I need to blog about Disney!

So, I am sitting here with this on my back (a gift from my parents) feeling guilty for not blogging yet about our amazing trip to Disney last month (also a gift from my parents). I have been feeling guilty for a while now but have no great pictures to show so had no motivation to blog. Our first day in florida, we went to visit our friends (an hour and a half away) and I left my camera case in their living room with the charger! SO, I only got pictures from our first two days. Luckily I could use my moms camera but I haven't gotten pictures from her yet. So, more pictures to come soon.

I have to start this post telling about how we got there to begin with. We were to leave on a friday afternoon, so I was getting last minute things done around the house, still in my p.j.'s when I got the call. It was airtran saying they had canceled our flight. We would have to take a 6pm flight and not get to FL until almost 11pm! We had planned to drive to Tampa that night to spend the night with our friends so I asked if there was any way we could get an earlier flight. She said she didn't think there would be space left for 5 passangers but she checked. She came back saying there were exactly 5 spaces left on that flight but that we would have to be at the airport within 45 minutes! WHAT! OK, but it would get us to FL a few hours earlier than what we were going to be in the first place so I said "great!" I ended up not packing food for our trip, leaving the house a mess for our house-sitters, and Chris called our friend who was taking us to come earlier. We were out the door within a very stressful 20 minutes. We got to the airport and we got all the kids and luggage out of the van and said good-bye to Nate. I almost took a sigh of relief when Nate yelled out to me"don't you need the carseat?!" Oh my gosh! He is not even a dad yet. I don't know how he remembered and not me ( a mom of three! ) . Anyways, I got the car seat and we got checked in and through security with tons of time to spare. We were on the plane and we thought we were about to take off at 11 am when the pilot calmly said over the intercom that "the good news was that we were all going to Disney...and the bad news was that he had no idea when we would get there!" There was a mechanical problem with the plane and they would have to fly in a part and a mechanic from Atlanta to fix it and it would be at least 7pm before we would be able to leave!!! Oh my goodness! I was really about to have a panic attack, but my well traveled husband assured me that we would have so much fun in the kids play area and surely they would give us food vouchers so that we could go find a sports bar and watch the Phillies... So, I decided to make the most of it. We did, however decide to switch to the 6pm flight that they tried to put us on earlier. We headed out, for a fun filled day at the Philly airport. Several hours later I thought I should take a break from the greasy sports bar and take India for a walk and check our flight times. To my dismay, I found that the flight we switched to was now delayed!! SOOOOOO, I went to the check-in counter and asked them when the other flight would be leaving. It looked like it would be around 7 like they hoped. So I switched AGAIN! The plane was ready for us at 7 but we had to wait another 30 minutes for the flight crew:( The flight was uneventful and I think the kids slept some, but it was after 11pm when we got to Orlando. After 9 hours in the airport and a 4 hour plane ride, we were not feeling the drive to Tampa to see our friends. We went to the check-in desk and asked for hotel vouchers, and we got them! We got two rooms, attached and it was right there in the airport. The kids love staying in hotels, so it was a nice treat.

The next day we headed to Tampa. We hung out with our friends there for most the day and then came back in time to check in to our condo before my parents got there. My dad had a conference in one of the disney resorts, but we stayed 5miles away in a condo that we exchanged our time share for. While my dad did his conference, my mom and the rest of us did the parks for the next 6 days straight. We did Sea World two days, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and MGM. This was a huge man made tree in animal kingdom that I could stare at all day!

My dad was able to make it to Magic Kingdom for the fireworks and we had a full day with him in MGM (where he tried out for American Idol) and Sea World. It is all such a blur because it was so non-stop. I can't wait to get all the pictures to be able to remember more.My favorite was Sea World. I went on a roller coaster for the first time in over 10 years and took atleast 15 minutes to gain back my equilibrium. I loved the dolphins and we had a great time having dinner with Shamu. Moriah and India loved Magic Kingdom the most and Alexa loved Epcot the most. My other favorite thing was seeing 3-D for the first time in my life at Animal Kingdom. I have an eye condition called amblyopia which has always prevented me from seeing 3-D in movies. Well, either my eyes are somewhat better or the 3-D technology is much different at Disney than I have ever seen before because I had bugs coming right up to my face in that movie! I actually started to cry because I was so excited! Animal Kingdom also had an amazing African safari ride. We all loved the gorillas!

We did some fun rides but not a lot because my girls are just not quite there yet, but there were a couple rides that Chris and I went on while my mom watched the girls. This one was a dinosaur ride.

My favorite was this one that went from 0 to 60 mph in 2 1/2 seconds! Epcot was really awesome for all of the educational stuff that they had and I took India for a stroll "around the world" while my mom, chris and the the girls went on some rides. They were having their yearly wine and food festival which was fun...but would have been more fun with Chris instead of India:)
Well, like I said, it was a blur. I think I could write more if I had more pictures. It was a trip to remember for sure. India has been obsessed with Donald ever since we got home. We have one old vhs of donald that she watches every single day now! It is cute though and fun to see her get so excited about a duck:) I think she will love having her granddads talk to her in their donald voices now which will make them quite happy, I am sure.

Loving Fall

This is such a great time of year. I would almost say it is my favorite time...but Spring is just a little bit better in my opinion. But, what is there not to love about all of the beauty that comes with Fall. The colors, the shapes, the foliage and flowers.
There is something so magical about how a tiny seed can turn into so many different shapes and sizes and colors...

I love pumpkins so much! They are yummy for one thing. I love pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies...But mostly I love the look of them. These pictures were taken somewhere on the side of the road in Virginia on my way home from my yearly retreat.
I love this retreat center. I spend a lot of time taking hikes up North Mountain and doing the stations of the cross. It is where I feel closest with God.

The actual retreat center is at the Orkney Springs Hotel which was an old hospital from the Civil war. It is a retreat for health care workers and others coming to seek God's healing and wholeness in their lives.


We always end the retreat burning our prayer requests as a symbol of surrendering our burdens to Christ. We celebrate together what God has done in us and through us as we watch the smoke rise up.

Here are some of my new favorite people. I learned so much from these ladies!

What happened to summer?

I feel like we got a little ripped off... You know what I mean?? I mean, it was stinkin cold in June and July (which had its advantages) and now it is hot as heck and my girls are back in school! So, I thought I would give a shout out to the summer that came and went in a minute...
We made it to the beach this year, but barely. It ended up being perfect weather but the water was still too cold for me. We met up with our Jersey friends and had a great time catching up, ending the night with a fire in Kirk's back yard and smore's for the kids. My friend and old roommate met us there with her tribe as well.


I also was so thrilled to see my sweet friend, Amber, marry an amazing guy who makes a perfect partner for her. The wedding was in their back yard and the reception had all locally grown food. So fabulous!
I got to hang out with my brother for a weekend who I only see once or twice a year. India loves her uncle John. So cute!

Oskar learned a lesson in patience and valueing his feminine side while the girls dressed him up in all his glory.
I was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO proud of Alexa who did an amazing job in the Yes And camp theatre production. She really did shine this year!
Chris took Alexa for a father daughter outing to her first Phillies game. It rained for about an hour, but they had fun watching the clouds roll in. It was Alexa's first game and Chris is really hoping she will start taking more interest in sports now...we'll see.

oh, and they did win!

1400 miles, 10 days, 3 states, 3 trips to the mechanic, 1 tow ride, 1 toilet submerged cell phone...

What a trip!! It all started the day before we left for our tri-state adventure. Chris took the van into the shop to get the headlight cleaned so we could actually see where we were going for this trip. While there, the little leak that never leaked when we would take it to the mechanic, turned into a full on flow. Our mechanic, John, told us that it was our radiator that needed to be replaced but we would be ok for the 5 hour drive to VA as long as we got it in the shop there to be taken care of. And he was right. We just had to fill up the coolant half way and keep the car running when I got pulled over by a VA cop and got a speeding ticket! We had a relaxing and fun time at the rivah with my neice and parents. All 4 girls are pro's at tubing now:)
We were able to get the cracked radiator replaced for $480 and head on to TN the next day for the family reunion. We had driven about 7 hours or so when the gears started to shift weirdly now and again, then it would go back to normal, and then it just wouldn't shift at all. We were very close to an exit, so I drove 10mph on the shoulder to get off into a town call Bull's Gap in TN. We coasted into a gas station, opened our hood and were discouraged to find smoke and fluid all over the engine. A mechanic happened to be walking by and said that our transmission was shot! After saying "Oh crap" a few times, I called my dad to ask for advice and he reminded me that we had AAA that tows up to 100 miles! Sweet!! We were only about 70 miles from our destination so they hooked us up with a tow but we had to figure out how the five of us and our dog would get there. AAA tried to get us a rental but there were no rentals in Bull's Gap, so they got us on the phone with an enterprise rental about 15 miles away. They refused to pick us up, and there were no taxi's that came into Bull 's Gap either. Then she told me that there was a no dog policy, there were no mini-vans and they didn't have any vehicles available for 1-way trips! Sooooo, after saying "OH CRAP" a few times, the tow guy comes over to us and says in a very Tenessee accent "Well shoooooooot, I'll just put ya'll in the truck with me....I got plenty of rooooom." So, if you can picture this, I sat up front, bouncing along with the tow guy, while the 3 girls were strapped into the seat behind me and Chris and Oskar sat on the floor for 70 miles. Man, was that a hoot! It is a little hard to be stressed out about having a dead car when you are in that kind of set-up!
So, we made it to the mechanic in Maryville, TN and Chris Haw came and got us (thanks Chris!). We had a great weekend at the family reunion hanging out with friends, making new connections, having long talks, and playing a lot in the water, hiking, cooking by the fire, etc. And to top it off, the mechanic called to let us know that he fixed the van for $140!! It was just the cords to the transmission that needed to be replaced. WHEW!!!

here is moriah jumping off a 15 ft jump with no hesitation!

our communal eating/meeting area

oskar had so much fun swimming and playing with the other dogs. he was wiped out!

Moriah and Miranda had lots of bonding time

So, we left early Sunday morning for Kentucky. We wanted to hang out with our old Lazarus Society friends (the comminity we helped create 12 years ago in Wilmore). It was so great catching up with them even though not everyone could make it this time.

There were 10 kids!

We got to go to a few places we like to visit and Alexa connected to her roots. She left KY when she was only 1, but has always loved visiting.

high bridge

shaker village

we also hung out with the kenney's at a great indian restaurant...yummy

BUT....our car started to pour out the coolant again. So Chris took it to the Wilmore mechanic who was nice enough to look at it immediately despite his busy schedule (not like in Philly). He replaced the radiator cap for a grand total of $8!! WE made it all the way back to Philly, although our check engine light came on half-way through the trip. We think our head gasket needs replaced:( We'll be getting our free car tomorrow, thank the LORD!! We may try just having one car for a while when this one dies.

an amazing road to recovery

I just wanted to take a moment to thank the dozens of people who have supported me and loved me through the past few weeks. It has been one of the most amazing things I have been through in my life...through the good and the bad. These past few weeks have shown me so much about the value of life, of love, and of family and community. It has been incredibly humbling to be embraced by friends who have said to me over and over again that they are so glad that I am alive. I will never again take for granted the days that God has given me and continues to bless me with, but also for all of the amazing people that God has put into my life! I love each and every one of you and am incredibly glad that you are all alive too:) Sorry, but I do think that I have the right to be cheezy;)

So... to update, we have been traveling constantly since the accident. We went to the rivah the day after the accident where it was a perfect place for me to recover with my mom and dad being there and a beautiful place to sit and breathe in the fresh river air and soak in the beauty of the sunsets. We celebrated mine and my mom's birthdays and I got a real treat:
We came home for a few days where we had a friend stay with us from new york. The real treat was that she is a yoga instructor and used to be a raw foodist. She made me some awesome food, led me in some healing yoga., and helped me to process through the accident. By the end of the week, I was feeling up to a trek out to the pine berrens of jersey, where a few of us girls honored my dear friend into a bridal blessing ceremony, did some rafting, ate more blueberries in one sitting than I have ever eaten in my life, sat around the fire and got about 5 deer ticks on me. Ha! When I got home at 1am, I thought I better check for ticks, so I lifted up my shirt and immediately saw 1 crawling up my stomach and 3 others embedded in my skin! I awoke the sleeping husband who checked me over and plucked 5 deer ticks out of my skin. Luckily, no bulls eyes so far.
The next day, we hit the road again for Indiana. We are just now returning after two weeks out there. It took me a few days to wind down, but now I am having a hard time winding back up. I spent most the time relaxing, reading, sitting by the pool while the kids swam, and taking long walks...oh and lots and lots of yoga:) The kids really enjoyed being with their grandma and papaw as well as the cousins... and they got pretty darn good at swimming (especially India!).



Chris took me out to eat at a great Vietnamese-vegan restaurant for my birthday and then we hung out at our favorite bookstore. He also made me a delicious raw birthday cake!
I did go out to Chicago for one day to visit Reba place, which was an amazing trip. I learned a ton from those folks and am looking forward to hanging out with them again at the family reunion next month. And I even got to try a raw food restaurant:)
Chris and I took the kids to eat lunch with the beautiful sisters at victory noll and walk their labyrinth. It is this gorgeous piece of land right there in Huntington, IN that is preserved and well cared for, and I felt so at peace walking through their property.


Now that it has been three and a half weeks since the accident, I have hardly any bruises left, the scar above my eye is healing up, and the soreness in my neck and shoulders is much improved. The numbness in my face is the same and my teeth still feel weird, I still startle easily and forget words and use the wrong words at times (in other words...my mama brain has gotten a bit more jumbled up since the accident). But I really can't complain when I think about how bad it could have been. I am thanking God every day for my legs, which I used to always complain about:( Anne Lamott calls her thighs her aunties. They have always been my least favorite part of my body... but now, I love and appreciate these "aunties" and will never say another bad word about them for the rest of my life. These legs should have been crushed and looking at that car, I should not be here at all, but I am and so I do feel blessed. As I complete my daily yoga practice, I thank God for the body that enables me to care for my family, to work, to garden, to create, to nourish, to be nourished, to love, and to be loved.

Mostly, I have been contemplating how much I love my family. I have enjoyed every moment with them these past two weeks. I have even had momentary brain lapses that have caused me to think about homeschooling...but then I quickly come back to reality;) I love how much they care for each other and for others. I love that they love their grandparents as much as they do, that they love to read, that they love to be in nature, that they love trying new and interesting things to eat (like the vegan beef and cabbage that they ate for dinner tonight). I love that they care about animals and the beauty of a sunset. I love that they don't get too frazzled when I have a mood swing, and know that it will pass, and that we can make them laugh even in the midst of their mood swings. They are just incredible girls! And I appreciate Chris in a new light.
This whole thing had been almost as traumatic for him as it has been for me. He really thought he had lost me when he got that phone call after the accident. We have realized now how much we need each other and how much of a team we really are. We have gained a new respect for each other through these past few weeks and a deeper love.

Now, as we drive through the mountains of West Virginia and Pennsylvania, I think I can say with all sincerity, without running the risk of it sounding like a cliche, that I am truly blessed and that life is truly amazing.

ALIV NHM

Over the years, I have had many people ask me what my license plate meant. My dad came up with "ALIVNHM" over 10 years ago and had it put on my car. I am not the type of Christian that likes to put bumper stickers and fish on my car as a "witness"to others. And there were those days that I wished that my license plate didn't say what it said because my city driving might become a "bad witness"...but I have to say that it gained a whole new meaning to me on Thursday, June 18th. My dad prays for me and my brothers safety every morning, and it is no coincidence that the license plate that he had put on my car so many years ago came to fruition in such a miraculous way.
On Thursday, I was on my way to visit my second client for he day. I was in a two lane road, and the next thing I knew, there was a car headed towards me that just merged right into my lane, where we hit, head-on with an 80 mph impact. I remember screaming and then looking up and seeing the airbag and trying to open my door, which would not open. I was able to climb through the back window (with the help of a stranger, or maybe an angel) and sit on the porch of the house in front of the accident. With blood streaming down my face, and my vision not quite right, I was unable to look at my car or see who hit me. I just remember the kindness of strangers...someone brought me ice, another person took off his shirt and used it to stop the bleeding...and another helped me to call Chris and break the news.

And then there were the parametics...They were amazing! When they came, they put the cervical color on me, somehow got me on the gurney, and rolled me into their truck. I had two IV's placed and I remember the parametic was asking me every other minute how old I was. I finally told him that I will keep answering "33" as long as he kept asking me. He then asked me what kind of car I had. I don't know why, but I answered "a piece of SH*T Geo Prizm." He laughingly told me that I shoudn't talk like that about the car that saved my life. I quickly took back my comment and thanked God for that piece of sweet metal mesh. Up to that point, my mind kept going through all the things I had to do that day and that my plans were all messed up. But when the parametic made that comment about the car saving my life, I realized that I could have died. He kept talking about how bad the car was. He couldn't understand how I got out. I just remember some guy saying that the car was smoking and I needed to hurry up and get out, so I climbed out the back window. I kind of remember seeing a piece of glass on the seat, but Chris told me later that there was glass everywhere. I don't know how I didn't get more cut up. While in route to the hospital, I remember being in a lot of pain. I kept asking for pain medication. I thought they would give it to me right away since he gave me 2 IV"s!! My arm was throbbing, my teeth felt like they were knocked out, my face was on fire and my hip and legs were extremely sore. I couldn't see very well because of my right eye swelling up and I think the blood must have been pooling in my eye. I have really bad vision in my left eye. I kept telling the parametics that I have ambliopia in my left eye. He kept saying "don't worry about that." I think he had no idea what ambliopia is:)

When we got to the hospital, they rolled me into the trauma unit. They had to take off my pants and cut off my shirt. Luckily I had a woman nurse who was good at getting bras off, so they didn't have to cut that off. I kept asking for pain medication while they were doing the EKG and x-rays. Then Chris got there. I was so happy to see him. He had the most worried look on his face. I just kept telling him I was OK. They immediately rolled me back to CT. I had never had one of those before. This is how weird I am: I thought to myself, well at least I will find out if I have a brain tumor now:)...then I started praying that there would be no broken bones or bleeding in my brain. After that they rolled me back to where Chris was and he held my hand while I got stitched up on my upper right eye. I also got antibiotics and a tetanus shot. It wasn't long after that when the nurse said he wanted to see how well I could walk and if I would need crutches. Luckily I was able to take babysteps to the bathroom where I got to look in the mirror. I was so relieved that it wasn't that bad. I can handle a little scar on my face, I was just so happy to be able to walk and be alive! We were discharged with muscle relaxers and percocet.
I was so happy to see my girls when we got home. India kept saying "oh no! you have a booboo...do you want the piggy booboo (that is what she calls the booboo piggy that we pull out of the freezer for her everytime she gets a boo boo). She also kept showing me the boo boo that she had on her knee. My girls were all so sweet and have been very good at nursing me back to health.

I have been getting a little better every day. Walking is much less painful. I did develop numbness on the left side of my face. I went back to the ER to have them check it out, but they said it is normal and will eventually get better. The impact of the airbag on my face was extremely traumatic but much better than the steering wheel would have been! I still can't focus too well with reading and my headaches can get pretty bad, but the medication helps a lot. My arm and my hip are very sore, as is my neck and upper back. I actually look worse today than I did when those pictures were taken. I think the bruising gets a little uglier every day. I don't mind though, I am just so thankful to be alive. I haven't been able to let the reality of the accident fully soak in. It is almost too much to take in in one day. I think it has become more real to me each day, and every moment that I have with my family. I have never appreciated my family and friends as much as I do now. I am asking God to teach me through this, and I think what the Lord has taught me most is to be grateful.

When Chris went to get my belongings out of the car, he took these photos. When he looked inside the car, he said that he could not believe that I have legs! I was trying to figure out why my shins were so bruised up. Now I know. The car smashed in such a way, that it should have crushed my legs!! Wow, I will take a few bruises any day knowing that God literally saved my legs. I only hope that I can honor God with my life... and with my legs:) Thank you to everyone who has been praying, calling, emailing, and helping us out. We are so grateful for all of your love and support!

More Pics

A few More pics

Beetlejuice and Pottyin like a Rock Star

The raw food cleanse is going well. Even India is enjoying it this time. This morning we juiced beets, carrots, bok choy, ginger and celery and blended it with barley green, frozen bananas and berries. It was delicioso! I think we'll be peeing red today, but that's ok. I am going to try to make a raw alfredo muchroom sauce today to put over veggies. We'll see how that goes. I haven't been too experimental this time around because I am more busy. I am almost off the coffee completely...that is the only hard part. Other than that, I feel really good. I have been amazed at how many people eat raw. I just wish we had a raw food resaurant in Philly. I am going to break the diet for our anniversary. Chris is taking me to a restaurant that looks so good. They use mostly produce, meats and cheeses that are local, fresh, and organic. We haven't gone to a nice resaurant like that in so long. It will actually feel nice to splurge. 13 years is something to celebrate! I don't feel like we have been married that long.
On another note, India is so close to being potty trained. She has not had an accident for 2 days. She sings "potty like a rock star, potty like a rock star" every time she goes. So cute! I am especially thankful for her making it to the potty for #2's. I really don't want to clean up anymore of those. We don't use pull-ups, so it is NO FUN!
One more story...India likes to scare our squirrels. She learned it from Chris when we were planting grass and they kept eating out seeds. India opens up the back door and in makes a very strange noice...it is kind of a deep thoated quack. I think our neighbors must think our third child is a bit on the odd side.