekend are below!

Pictures of Senior Honors Night (Thursday, 5/14), Baccalaureate (Friday, 5/15), and Graduation (Saturday, 5/16):

SrHonors_Bacc_Graduation

Photos of the Post-Graduation Open House Party at the Robinsons' on Saturday, 5/16:

Open House

*Here is an article detailing the complications of graduation - a bomb scare that delayed the ceremony for 1.5 hours (ended up that the mysterious package they found was a student's "carefully wrapped" ceramic art project!). This delay was accompanied by rain, which resulted in the ceremony being moved indoors to the gym. It was very cramped and the pictures of the processional, etc., are just not good enough to even post, since you can't even make out Daniel to our being so far away!

*The above factors resulted in the open house party we had scheduled becoming a bit delayed and longer lasting - we had to dash home and get all the food together, etc., in time for the guests to arrive. Fortunately, almost all of Atlanta was aware of the delay in the graduation since it made the local (and even national, I think) news that morning, so most guests came toward the middle/later part of the party!

*That night, we were going to go to the Braves game but instead we got there and (1) realized the ticket people had given us the wrong tickets in advance; our tickets were for 5/23 instead of 5/16!!; and (2) Number 1 ended up being quite fortuitous, as shortly after arriving to the ballpark, Daniel's ankle injury from his bike accident last week swelled up horribly and got all blue. The doctor had (wrongly) told him if it does that, he should get the ER immediately. This put him into a frenzy, and we ended up calling 911 and having the paramedics come to get him. They took him to Piedmont Hospital, where they spent until nearly 12:30 or 1 a.m. waiting to see the doctor and learn that his pediatrician had told him wrong, and that this blueness/swelling was just part of the healing process (albeit very painful and scary looking). So, all's well that ends well, but I dare say, Daniel will NEVER forget the day he graduated from high school!! And, sadly, he'll spend his first week or so as a high school graduate hobbling around on crutches until his ankle heals.

*Meanwhile, we enjoyed the rest of our time with my family, but due to the "excitement" and staying up so late Sat. night, we ended up both forsaking our plane tickets and just riding back in the new car to Williamsburg. (Will post pics of the car later.) We got back last night fairly late, and today I woke up with a bad fever. By noon it had spiked to nearly 103 degrees F! Yikes. We went to the doctor, and I apparently have some bad infection, probably a type of strep. I am on antibiotics and a steroid shot, and I am slowly starting to feel a tad better. (If you recall, we got sick last time we went to Atlanta, so everyone is now forbidding us to ever go back to Atlanta again!! However, I think it was probably coincidence, and since we lived in Atlanta before, I find it hard to believe that I am truly allergic to Atlanta, although one never knows...)

Update!

It's high time for an update - we've gone a month and a day without a post! Lots has happened in the interim, and I'm afraid there is no way to include even half of it. I'll just jump right in though: After a lot of decision-making, waiting, back-and-forth, and then final decision-making, Ben has started a new job. That is the biggest development around here, for sure--and a huge blessing! God is good, and He provides, even though it often requires a lot of patience and trust on our part. But that is where the joy comes in, is from having trusted Him. Anyway, he's working as a contractor at an Army base (Ft. Monroe) about 45 minutes (more with traffic) south of us. He is enjoying it a lot so far, and will enjoy it even more when he finally gets a computer, finishes getting his security clearance updated, etc., so that he can jump in full-fledgedly with the work.

Because of that happening, we immediately had to do two things: (1) Get him new clothes, and (2) look for a 2nd car. The clothes part was somewhat easy. We went to Kohl's and JCPenney and got most everything there; we also found another couple things at other stores. He now has an actual business attire wardrobe (albeit a limited one) so he can go to work without looking like a graduate student ;-) I will add one aside here before moving onto the car search: as a female, I have always struggled with clothes shopping. I do like it to a degree, but only to the extent that I can find things that I like and that fit--AND that are reasonably priced. Men's clothes are SO simple! As soon as you know your size, you just have to look for it--unlike women's clothes, where a size 6 in one brand really is like a size 10 in another brand, etc. I especially envy the whole tie thing. Tie shopping is so much fun. Not only are they one-size-fits-all, but they are so pretty! Ironically, I found a lot of ties pretty and nice that Ben did NOT find appealing at all. I guess maybe ties are made for wives, who are assumed to be doing the shopping for their husbands or something. We got Ben a number of ties, which we finally BOTH agreed on (see picture!).

Now for the second, more expensive task of finding a car. (Fortunately, all of this is an investment that you hope is repaid by the salary that is now being added to the household income!) Background: As most of you know, we have been doing without a 2nd vehicle since moving to VA, and it's worked quite nicely--plus saved lots of money! Now, though, as much as I love to be dropped off at 7 a.m. and stay at work until 5 or 5:30 p.m., um, that is JUST not a sustainable schedule for me! 10 hours of work, with no way of getting very far except on my own two feet (in dress shoes, at that), is just not doable, esp. since I sometimes have to get places for my job. So, knowing this, we - or rather the dad of my dear friend Susan - did a mad search for cars this past week. We found a super good deal on a car - or, again, I should really say that Susan's dad did. And so after a few days of running around, opening a credit union account, transferring money, learning how to even get a loan (I am clueless!!), I finally bought it officially this past Friday (with it getting picked up today by Susan's dad, aka Dad II, and then transferred to my dad, who has it for safekeeping until we go get it). So, that is a huge relief. (In case you are wondering, it's a 2007 Honda Accord EX, silver color. I'll post pictures when I have it--I haven't even laid eyes on it yet!) The only thing I'll say is that it had best last for awhile as I do not really want to go through the whole car-buying process again for awhile!! That was complicated, and only possible for me to do because of help. (Thanks, Bruce!!) Ben would've helped except he had started his job and was just not in a position where he could help except on weekends or at nights, and that's not possible when you both need the car ASAP and are needing a loan (since banks are only open during the weekday business hours).

Anyway, amidst all of that, we went to a Gordon Lightfoot concert this past Wednesday (see above). It was my anniversary gift to Ben. He and I like Lightfoot even though we're young, and even though neither of us likes other oldies very much. But Lightfoot is different--his songs are like poetry, and they are so much more lyrically and musically interesting and complex than a lot of modern-day music. For me, it's more the sentimental memories behind his songs that keep me listening--it reminds me of Ben's and my dating days, but even before that, it reminds me of when I was little, and of when my brothers were little. I can remember hearing the song "Cotton Jenny" when I was little, especially, and I can remember my mom, dad, and I taking turns bouncing baby Daniel around trying to get him to be quiet while listening to "Race Among the Ruins," "Summertime Dream," or some other hit of his. It was sometimes the only way to shut him up (that and the vacuum, hairdryer, or other loud noises).

So, anyway, the concert was really good, and it was amazing that the same singer my mom saw in concert when she was 18 (I won't say how long ago that was ;-)) is still giving concerts today. He is now in his low 70s I think. Amazing, too, that while his voice is noticeably older, he still sounds like himself! Here are some other pictures. It was held at the Landmark Theatre in Richmond, which is a really old, famous building:

In addition to that, work has been insane for me, and we have had other things going on with church, etc. Oh, and we can't forget the baby birds we have been watching hatch and eventually learn to fly, from our own front porch. (This happened last year too, as you might recall. Ben likes to set up a pot, hanging horizontally off the porch, so they will nest in it.) Here is a picture of a couple of the babies, whom I caught on the verge of flying one day--aren't their little mohawks so cute?!

This week we are going to Atlanta for the long-awaited graduation of my brother, Daniel, from high school. Yay! It will be fun to see him graduate across the same stage I did 10 years ago! (I can't believe I'm that old...) We are excited to see family, go to a Braves game while there, and of course get some time away. Monday, Ben will drive my new car back while I fly back to get to work Monday.

It's almost summertime. It was HOT yesterday, but today it's cool again. I wish the warm weather would be here to stay! I guess that's about it for now. I'll post pictures of Atlanta when we get back! Also, I have read a couple of great books and some really thought-provoking articles lately and may write about those soon as well.

"Good" Friday

Today is Good Friday. Ironic that we call it "good" since it is the day we recognize Jesus' crucifixion. But it is indeed good because, as a lady who writes devotionals for our church put it, "it is holy and brings eternal benefit to us sinners." As part of this same devotional today, she included a link to a video, which offers a brief sketch of the "scientific" details of the crucifixion. It's not as graphic as it could be, but it is a sobering description that drives home the point about the pain Jesus endured for us. You can view it here on UTube.

One thing that our rector pointed out in yesterday's Maundy Thursday service was how much Christians prepare for Christmas versus how little we often prepare for Easter. It really should be the opposite! The resurrection is what our faith is all about. The birth was important, necessary, and beautiful, too, of course, but it is the resurrection that should really build up in us the type of child-like joy and wonder that we normally feel around Christmastime. I am as guilty of this as anyone, but for some reason this year it really hit me how much more excited I get about Christmas than Easter! I love Easter, but I think I have probably fallen prey to the culture in this respect--because the all-out preparation and joyous atmosphere that surrounds Christmas is NOT something that takes place around Easter, I tend not to give it as much attention as the holiest day of the year deserves.

Tonight, in order to reflect a bit, we are watching what I think is one of the best movies of all times: Ben-Hur. Growing up, my family has always watched Ben-Hur--we just love it. It's the whole thing, not just the famous chariot race, but the human aspect (which we see in Judah Ben-Hur, as he goes from an imprisoned Jewish slave to a man who is transformed by God) as well as the spiritual aspect (since the story takes place at the time Jesus was doing his ministry and then follows Him to the cross, where the entire story converges at the end). It is such an awesomely done movie, too, for its time. I never tire of watching it!

On the more secular side of things, we are boiling our eggs tonight so that we can dye them tomorrow. Even though it's not very spiritual (or of it is, I have not been informed of the deeper meaning!), Easter simply is not Easter without dying eggs. (There again is the side of me that has totally been influenced by our culture, even if it misses the central point of the holiday!) We are also picking up a ham tomorrow at Honeybaked ham (another family tradition).

Will try to post more later this weekend. ~J