Sweet, Sweet Alaskan Summertime: Lessons on Autism, Resting, Boating, and Writing

This summer has been a breath of fresh air. With teaching, coaching, and working on my master's degree, last year was a crazy whirlwind. I have been SO thankful for this summer and time to BREATHE and breathe DEEP. 

Getting to go to Italy was definitely a highlight but also just being able to RELAX in a way I haven't felt in years. I have been able to read books (something I feel like I never have time for), to go hiking, camping, fishing, boating. 

One lesson Tony and I learned from Italy is that we want to spend more intentional time together. We would get up early in Italy and eat breakfast, sipping coffee and talking about life and God's goodness. This emotional intimacy was refreshing and needed. We realized you don't have to travel halfway across the world to achieve this- we can work on that intentional time together every day at home. We have been trying to get up early this summer and read scripture, sip coffee, read the news, read books, just relax and enjoy life and each other. 

It has been so incredible. I used to think life was better sleeping in- seriously ask my family. Getting up at noon was a regular thing when I was growing up. Now, I am just so enjoying my mornings and now that I have made it a habit it is so much easier. I feel so much more refreshed for the day with a little me time and "us" time for Tony and I. And I love starting my day off with God's truth. 

After we got back from Italy, I started my first counseling internship. I am working at Hope Community Resources with children who have autism. At my internship, I am working with children ages 4-7 on different spectrums of autism. Some are nonverbal and some are verbal. 

I have learned SO much about how to work with little kiddos in general and particularly those who have autism. God created each of us so differently with different minds and ways of thinking and that has been such a cool lesson. 

This is something we use with our autistic kiddos that helps them visualize and prepare for transitions. We set up a schedule for them so they know when one activity is and can prepare. We also use timers pretty often (I am going to give you 10 minutes on the swing, then we will move to blocks). 

These visuals can also be used with nonverbal autistic kiddos to help them grow their communication skills. If they get frustrated with trying to communicate their thoughts with words, pictures can help. Eventually, you can phase them out of the pictures and encourage them to use words. 

We also use the First Then method often with the kiddos. If they have trouble understanding what's coming next, we say first we will paint (put a paint picture in the first slot), then we will do puzzles (put puzzles in the slot). 

I am learning so much about autism. I love knowing the God doesn't ever make a mistake, but that children with autism have a purpose and plan. God is using them for HIS glory. We can see who God is through them and how creative God is. 

I also got to go camping and boating and fishing over the Fourth of July! 

Having a boat in Alaska has come to open up some many more places to camp. We can get out on the ocean and explore more remote areas unaccessible to us previously. We are making some repairs on our little Zodiac currently, but we love having a boat. Now Tony wants to build his own boat!

We caught some rockfish and halibut. 

I am loving time at home this summer and am appreciating all the introverts of the world. Lots of reading, writing, and resting this summer. I decided to start writing a book, something I have wanted to do for years. I am loving exploring the themes and just writing in a new way. And I am learning that sometimes when you want to do something, you just need to start. Don't talk about what you want to do in life, actually do it. Start doing a little at a time. 

Lot of dog walks this summer and enjoying the beautiful Alaskan sunshine. 

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Trip of a Lifetime: Italy and Switzerland 2016

At the end of May, Tony and I got to take a trip to Italy and Switzerland. Definitely a bucket list item and a trip I am so thankful we were able to take. We ended up renting a car and using Air BnB, my first time to use it. This cut our cost and Air BnB was much less expensive than hotels. Some Air BnBs that we went to were better than others. Air BnB is a website/ app that allows you to book homes, bed and breakfasts, apartments at a lower cost. They even have couches you can rent and small rooms for the night. We also found that renting a car gave us a lot of freedom and was less expensive than the train in the end. We went with another couple which was a lot of fun and allowed us to split cost on a lot of things. 

Here are some highlights:

Venice

Venice turned out to be packed with tourists. It was our first stop. Not our favorite city, but so beautiful. We went up the clock tower to get pictures of the city and also went into St. Mark's Basilica and Doge's Palace.

St. Mark's Basilica

Our next stop was Bologna which turned out to be one of our favorites. We took a food tour and met a local who told us some quirky stories about their city. Bologna is home to the oldest University in Europe. Our food tour included pizza, pasta, gelato, espresso, and wines. We loved the architecture and feel of the city. The city also introduced us to "apertivo" which is the pre-dinner drink. There were little restaurants on the streets that would advertise apertivo and you could stop in for a drink and appetizers, kind of like happy hour. We loved it! 

The University

This shop was a stop on our food tour, and we ate some meats and cheeses. Bologna is also were bologna originates from and where lasagna and tortellini came from. The man that owns this shop has a certificate showing that his family has owned this shop since the Middle Ages. Pretty amazing! 

Part of our food tour- we highly recommend the food tour, we had a blast!

Our next stop was Poppi castle, which was right outside Tuscany region. I have never toured a castle before, it was worth it! One highlight of this particular castle is its library with some very old and interesting books.

Next was Perugia. We enjoyed a dinner here and walked around the city. 

We also made our way to Assisi. We toured the St. Francis Basilica and also toured another castle right near the Basilica. Breathtaking!

We also stopped for a wine tasting and learned a lot about how to properly taste wine and tell the quality of a wine. We got to try wine from many different Italian regions while touring! 

The next stop was Rome. We went to the Vatican on our first day. It led to a lot of discussion and just enjoying artwork. I loved the passion and history here. 

The Room of Tapestries in the Vatican

Trevi Fountain

Roman Forum

Colosseum 

The Pantheon

Gelato, of course.

Next was Tuscany, which we called our "vacation from our vacation". So relaxing and peaceful. Our trip included a lot of sightseeing, so we really enjoyed getting to just take a break for a bit. 

We also took a cooking class where we learned how to make gnocchi, fettuccine noodles, a red meat sauce, and tiramisu. This was one of the best things we did together, the class took a few hours and then we got to eat the dinner we had made while overlooking Tuscany. Amazing!

Our gnocchi 

Our tiramisu

Enjoying Tuscany with Bryan and Laura

Next was Florence and checking out David. Worth the wait. Absolutely stunning and one of those things you have to go and see for yourself. 

The Duomo in Florence. Other than St. Peter's Basilica, The Dumo was one of the most beautiful churches we saw in my opinion. I loved the painted outside. 

Florence

Our final stop was Cinque Terre, a set of five coastal cities. There is a hike that I highly recommend where you an hike to each city. Apparently, there was a flood that cut off access to the hike to the last two cities so we were only able to hike to the the three first cities. You can take a train to the last two, and I believe they are doing construction at this point to maintain connection to the last two cities. 

A view you will never forget. I loved the turquoise waters with the multi colored homes nestled in the cliffs. 

These towns were quite touristy though, there were Americans and other visitors everywhere. One of the reasons we enjoyed Bologna so much was because it was not on everyone's list of places to visit in Italy and so it had a lot more local feel and speaking Italian. In some of the highly visited spots, there were so many Americans and English being spoken that it didn't quite feel like we got the cultural experience. 

You can't beat that view!

We also spent our last few days in Zurich, which is where we flew out of. We loved the fact that we got to get to know Switzerland a little bit. It was very expensive here.

I got to try a Rosti, apparently a famous Swiss dish. We also stopped at a Swiss fondue restaurant that was delicious. There are different variations but it is basically hash browns in different ways. Pretty good!

We loved our trip and are so thankful for the rest. Physical, emotional, spiritual, mental rest. A change of scenery can be so good for the soul. The only thing is that it sparks desire in you for more travel. You catch the spark and you just can't wait for your next trip. 

We are hoping to make England, Scotland, and Ireland our next priority but we will see :)

 “Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all of one’s lifetime.” – Mark Twain

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Lessons on Humility, Belief, and Making Plans

Sometimes stories seep easily into our souls, like sweet hot cocoa into a cold body. Other times the stories have to be forced into our minds and hearts, told over and over and over again until the message finally massages its way into who we are.

This is how I feel about God's Word. Sometimes it is like a fresh, spring rain, like a renewing, cleansing, restoring drink that I am desperate for on a searing hot day. Other times the lessons, the stories, they whisper quietly, delicately, they take their time, they gently find their way in. Sometimes I choose to be a selective listener to God's Word, hearing what I want to hear, forcing out what I don't want to process.

In the end, the truth finds its way. Sometimes it is the same lesson, glaring back at me, staring at me again and again. I think I have conquered it, "I got this now, God, I get it!" and then there it is again, seconds later, reminding me my heart has not quite conquered all that it once thought. My sinful beast of a heart makes its ugly appearance once again. Truth is curious like that. I have come to believe that I always have the victory of Christ in my mind, heart, and soul, but there are lessons that nag at me and will until the day I meet my Savior and I get to let go completely of the wrestling with sin.

I have been fidgeting with a few lessons lately, turning them over in my mind, exploring.

One is humility. I once heard a definition of humility that will forever stick with me. It was one of those instant lessons, the kind you soak in and feed on, you never forget. Humility, the speaker said, is seeing yourself rightly through God's eyes, seeing yourself exactly as God sees you. We can lean to one side or the other and we do this often, daily, moment by moment.

One side is seeing yourself as higher than God sees you, a "god" in your own right. This is the boastful, prideful, arrogant, self-seeking side. The side that wants to direct every conversation to how awesome we are. The side that wants to believe that every accomplishment we have achieved in life is because WE did it. That scholarship, that job, that award, that promotion, how "good" (but not) our children are, how "perfect" (but not) our marriage and home is, all ME. "I don't need you God, I got this, can't you see I've handled it this far and done a pretty stinking amazing job so far", this side says. "God is an afterthought, I get to lead my life, I get to make my own choices, I clearly know the best way", this side says. This is the side that is not choosing to believe and see that it is God and only God to whom the glory belongs for everything we have in life, down to our very breath by breath. This side of humility is the pride side. And man, do we all ever struggle with it. If we can ever actually admit it.

The other side of humility though, is the forgotten cousin. The neglected, less talked about side of humility. This is the side that believes it is worthless, a failure, it can't do anything right. This is the side that pushes away compliments. "I don't deserve compliments, I'm a mess up", this side says. This side does not see that God spent time creating us all uniquely and with no mistake, with talents, gifts, and abilities, some we may choose not to see or believe, but certainly there. This side is not seeing that believing you are worthless is just as much sinful, self seeking thinking as the most despicably arrogant person we know. Dwelling on our failures and mess ups is false humility. Humility is not believing we are worthless, it lies in knowing our worth in Christ.

Whichever way we lean is dangerous, a spiraling path of self indulgent thinking. I see this scale of humility in my life thought by thought, battling. True humility is seeing ourselves exactly as God sees us: worthy of love, a child of God, washed clean of sin, ready to walk in faithfulness to our Father.

Another lesson I am learning is about believing God is who He says he is. Believing it with who I am and living it out with my actions and thoughts. One thing my pastor says is that we can often live as a "functional" atheist, saying with our mouth that we believe God but living our lives with no love or obedience to Him, no sorrow for our sin or desire for repentance.

Another truth bomb I am grappling with is making plans. I am a planner, an organizer. I LOVE it. Last summer, I organized the entire house, even labeled the fridge and snuck into Tony's closet. He tolerated it. :) I love making plans and seeing them through. I love setting a goal, crossing off the to do list. But the truth bomb question is: do I want God or do I want my best laid plans? That is what our pastor asked us today. We can plan all day. We can Pinterest our plans, we can talk to our friends about our plans, we can dream in our little moments throughout the day. We can picture the life we want, making steps towards it each day. But when God throws something at us out of left field, how do we respond? Do we choose to believe our plans are still better? Do we choose what we want or do we choose to believe that God wants what is best for us? Do we actually believe that God wants what is best for us? Do we believe that when we give up our plans, we aren't actually giving up at all, but choosing the better life?

You can see why these are lessons that tear at me. Lessons that have to ooze and trickle their way in, and never quite permeate.

God, I'm desperate for you. Help me, help me. Help me believe your plans are always, always, always, incomparably, unimaginably better than my plans for myself. Help me see myself as you see me, to believe you are God, and to believe your words about me are true.

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Counseling 101: Life Rules

This year has been a crazy one. Full time teaching and coaching cross country, volleyball, and track. On top of this, I have been taking classes and working towards my Master's in counseling. Even though this workload has been tremendous at times, I wouldn't change it for a minute because I have learned SO much about myself, the Lord, and others through my counseling classes. The busyness is worth the priceless life lessons.

You might think that due to the fact that I am paying for my classes and working to counsel people professionally I might not want to share what I am learning but the opposite is true. My heart is spilling with new knowledge that I can't help but share with everyone I come in contact with. I use what I am learning every day in my own life and in daily conversation. I want everyone to learn what I am learning.

I can't help but share one of the biggest themes I have learned this year which is about "rules". Something we learn through our counseling classes is that you have to go back to go forward. What rules or ways of thinking are ingrained in you due to how you were raised? We call these "life rules". Parents teach us all kinds of things about life. From the very moment we are born, we look to the face of our mother to determine what we should think or feel: Is this fall worth a big cry? Is this broccoli okay to eat? Is this stove hot?

We learn the tiny lessons and the big lessons from our parents.

Rules can be simple: Always say please and thank you. Take out the trash when it is full.

Sometimes, rules can be more complex in nature: Nothing but perfection is acceptable. Only a size zero is beautiful. The only career worth having is medical school.

Sometimes, rules can be devastating: Don't talk to dad when he is drunk. Everything mom says is right no matter what. When you are angry, get violent, it helps. The more make up and less clothes you wear, the prettier you are. Sexual appeal is what makes you worthy of love.

Rules can be indirectly or directly taught. Directly: Don't run with scissors. Indirectly: No adult is trustworthy because every adult I know has abused, neglected, or manipulated me for something they wanted.

As a future counselor, one of the first things I will do with my clients is work through their past. What rules or life lessons have been taught that need to be unraveled. How do they affect us today? As I said earlier, we often have to go back to go forward. We have to talk about the painful stuff, the hurt, in order that we might unravel what is going on in our thinking right now.

I will never forget the first time our professor taught us this lesson. She gave us a list of various measures of rules taught in our home growing up. For example, pick one: "In your home, were there no rules, rules were reasonable, or rules were strictly enforced" or "complete freedom in choices, you are free to make your choice within limits, or choices are made for you".

She then had us discuss our childhoods. It was clear that we were going to evaluate our parents. There was immediate tension in the room. This activity was extremely difficult due to the fact that in almost every home, we are taught to respect our parents and believe what they say and do is right and we should obey them.

It led me to much thinking about parenthood: every parent is going to fail their child at some time. Probably every day if we are being honest. In some way, as we grow up and model after our parents, we will fail. Admitting that our parents who have spent every second of their lives encouraging, challenging, loving, pushing, and teaching us are capable of messing up and failing is hard.

Which is why the gospel is so cool. The gospel of Jesus Christ says: come as you are. We are all sinners, we all mess up, no one, not a single person is perfect. Instead of modeling after our parents, who are sinners and will fail no doubt, we can model after Christ, who is perfect. All parents can breathe a sigh of relief. Jump into this parent thing knowing you are going to fail and it is OKAY. We can do out best to love our children, to teach them patience, kindness, joy, and serving others. But we can also visibly show them that we can apologize when we mess up because we aren't perfect. We can show them how much in need of Christ we all are and how amazing it is to have a savior.

Life rules are one of the many lessons I am learning as I seek to be a future counselor. It is the stuff I can't help but keep talking about. Everyone needs to know. Unraveling life rules you have been taught can help you have some huge breakthroughs in your way of thinking in the present. I am thankful to have had two incredibly loving parents. I respect, admire, and love my parents so much. I know from my short time in child protection that there are many families that are dysfunctional, manipulative, and destructive. Parenthood is a huge responsibility but one that is made distinctively easier when the goal is to point your babies to Christ. My mom was a single mom from my eighth grade year on and I am so thankful for her example of a woman who loves the Lord fiercely and relentlessly through whatever life may bring. She inspires me. But I don't expect her to be perfect. I don't expect myself or anyone I know to be perfect as a parent. If you expect perfection out of yourself or others, you are in for a lot of pain. What I admire most is a person who can humbly admit when they are wrong. Because we all are. We desperately need Jesus.

Thank you, Father, for releasing us from the need to be perfect and right. We are not perfect or right all the time, and we need you, oh how we need you. Thank you, Jesus, for the gift of the cross.

Thankful for my family and the life rules taught in this home. We aren't perfect but we love Jesus.

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Harry Potter Movie Marathon

A love jumping into new worlds. Good writers can pull you in, take you to new levels of thinking and imagining. This is why I love J.K. Rowling. She leaves all of us wishing Hogwarts is a real place. Ever since fifth grade, I have loved Harry Potter. Every book release. Every movie release. Sometimes I dressed up and even convinced my friends to also. I feel a connection to the stories because all throughout childhood I read them and waited for the next story. Page by page, I grew up with Harry. I started reading the stories about the same age that Harry got his Hogwarts letter. It is a story of courage, moral conflict, and magic that never gets old no matter how many times I step into the world. I invited Tony to love the stories too and he jumped in. Every fall/ winter, we have convinced our community to watch the movies with us. A complete movie marathon from start to finish. This year, I officially started a new tradition which is that the last movie in the marathon is celebrated with a HUGE Harry Potter Celebration Finale. Everyone dresses up, our house turns into a magical land, the whole shebang. It was amazing, and the stuff all my Harry Potter dreams were made of. DEFINITELY a repeating tradition and a way to spice up the dreary Alaskan winter. Here is how it turned out, with Pinterest ideas and all.

Hermione Granger (a.k.a. Holly) and Ginny Weasley (a.k.a Hannah)

Hermione Granger (a.k.a. Holly) and Lavender Brown (a.k.a Laura)

Doesn't Scott look so much like Neville Longbottom?!! (Especially see the last movie- the resemblance is uncanny!)

Floating Candles... we used LED lights from Target, fish line, and tacks to pin to the ceiling. Or is it magic?!?!?

Perks of having an artist friend... realistic dark marks! (Can you guess who I dressed up as?!)

Voldy and Bellatrix Duo (We all knew Tony's best character was Voldemort)

Lavendar and Ron

Luna and a Gryffindor Fan!

Pretzel Wands

Golden Snitch Cake Balls

Google and Pinterest Search: Harry Potter Party and so many glorious things will come up if you want to host a party like we did, but I got a lot of my labels for the food from this link:

https://bethscrafts.wordpress.com/2015/04/

Lots of candles all around

Our friend Scott made these wands from a hot glue gun (glue little patterns) and paint and wood sticks from Michaels, they turned out SO good!

My Honeydukes Shop

We blew up white balloons and made designs withs sharpies! I started planning weeks before- it was a blast!

Mirror of Erised.. look inside to see you heart's deepest desire :)

Liquid Labels

Red Lipstick: The Chamber of Secrets Has Been Opened... Enemies of The Heir Beware

Luckily, our party was around the time Valentine candy was being put out so I was able to find some chocolate frogs! I used good and plentys for Puking Pastilles but I later realized Pastilles were more like a citrus juicy candy (next year!).

Our Hogwarts Treat Mix was pretzels, reeses, golden grahams, cocoa puffs, and peanuts. 

Here is a link to the pin for the recipe:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/67131850669124214/

We changed it by not coating the mix in white chocolate. This would have been yummy but I felt like it was already so sugary. 

Moaning Myrtle right where she should be: the bathroom.

Bathroom Mirror.

(Just google images Moaning Myrtle and print)

(For the Bathroom Entrance)

This idea was one of my favorites I saw on Pinterest!! 

I changed the pictures in my living room to Wanted signs for Death Eaters.

We LOVED this tradition and can't wait to repeat again next year!!

Happy Harry Potter Celebrating!

P.S. I would LOVE to go to Harry Potter land. Fund starting now.

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