Leaving on a jet plane

Chris and I are heading out on Monday for Italia. SO excited. Want to be there now. Do not want to use subjects.


We got a new camera for the adventure though, so here are so goofy ones of us trying out the thing...

Chris watering our garden.

Garden close up.

Squash.

Plant labels.

Front yard landscaping.

A boy and his dog.

Playing around before the Wii Party with our jr. high friends at chuch.

My husbands white feet from teaching class outside.

Church parking lot. Just liked this picture.

Action shot of me playing Wii baseball.

Action shot of Chris playing Wii golf...of course.

Asher hamming it up at Windy Gap

Just plain cute! Asher Sloan imitating his daddy...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFk-H3AlAXs&eurl=http://ashevillesloan.blogspot.com/

Hello

Hi Everyone! I always want to write more, share more, post more pictures than I do. I think, "if I write more, then I'll write more." How can I accomplish this?

I'll try to start and just write what's on my mind...where to start? I just got back from a bbq hosted for my friend Sarah Spooner. Her birthday is tomorrow. This time last year she lived with Chris and me. What a great friend she is to me now. And was then too...it was just one of those friendships that you have no idea what will happen to. I'm so glad she's in Asheville and we are still friends. Happy Birthday Spooner! (you have to call her by her last name, because, well it's obvious.)

We will be on day 3 of summer camp at Windy Gap tomorrow. I'm exhausted and super excited at the same time. I feel like I have a lot of adrenaline running through my veins these days. I've had a clear mind to remember the things that need to happen during this precious training time. I'm training an intern who has never run the sippie (snack bar) before, training the crafts girl who will be running that part of camp for the next month, and new this year, I'm ordering, restocking, and collecting money for the 7 vending machines at camp. Yep, I have an interesting job. One day it's milkshakes and restocking the vending machines, the next day I'm picking t-shirts to sell in the store and learning how to make earrings so that I can teach someone else how to do it. It does keep me on my toes and keep things interesting. There are so many days that I literally thank the Lord that I don't sit behind a desk anymore...well, at least I have the option.

Please pray that I can continue to think clearly and communicate well to the summer staff and interns and care for them well as they begin a hard month. Camp is hard. It's that good hard though. It's demanding of you in every way--physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally. It is also relationship overload. I really battle this come third session and I've said goodbye to two groups of volunteers already and I'm welcoming and training new ones...and yes, tomorrow is day 3...

These days I've picked up the popular book Eat, Pray, Love. It's a little whacked out theologically, but still interesting and keeps me reading.

Okay, so I think we're off to a good start me and you. What's going on in your world?

Happy Mother's Day!

Way to go all you mothers out there! You have been successful in bringing another human being into this world--no small feat! I'm happy to know that my grandma and mother and aunt are all together today to celebrate family. They are gathered in Cambria, CA at my aunt Connie's house.

I want to show you another mother at Windy Gap. A few weeks ago one of the landscaping guys at camp came over the radio and wanted to know if we had purchased a miniature horse. Of course the guy in charge of the horses at WG was out of town for training in Colorado. Upon closer inspection the guys found the animal to be a newborn horse (only hours old) that had been left by its mom. The guys loaded him up in one of the camp trucks and brought him into a stall at the barn. They brought all of the horses in to try and determine who the mother was. Eventually, they found her and put her in the stall with her baby. They desperately needed to bond in order for the baby to feed. Although it took the little guy awhile to figure out the system for this, he had a lot of help and encouragement from all of us at camp.

Maybe I should stop here and explain why this whole thing was so unexpected. First of all, there are no stallions at WG. Second, no one knew the mare was even pregnant...even the vet, who had been out a few weeks prior. Third, no one had experience with this kind of thing before (except for Bruce, who was humble enough to milk the mom and try to get out some of that initial very nutritious stuff). I wish I had a picture of the 2 liter Cheerwine bottle with a nipple on the top that was used to give the baby milk for the first 24 hours. Unfortunately, the mother's milk dried up quickly and the Cheerwine bottle was never very full. The situation was precarious for several days as the mother had not been treated or fed with extra care for her condition. We were not sure that the baby would get what he needed from her and there was a general feeling of unpreparedness that took over.

That first weekend out guest services coordinator was having to feed the baby 6 times a day. We often laugh because our jobs at camp are so, uh, varied, but this took the cake and then some. Luckily, the vet was able to come by later the same day the baby was found and check him. We had strict orders to leave mom and baby alone so that they could bond and not be disturbed and to give the mother extra grain and hay. This was 3 weeks ago now, so you can see that the baby is doing well and that he has bonded with mom. Enjoy these pictures...

Most recent picture. As you can tell, he has filled out and is healthy.

Beautiful spring green all around us these days. I love this color.

Never a dull moment...

Denton (the dog, not Texas)

This is Denton, Blair and Cara's dog, also Homer's girlfriend. Yep, he's no longer the innocent puppy you've all known and grown to love.
Denton was with us for a week. The best week of Homer's life. They played 23/7.
This might have been the one hour when they slept...and dreamt about playing together. Notice the slober marks on the floor.
Actually, towards the end of the week they got creative. One mat, two dogs. It's called spooning.
This is more of a yin yang thing.

Catch you later! My girl's here yo.

Chris' Turns 28

I threw a surprise party for Chris a week before his birthday--pretty sneaky since he wasn't expecting anything so early! Anyway, it was a field day of his very own. We set up some lanes in our back yard, grilled some burgers, and had folks sign up for the event (or events) of their choice. The options were (get ready for some memories...): the 3-legged dash, standing broad jump, water balloon toss, gunny sack race (or trash bag in this case), and the 30 yard dash. It was so much fun. Chris' friend Kyle (red shirt) was the MC and made Chris laugh all night long. We could not have pulled it off with some of our new favorite people, Martin and Kate. Martin helped lure Chris away with a plan to go fishing and Kate and I were at the house "making dinner." It was a beautiful day and so fun to be with so many of our good friends.

Happy Birthday Chris!

Derrick, Beth, and Robin.
Ellen and Josie.
Party crowd.
Bocce ball as a warm-up. From left to right: Chris, Brian, Jeremy, and Matt.
Folks from our small group and out neighbors.

His favorite--chocolate zuchinni cake! Thank you Terry!

He loves me.
I think he had a great time and he was definitely surpised.

Sew sweet!

My mom called last weekend and said that she had purchased a sewing machine for herself, my sister, and me. She said all we had to do was go to Sear's and pick it up! So promptly on Saturday night last weekend, Chris and I went to Sear's in the Asheville mall (I might have been in there 2 other times in 5 years) and got our sewing machine. I love it. Chris probably knows more about sewing than I do, so I think it was almost as exciting for him!

By Sat. night I had cut out and almost completed curtains for our full bathroom. All we have is a shade and so it's all or nothing in terms of light. By Sunday night, I had both bathrooms curtained and ready for the week! This machine was so easy to use and I felt very productive. Mission accomplished! Thank you Mother for such a great gift. We felt (and feel) so blessed!

50th Post!

Yea, I've actually written on here 50 times! Well, here's one that I hope will make you smile...you might want to turn down the volume a bit before you hit play!

Christmas in February

Well, all I can say is that it has been less than a month since I last posted...not much, but a little less than 30 days. Anyway, I wanted to post a few pictures from Christmas so that we can finally move into 2008! My parents, brother and sister, and aunt and uncle gathered in Weaverville to celebrate the holidays. Everyone trickled in the weekend before Christmas. Chris and I were trying to be on the ball and get the tree, house decorated, baking ingredients handy, etc. I thought it turned out quite well...here are some pictures....

a new tradition i hope

nap time

my first try at a real centerpiece

in between feedings, there's puzzling

John and Elizabeth from Alexandria, VA folks!

Chris kept asking "What are we going to do with all of this food and wine?"

Stollen

(a bread I sort of thought was made up until I came across a recipe for it the other day in my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook)

Thanks for coming to Christmas at our house. We loved being with you and including you in our lives and praying with you for the new year. I want to remember last Christmas for a long time.

Thanksgiving 2007

This year we had the amazing opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with our dear friends Blair and Cara Jenkins. Blair's parents live in Greensboro, NC so we headed there Thanksgiving morning. We feasted on delicious food and enjoyed being part of another family this time. (By the way, this is the way to go for those of you already planning--or not planning--for next year. All of the fun and comforts of home without the drama and expectations and cleanup. It was so relaxing and enjoyable. So remember, this year "forget" and wait until the last minute to make plans then pick your friends that have the best sounding Thanksgiving traditions and make your case! I promise they'll feel sorry for you. PS--this works way better when you don't have family living close by.) The colors were incredible. In Asheville, they had already passed their prime, but in Greensboro--wow.

One of the cutest families we know!

We had an afternoon of picture taking, football, and improv gymnastics! (We realized that Chris needs a new barber after this was taken!)

The leaves were gorgeous.

I thought my mom would appreciate this picture. This tree was bright red and glowing.

Thanks Blair and Cara! We had a wonderful time.

Superhero 5K

Jane sent me some great pictures that she took from the 5K. Some people really went all out...and well, then there is me and my sister...

The ones to beat.

In action--watch out!!

Soup-er Man.

Medley of superheros.

Sisters and Chawcapaws

No, it's not an indian tribe. It's just a pet name we came up with for each other. Luci is the bawg chawcapaw and I'm the leetle cheekipoo, or something along those lines. I remember where we were in our old yard on Ave. C when we came up with this and how we couldn't stop laughing, but that's about it. It's evolved over the years, just like us though. My sister came down from Baltimore at the beginning of Nov. to see us. She stayed for a long weekend and spoiled us like always. She paid for many a good meal and made sure that we were doing okay--like the big sister she is!

We had the opportunity to take part in a local 5K. It had a superhero theme. Unfortunately, there is no picture of us in our sweet costumes, but basically we looked a little something like the Hamburglar with black masks on our face. Anyway, it was pretty entertaining to see everyone in their costumes, even though it was freezing. I really do need to post a picture of Jane in her wonder woman outfit (stay tuned).

We made it! So glad for this sister.

Going Home

This happened back in the middle of Oct., but I went home to Austin for a few days to see my folks. At the time, my mother wasn't feeling so well, so I hoped to spend some time taking care of her. As soon as I got my ticket though, she started feeling better and we ended up having a good ol' time. Here are some pictures from my time in Austin and Temple.

So, my mom became this incredible artist at the ripe age of 50, right around the same time she discovered that she has chronic lymphatic leukemia. I definitely think there was a correlation between the two things. I think that her artwork has allowed her to express some of the feelings and tangible evidences that have allowed her to deal with the prospect and reality of death as well as the value and preciousness of life. We have several of her pictures hanging in our house. They are a reminder of the beauty that this world has to offer, but also the hope, wonder, and expectancy of heaven. As gorgeous as things on earth can be, they will pass away and be replaced with a beauty, the beauty that never fades and cannot help but awe the beholder. Thank you Mother for showing us that there is more, and that this is not the end for those who trust in a mighty Savior.

We went to see my brother's new home in Temple, TX (about an hour north of Austin). He just got his first "real job" at Scott and White Hosipital in their pediatric oncology division. In some ways, it's like he just graduated from college. Woo hoo--10 years later! In other ways, he's this big scientific nerd that makes big decisions about life and death and does reserach that the average person needs a medical dictionary to understand (and even then....). Either way, he's smart and I'm glad he's doing what he is doing. He has an amazing moral sense about him that not many people have these days. He has a deep understanding of not only what is right and what must be done about a situation, but also a compassion and sensitivity for children and families dealing with such tradgedy. Ladies, this man is a keeper.