A Family Education

I wish that I knew more about my ancestors.  I don’t necessarily want to know if they were famous or did something cool.  I want to know what they were like, what their sense of humor was, how they cared for family, what occupied their thoughts.  I’ve recently uncovered a lust for history, specifically my history. 

 

The electronic age will surely mean that people will know about us for many years, if they choose.  My great great granddaughter may read this someday and that thought is astonishing.  How I wish that I could uncover a journal from my great great grandpa Charles, who lived in the 1850s.  The only information I have about him or his wife, Esther, is what limited memories my own grandfather has. 

 

These moments with grandpa and his lucid memory are so precious, though few.  Often, I have to ask similar questions a couple times during the conversation to clarify and confirm his answers.  I love a good story too and when he tells them, I try to memorize every word. I've written a lot of them down and wish that I had the energy and time someday to compile them.  The writer in me longs for so much.

Last year, when my family was helping my grandfather downsize from his house to an apartment, we came across a jewel... an old family trunk, filled with pictures and letters.  I received an amazing education that day.  I met my great great grandfather, who was the original owner of the trunk.  I met his children and their families.  I held a stack of love letters that my great great grandparents exchanged before they were married.  I felt so honored to have this peek into my past.  I hope for more days like that soon.  It made me wonder... will any of my ancestors be in Heaven?  I have so many questions for them.

Photo by Ann Ilagan

 Do you ever wonder about the people you came from?

Deutsch: A Ray of Light

One of the things that has been giving me joy lately is bringing my German New Testament to church.  It definitely helps that we are in a series on the gospel of John, but even when we are in the Old Testament, I can pull out my iPod with a split screen German-English Bible.  One particular Sunday, I found myself taking notes in German too, which was odd, considering that English is my first language.

I just pulled out a note sheet from last month with a bunch of German on it.  You wouldn't believe how encouraging it was to me.  Seeing God's Truth in German is amazing.  Er geht vor mir.  He goes before me.  Seeing that reminds me of the faithfulness of God when I moved to Austria, but also that He is the same today... same faithfulness.  I didn't know a stitch of German before going... He went before me.  Now, I am semi-(not really at all)-fluent and He goes before me.  Simple, simple truth... Profound in every language.

The Changing of the Guards

I bought my very first car this week, I mean like, paid for my very first car.  Dads are great people!  Anyway, as fun it is to get a new set of wheels (and it is quite exciting!), there is something difficult for me about selling the old one.

I drove my old blue Taurus into the car wash to soap her down one last time (hopefully) before some new owner takes her away.  I thought about all of the memories that happened in and around that car... Three years at college, carting friends around town.  Road trips.  Camping trips.  Great stories.  Hilarious jokes.  She's brought me to and from work many times.  Taken me to camp.  Got a few of my tears in her seats (Don't tell the new owner!). She was lent out to friends and family during my time in Europe.  I've eaten a lot of meals inside.  The cup holder knows my Dr. Pepper can well.  Inspiring sermons. Housed my closet one summer.

Goodness, I'm just so thankful for her!  We've held hands and went through life together for 6 years!

Holding hands with my dear old friend

 And by now, you all are thinking ... Jaime, it's a CAR! Geez!  But part of my life is trapped in that car.  It will be forever.  Those were good times.

I'm still getting to know my new car.  The way it shifts, takes curves, and the cruise.  I know I'm going to love her someday too.  I'm excited at all of the new adventures we'll have, but right now, she's like the new college roommate who you don't know and you can't figure out why your old one had to transfer upstate!  I know we'll be best friends by November though... after I've spilled ketchup on the leather seats a couple times ...

Making the introductions

Here's to more good times...

The Ice Cream Shoppe on the Corner

I've been doing quite a bit of traveling lately, just short trips, weekend trips.  I stood up in two weddings in August, both of which were a pile of fun in their own ways. 

                                         

My Bestie, Amber, at Ann & Lee's Wedding

My Papa and me just before wedding #2!

Both weddings were out of town and so, on top of other random travel (to all parts of the state!), I am ready to stay put, at least for a few days.  Don't get me wrong, I love to connect with friends, see new places, have fun experiences, but there is something about getting back home from a great trip.   Mmmmm.  It's just good. Tradition at my house is to make pancakes for dinner when we arrive home from out lake cabin in northern Minnesota.

It's seems like this summer's welcome home activity is a family trip to the ice cream shop on the corner!  I mean, of course we go there multiple times a week as well, but it's extra delicious right after being away for a day or two.  Yes, we are regulars there at King Cone in Amherst, WI.  Their hand-dipped ice cream in a waffle cone pretty much solves every problem you could ever have!  It would definitely solve world hunger and if it were delivered to peace treaty negotiations, we could achieve world peace rapidly as well!  The smile and greeting from Ben upon arrival means that we are truly home again! 

Do you have a comfort place?  A welcome-home place?

Memorial Day Pictures

** All Photos in this post are taken by Ann Davidson of Ann Davidson Photography. She has a passion for photography.  She is bookable for weddings, portraits, family events, etc.   Let me hear about how talented she is! **

The three of us, ready to pile into Ann's car.

Pewitt's Nest (outside of Baraboo) is worth your time!

And the token "jumping picture" in fields of green.

Memorial. Day. Adventures.

In an attempt to suck up as much "now" as possible and not freak out about the upcoming "now," I pumped myself up for a Memorial Day ride to remember.  It was time for the 2nd Annual Country Drive-While-Avoiding-All-4-Lane-Or-Busy-2-Lane-Roads Road Trip with Lee and Ann!  There is something just magical about not having any place to be, a tank full of gas, a bottle of Coke (without all that high fructose syrup) and a well-used gazetteer... just sitting three to a front seat and enjoying the day!

We drove south from Amherst on Cty A in search of the "secret road." Apparently, 15th Ave is probably known only to people who live on it and those in love with their gazetteer.  It was revelicious!  The trees hung over the road, hills, curves and all = perfect!  People in Dakota love to wave.  We felt welcome, friends!  We made our way to Montello (pronounced: Mon-TAY-yo) and stopped for some stretching (three people in the front seat is both a blessing and a curse, folks!).  Turns out, there is a granite quarry there  that the granite for Grant's tomb was extracted from.  Remember that for Trivial Pursuit: US Presidents Edition! 

Our general goal was to make it to the Baraboo area for some "natural area exploration." I think it's a bit ridiculous that we have to label our "natural areas" so that we don't end up putting a highway or gas station up on accident there!  Anyway, Abelman's Gorge was slightly over-rated, although this may have been fed by our fright in hearing that a bear had been sighted on the trail just last week.  We were all a little behind on our bear handling skill courses!  Pewitt's Nest (Hwy W west out of Baraboo) was just what we were looking for!  It was a gorgeous gorge!  Shady, beautiful river, stunning structures, and some good light hiking (let's not get carried away - it's a holiday, remember!).   It was definitely a place to which I would and will return!

We headed down to Merrimac and with all our hearts, wanted to ride the free river ferry, but the line was too long and unlike what my opening paragraph suggests, we did have a place to be... so we forwent (word?) that adventure.  Merrimac is magical.  We'd like to come back.

At the end of it all: 268 miles. Tons of gorgeous gorges.  Thoughtful conversation. Sweat. A couple of walking sticks.  A few pictures.  Awesome roads. A knowledgeable navigator. A faithful friend. An attentive driver (well, we did almost throw up all over each other toward the end!). Sun.  And all around bliss.  It was all it was cracked up to be!

Pictures may follow... eventually...

Checking Out.

I came out of Iron Man 2 on the mega-screen and found myself looking up at the sky a lot.  On my late-night drive home, I envisioned myself catching a glimpse of Robert Downey Jr whizzing by on his way to save someone.  Or semi-intelligent drones rising up out of the fields to block my path, while trying to create world-wide pandemonium (Isn't Wisconsin the place global chaos would begin?!).  Movies just do that to me... they take me to a place just outside of reality.

Books can do that for me too.  I remember walking down the street on my way to the Bahnhof in Innsbruck, certain that I was being followed by Hadrid.  I thought he was going to kidnap me and I would be swept up into some new adventure at Hogwarts.  That was in the midst of my Harry Potter marathon in anticipation of Book 7 being released.

The point is that, I guess, movies and books are a great little getaway, but it's always scary how easily they work with my mind.  I would hate to come to the end of my life and have only a list of titles and films I'd experienced.  I would rather have experienced my reality.  By "my reality," I don't mean some sort of subjective mumbo-jumbo.  I mean, I hope that I will have experienced True Reality, in the way God made me to experience it.  To do and be what I was created for.  

What does that look like?  I think I'm learning about it every day.  I hope you are too.  Read a book by Karl Marx.  And then one by Glenn Beck.  Make a friend in Sweden or Greece via the internet and find out how daily life is over there instead of listening to the media's depiction of it.  Roll around your yard like a dog and enjoy a beautiful day instead of watching beautiful days made up on television.  Play catch with your kid instead of promising to do it tomorrow.  Throw a party for your wife just because you love her.  Do this because, well, because God has given us this world as our reality to interact with... Don't check out and flip on the movie channel all weekend!  That's not what we were made to do...  we were made to live!