Not the Summer I Had Planned Part 3

 

Next we did what anyone would do after a major life decision - we left town! It was time for that overnight trip with friends followed by the visit with my parents. Both were a needed fun distraction!  We trimmed some days off S. Carolina to cross some things off the list and instead met my parents in Helen, GA as we had planned that trip within the trip months ago. If Branson, MO and Heidelberg, Germany had a baby, it would be Helen, Georgia. We had German food several times, watched and made fun of the people in inner tubes "shootin' the Hootch", and enjoyed a beautiful winery. We came back to their SC home for a few days and just breathed before coming home to a whole new list of things to do.  

Celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary! 

While we were visiting my parents that particular weekend, God allowed us to sit in on a call meeting. My parent’s church is currently in a vacancy since December. They’ve issued numerous calls, only to have the pastor return it. At this call meeting the congregation would get another three names with brief biographies and they would vote on which name to extend the call to. 

I have never sat in on a call meeting. Wayne had run a handful of them years ago during a brief time he was circuit pastor. It was very different then with basically a piece of paper listing three names and very limited information about their families or ministry. So it seemed like a lot of information that this church was getting! I can’t quite remember what number pastor this would be for this church to call (7, maybe?) Rejection is not a great feeling and they really wanted a pastor to shepherd them, to start a new chapter with them, and who would be excited to serve their community they call home. It’s easy to grow weary of hearing no. After listening to the discussion and attempt to take what limited information they were given and read into whether one of these pastors would be a good fit for their church, one was finally picked with an overwhelming majority. They prayed in Jesus' name over this pastor and his wife and hope was returned like deflated balloons being filled with air. 

I was humbled. Somewhere in Colorado a similar call meeting had taken place and Wayne was one of those pastor’s names and bios given with limited information. Yet the Holy Spirit led them to pick him. And they were praying for us. For Wayne. For me. For our Grace family here. And suddenly my initial flippant attitude toward the call made me deeply ashamed. Wayne was the 9th pastor they called. Yet the phone conversations he related having with a variety of members still held excitement in the ministry opportunities there and peace knowing that God was in control and would send the right shepherd at the right time. This was the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the church, trusting on His timing and His plan. 

We returned home after this just in time to welcome a short visit from Will and his girlfriend, Brawnwyn. Hosanna had been planning a surprise for our family reunion. She knew I had been wanting a nice family picture long overdue! So she arranged and ordered matching clothing (even Buddy got a matching collar) for all of us and asked Brawnwyn to take some photos of us together. She made it happen! We had a lovely weekend with them and I was probably glowing at church sitting with both of my kids! 

The church ladies made and gave one of their gorgeous quilts to Will as a goodbye since this would be his last Sunday at Grace. Hosanna got one too even though she wasn't leaving quite yet! They’ve always loved our kids and been so supportive of them! 

We had one more trip to take before the summer was out.  We needed to go to Colorado, meet who would be our new church family, and find a house to call our home. No pressure. 

Not the Summer I Had Planned Part 2

 

Since our summer had already veered off course, we added a trip to Calgary for July. Wayne and his brothers had decided that we would all start making more of an effort to go to Fran instead of her always coming to us. Travel has been getting more stressful for her and was taking a toll on her. If Wayne and I were going to go together, it had to be before I went back to school the beginning of August. So we booked the tickets for July during the only consecutive days not previously planned with something already. We also booked an overnight stay in July with friends from high school at their lake home in Texas.  We had recently reconnected with them and were surprised to find us all living in the Lone Star state! Our calendar was filling up fast! 

We weren’t even halfway in to June! 

I had my webinar on the 11th and was already planning for an October one.

Then came two weeks of camp at nearby Camp Shiloh. Wayne did the opening service for both Teen and Youth Camp. I volunteered when needed in the cafeteria. Zanna lifeguarded. But the uncertainty of our future was hanging over my head. More people were asking us about it. I knew Wayne was becoming more convinced to go and I just wanted everything to go back to normal. Normal is predictable. Predictable is comfortable. I like to be comfortable. 

I was throughly enjoying our ladies Bible study on the book of Ruth. Like last summer, we met at local coffee shops and enjoyed studying God’s word out in the community. 

We celebrated my birthday on the 22nd. June rolled into July and we celebrated our anniversary and the 4th of July. By then I knew that everything we did was probably going to be our last. One neighbor couple hosted their annual nothing can beat 4th of July bash complete with food and drink truck, grab bags, live band, and Instagram worthy pool and lake views. Later that evening as we sat on another neighbor’s boathouse and watched as another neighbor hosted the most fantastic fireworks show reflected over the shimmering waters of the lake we’ve looked at from our window for the last 8 years, I was sad. Mad. And overwhelmed. 

Now that we’re on the other side of that decision, I go back to try to work out why I’ve been so resistant. I’m grew up moving around. My mom always modeled and set the tone that this was an adventure! The idea of moving isn’t the issue. I’ve never had the luxury of knowing a place “that I’m from” because I’m not honestly from anywhere! I’ve never lived in the same town as my family and my kids will most likely not live by us either. I don’t have that expectation. 

No, this was coming from someplace different. We were in Canada for 16 years. Way longer than I thought we’d ever be there! So it seemed more natural when it finally came time to leave, although gut wrenching because we had been there for so long. We’ve only been in Texas for 8 years so it can’t be time yet? And maybe that’s the shock I wasn’t prepared for. God’s timing. This may not have been the summer I had planned but it’s the summer He had planned all along. 

Right after the 4th of July weekend, we left for Calgary. It was good to be back in Canada, back in the familiar of Wayne’s childhood home - something I’ve never had. We visited with family and friends every day, enjoyed some favorite food spots, and managed to fit in an afternoon in Canmore with the view of majestic mountains. 

We came home and Wayne officially announced his acceptance to Colorado that Sunday. 

It was time to get excited! But first …

I called my principal to tell her I wouldn’t be coming back. I know I’m just a cog in a machine that can easily be replaced but this one hurt. I had gotten attached to the kids and I didn’t get closure. I hadn’t had a chance to say goodbye.  I had told them in May, “See you in August!!”  I went back to school a few times to collect my things I thought I'd be coming back to. 

I sent a group text to the neighborhood of people we had become so close to and announced our impending move. I immediately received messages back of surprise and we’ll miss you. 

I cancelled the October webinar I had been planning for because that was not going to happen as much as I’d like to make it happen. We’ll shoot for the new year! 

First on our to do list was to find a realtor and get the house on the market. The house I’ve felt so blessed to live in and enjoy. All the memories made. All the dog hair. Oh, wait. That comes with us. The market stinks right now - super slow. Not great timing. 

Timing - again? But with God, all things are possible. 

Not the Summer I Had Planned Part 1

 

“We actually don’t have a lot going on this summer. It should be pretty chill. There’s a few projects I’m working on with Women’s Ministry, a ladies Bible study with my church, summer camp at Shiloh, have some neighbors over, and enjoy having Zanna home for the summer. We have one trip planned at the end of July to see my parents in South Carolina. It should be pretty laid back.” - my response when asked in May what my summer plans were. 

This was not the summer I had planned. 

It started pretty normal. Over Memorial Day weekend, we attended our niece’s baby shower in Ft. Worth. From that we brought Fran back home with us to spend the rest of the week. Hosanna was home from college around that time and hit the ground running as a lifeguard at a local beach. 

I was thoroughly enjoying the carefree summer days where I didn’t have to rush out the door as the sun came up. I worked on writing an Advent devotion for Women’s Ministry and prepping for the June webinar “Sacred Rhythms: Building a Life of Daily Devotion”.  I was even playing around with the idea of refreshing my little office corner and was starting to collect some ideas and inspiration for a fun summer project. I tended my garden - the berries come in June! - along with tomatoes ripening, peppery delicious arugula ready for picking, zinnias blooming, and cucumbers shriveling up (they weren’t doing so well this time). Ahhh, a pretty chill summer! 

Until it wasn’t.

Until June 7th when Wayne received a divine call from a church in Colorado. I rolled my eyes and specifically recall saying something like Let’s get this over with so we can move on with our summer. Look. I’m not proud of that but it’s what it is and I’ve since repented of that attitude. Let me get back to my story. 

I was eager to get back to my pretty chill summer and maintain the vibe I was cultivating thus far. Hosanna had been lamenting never having been to Waco, specifically Magnolia, and I had promised her (and myself!) that we would do a day trip this summer. So that’s what we did on June 8th. This Colorado thing would be blowing over anyway and we needed to maintain our regularly scheduled programming. 

Over the last 8 years of living in Texas I had been to Magnolia quite a few times. This was the first time I went not as a stop along the way or as an overnight. We did it in a day. There and back. Very efficient. And we had a great time! I always enjoy the eye candy for every season. There’s always a theme reflecting the focus and mood but it’s the hand made displays that usually take the cake for me. They have one heck of a creative team that brings their art to life in such an inspiring way! We strolled the Silos, got a drink at Magnolia Press, ate lunch at Magnolia Table, took home some cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery, and Magnoliad ourselves to death before driving home. A fun day with my girl! 

I continued in my happy bubble of summer for a few more days until Wayne took me aside and said something like I don’t know, Rach. This call to Colorado might be something. He had never said something like that before with all the other calls he’s received since being here. I knew this was different. Serious. And that was the official end of the summer I had planned. 

I love East Texas 😂

To be continued. 

Summer of '25

Lunch in Athens, Greece. Did someone say Gyros? 

It seems that my 18 year old blog only updates at the end of summer. That's weird. Maybe it has something to do with the lack of bandwidth in my brain during the rest of the year. One of these days, I'll write about it. Until then it's summertime memories and sunny days. Until the start of the next school year. 

Summer started off with a trip to Minnesota with Zanna for my Grandma Hanson's funeral. Yes, funerals are often a sad occasion and all of us will miss her presence in our lives. I'm extremely grateful for the grandparents I've had.  She was an amazing woman who kept everyone in the family connected and up to date on what the others were doing even if some of us never saw each other except for funerals. She was a grandma who had numerous grandkids and great grandkids but would still remember to call me on my birthday. 

The great part of the trip though was seeing aunts, uncles and cousins (some with spouses and kids now). I also got to see my little brother who I hadn't seen for four years. That's embarrassing. Both families live in the US now after years in Canada and Germany. This turned out to be the summer of Rachel and Reid. Oh, he may deny it but it was a highlight for him to be sure. Just look at his face. 

Nothing has changed

But really now ... 

 I had to take Zanna. Since she's been going to school in Minnesota, she has connected with the Hanson side of the family for better or for worse. Oh come on. You all have families and you know what I mean......  Anyway, she's invested in this family. There was no way she wasn't going. 

And fun observation: We rode Spirit airlines on the way back to Dallas and noticed that everyone was basically wearing pajamas or lounge wear. I guess we've stopped trying. 

This was also the summer of our Summer Sisters Scripture Study. I can't help myself. I'm drawn to alliteration. I hate not having a regular women's Bible study at church so I thought it would be fun to do one over the summer. We met five times at various coffee shops every couple weeks or so and studied "When Jesus Visits".  We had such a great time! It was truly a highlight!

Zanna had her wisdom teeth taken out so that was fun! We purchased dental insurance for the year just for this momentous occasion. Now we're all frantically trying to get our dental cleanings, etc in for the year. 

Continuing the summer of Rachel and Reid, I drove to Plano for a soccer competition my niece was in. It was fun to cheer her on and watch her do her goalie thing. I really don't care about soccer but I was excited to be there for family!

 Once they were finished, the family drove out to see us for a night in East Texas. The dog was a hit!

Near the end of June, we drove to Fort Benning in Georgia for Will's graduation from Ranger School!!! To say we're proud of his accomplishment is an understatement. It was an amazing experience to attend the ceremony. They put on quite a show for attendees in an effort to show off some of the maneuvers that Rangers must be able to do. I really don't want to think of my baby scaling walls while holding on to a large gun. Or jumping from a plane into the water, hanging by a rope while the plane is flying... things like that.  But whatever. 

Then it was time for the BIG trip for the summer - our 50th birthday gift to ourselves - a trip to Turkey and Greece for a Footsteps of Paul and John tour! Don't worry, I won't post all our pictures here or a daily recap like I did on Facebook. The history and Biblical sites were incredible, the architecture was beautiful, the weather was stifling, and the food was Greek so how could it be anything but divine? 

See the big chunk on feta? Oh yeah! 

Just hanging out at the Parthenon...

Ancient Corinth

A caper flower! Our family is obsessed with capers.

Ruins of the Palace of Knossos

View from the Island of Patmos

Patmos

Turkish delight

Turkish rug we bought - Buddy won't stop licking it.

Tour of how they dye the yarn used in Turkish rugs

Turkish buffet

I'm obsessed with these doorways

Ephesus

A pastor on vacation:)

We made it home in time to celebrate our 27th wedding anniversary on the 4th of July. We were so touched that our neighborhood had a party and fireworks .... 

Later in July, we had planned to go to a new pastor installation in Killeen, TX. We RSVP'd and everything. Only we never made it beyond Waco. 

I admit I am a Magnolia fan! 25 years ago I was a Martha Stewart fan so clearly there's a pattern. We stayed at a local Airbnb tiny home and had dinner at Hotel 1928.  My husband humors me. 

Will came home to visit for a few days! He's still working in El Paso with the TX National Guard. Even though he works in the same state we live in it's 10 hours away! 

And our last trip for the summer was to South Carolina to visit Mom and Dad. Brenda and kids came to visit for a few days which was so fun! We swam, bowled, played cards, shopped. It was nice and relaxing! 

I also had several Women's Ministry projects going on. I taught my first Zoom Bible study on hospitality and also hosted my 9th webinar! 

Summer was busy but there was plenty of downtime too.  There were plenty of walks in the neighborhood, floating in the neighborhood pool, books read, slow mornings, and bonding time with Zanna home. 

This week starts a new school year! You'll find me back in an elementary school computer room trying to convince K-4th graders that staying on home row is better than chicken picking with your index fingers. Most are not convinced. 

We've had our summer fun! Now it's back to business:)