ReEntry

We're home! We've been back for a few days, but re-entry into the real world takes some adjusting! We were in Florida for an intense conference that will undoubtedly change the rest of our lives.

Undoubtedly change the rest of our lives.


That's a bomb shell kind of statement, isn't it? It means something happened or didn't happen or perhaps it was a series of happenings that changes the way a person lives from this time forward.

Have you ever had one of those? A line in the sand. A passage. When you don't know what God's doing, but you know He's doing something? When the cry of your heart becomes spoken word. Thrown out there for all to see, all to judge, all to agree or disagree, all to deny or confirm. Yet, you know that the original cry was for God alone. Given by God to be given back to God.


Yikes! This is waaaaaaaay heavier than my usual haphazard, strangely funny ramblings.
If this is the first peak you've had here at Robinson Moments, you better look around a while. I'm not usually like this.

But what I know is that this past week required a greater level of introspection than I've put myself through since an intense InterVarsity camp way back in college. Back then someone said to me, "Jody, you're a woman of passion and compassion" Words matter. Those descriptions have stuck on me and influenced me to not be afraid to let it show.

It's true. God's design for our lives has become much clearer. Not in a fully tangible way, but in our hearts. Can't wait to see what it actually looks like!

Leaving on a Jet Plane. Yes, they have those here.

We're leaving in the morning. We - Me and Mark- are boarding a plane without our children. Gone for 5 days. I made a list of everything I needed to take.

It looked like this:

Clothes
Bible
Journal
Camera
Paperwork
Swimsuit
Shoes

That's it. That's all it takes for two grown ups to fly away together for a week's time to a warmer climate.

However, the list I made for the children to take to Grandma and Grandpa's house was exceedingly long. Long and long and long. Lot's of stuff those 4 kiddos "need".

Looking forward to this week even if it is for work. It's just me and Mark, alone at last, again. Off to packing ....

The Photo Speaks to Me: Unsolicited Commentary and Conversation

1. The only thing that matches in this photo is Claire's shirt to Lydia's socks! When did I stop caring what my children look like in public?! What does that say about me? I think I still care. Sometimes.

2. The duck. Which came first the yellow or the green? Is it graffiti? Or is it old paint showing through?

3. We're trying to figure out which season it is: Claire: in capris and Lydia: bundled up in her jacket.

4. I have NEVER gotten into the whole tennis shoes without socks thing. I understand having some really low socks, but NO socks is not cool. How can that feel good? Do you do that? I don't do that. And I have never ever ever ever worn socks with sandals. However, I cannot speak for other adult members of the family.

5. The big sisterly love is simply oozing down and all around this photo and puddling on the floor of the world with sibling love. Claire is completely smitten with glee.

6. Lydia wishes she felt the same way.

7. Did the following picture come before or after the above photo?

8. Why do I like it even more?

Joke by Caleb

Caleb: Mommy, why did the Christian, I mean the chi . . . chi . . What is it?

Me: Chicken?

Caleb: Yeah. Mommy, why did the chicken go across the road?

Me: I don't know! Why, did the chicken go across the road?!

Caleb: Because he wanted to get over there on that side.

Me: hahahahahahahahahahaha! What a funny joke, Caleb! hahahahahahah

This morning, 10 something AM.
Things that make life fun.

Lessons from a Seven Year Old

Dance when no one is watching.

Dance when people are watching.

Twirl.

Laugh.

Enjoy.

Be yourself.

Find happiness in the things that are.

Redneck Reality: Be Shocked and Amazed

This picture is supposed to shock and amaze you. And give you a teeny tiny peak into what it means to live in the middle of no place. Where apparently there are no rules about having animals live where you think they're supposed to live. Fish in water. Birds in trees. Camels near sand. Nope. Camels in Central Illinois.
Those are camels. Camels. In central Illinois.
See that sign? It's an Illinois road sign!

There is no sand here. But there are camels. Well, not so many camels, just these camels that live about 15 minutes away from my brother's house. I haven't figured out why it bothers me so much to see them here. On the one hand, it's always very cool to tell the kids, "There are the camels!" as we drive by to go see my brother. But it just feels so incredibly odd.

I don't know much about the camels or who owns them. If you know them, I mean no offense to the camel owners. Apparently, they must live in that house right next to the camel pasture.

See, there it is again. The absurdity to say the word pasture and camel in the same sentence. It just doesn't feel right. Probably camels were always meant to live in a place with 4 distinct seasons and very fertile soil, but I just can't get sand dunes and turban-style head wraps out of my mind.

Uh Oh. Looks like we have a visitor. I promise no animals or humans were injured during this photo session. However, it did down right freak me out as I stayed on the road to take these photos with my long lens. Apparently, when camels live here in the Midwest they have to grow very shaggy coats to stay warm.Do you know what sound a camel makes when it looks like this?
It makes this loud gurgling sounds not too far off of what a motor sounds like on a little fishing dingy. Crazy, I tell you! I thought someone had just pulled a cord or something. (Therein lies the entirety of my knowledge about motors.)

The lips. Are they cute?

Or is it just me? They might be exceedingly scary.

And this will end our little tour of the camel farm on the way to my brother's house. The land of the free. Where desert animals are at liberty to walk on solid ground and live in barns that look a little wobbly.

Biggest LAME-O Mommy Ever.

I've been planning this super fun, fully educational field trip to make Maple Syrup from real maple trees for 6 weeks. I've told lots of people, I've made lists of stuff to take. We looked for extra books about it at the library. I arranged back-up childcare just in case it was too cold to have Lydia on our 4 hour adventure.

To make a completely long story short and sweet, the event was yesterday. But I thought it was today. Thankfully I didn't drive the 1 hour and 47 minutes that Googlemaps estimated before I realized my colossal mistake.

I have NEVER in my life done that! Totally missed a really huge thing on my calendar. Okay, I almost always send birthday presents or cards late. And I rarely remember to return my library books on time. And I couldn't tell you what year either my mom or dad was born. I have to look it up every year. But SERIOUSLY!!! I missed the Maple Syrup Field Trip by one day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm having trouble finding the words to express my disgruntlement. I'm so dissappointed and it's over a really stupid thing. My first reaction is to find something else super cool and entertaining today to make me feel better.

But I think God is trying to teach me something. This quote from Ann Voskamp has been whirling through my mind for a few days now. Maybe I'm supposed to use it now.

Habitual escapism, when the heat of life gets turned up, circumvents the efficacy of the Refiner’s Fire.
Lock the lid on.
Let life get hot.
Stay present.
Don’t let off steam.
Don’t escape.

Let the pressure do it’s work.

If you actually visited her link, you'll see she's much better with words than I am. But if you want the Cliff's Notes version of what she's saying, here goes: She's comparing life to a pressure cooker. We usually want to jump right out of problems or hard situations, but perhaps the pressure is good. Usually, we try to escape through some little means to temporarily bring our sanity back. Let me tell you a few of my "habitual escapisms": Shopping, Eating, Books, Movies, or . . . anything that makes me feel like I "got away" if even for a few moments.

But if I allow God to finish the work before blowing off steam, something beautiful can be created. If we force ourselves not to escape, but instead to live joyfully through the current struggle we have embraced the Refiner's Fire.

Perhaps realizing I'm more than a little flaky and need to pay more attention to details is just the right dose of humbling I needed in my life today. I'm not as cool as I wish I were. I'm okay with that. God is good. All the time.

And now that I've lived through my pressure cooker right here in cyberspace, and have a more God-honoring perspective, I hope we come up with something super fun to do with the kids today instead of tapping Maple trees with our bare hands.