Medicine of Immortality "It's a cold, and it's a broken, 'Hallelujah!'"

HomePosted by Rachel on August 12th, 2008

Some of you know, some of you might have guessed, and the rest of you are probably all in the dark regarding our whereabouts for the forseeable future. I’ll clear it up: we’re staying in Spokane. God has answered the prayers of family and friends and has blessed Rick with a great job here. I am finally home.

There are a lot of things I will miss about Monroe, which may come as a surprise to some, but there were certainly attachments formed during our first four years of marriage living in Louisiana. I remember Isaiah and I driving the rental truck down, pulling into the driveway of the first house that Rick and I would live in, enjoying temperatures in the 70’s on New Year’s Day, having fun with friends, sighing contentedly at the deep blue sky streaked with pink clouds after a thunderstorm, and admiring the sunset over the peaceful bayou. I remember seeing the positive line on a pregnancy test with Kyrie, and again with Antonio, in the little bathroom of our house. I remember painting our dining room red because I need to live with color. I remember painting walls, sewing curtains, and hanging pictures to make our house a home. I gave birth to both of our babies in Louisiana. Antonio was born right in his sister’s room. There are so many special memories that we’ll carry with us. And I know I’ll never forget the challenges we faced as a new couple, and then a new family, living across the country from my family. It was good for me, and I’m thankful for the experience. I wouldn’t change it if I could.

Now that we are back in Spokane, I feel like everything is right. I feel joy when I just look into the starry night sky or smell the fresh, beautiful Northwest air. Every blade of grass that I see blowing in the wind seems familiar to me. I hear voices all around me in the buzzing of bees, songs of birds, and even the distant sounds of machinery or cars whizzing by that seem to be welcoming me home. It fills me with a joy and a feeling of belonging that I can’t fully describe.

Riverfront ParkPosted by Rachel on July 21st, 2008

We had a great day at Riverfront Park with the Tuckers this past Saturday. Kyrie had a blast on all the rides; it was so fun to watch her.

Spokane River

Timothy & Uncle Matthew

Noelle & Kyrie on the plane ride

Noelle and Kyrie on the train ride

Noelle & Kyrie on the bumper boats

Antonio was a little miffed that he didn’t get to go on any rides

The kids

Kyrie on the carousel

The clock tower and other loveliness

I got a weird angle on this one. It looks like it’s leaning…

Kyrie & Antonio relaxing in the grass

It’s my little guy!

A few from the FourthPosted by Rachel on July 6th, 2008

We really enjoyed celebrating the fourth of July with our friends gathered at the Hathaway home. Thanks to Ryan and Taneisha for their hospitality!

We did some fireworks on the street…

And then I had some fun capturing sparkler art with a slow shutter speed (I knew the bulb exposure setting was good for something).

Since I’m too lazy to repost them here…Posted by Rachel on July 6th, 2008

Those of you who haven’t already seen the ocean vacation photos can view them here and here.

Just a little update on lifePosted by Rachel on July 3rd, 2008

It’s been so long since I’ve actually written my thoughts or recorded any recent happenings with our family, so I thought I’d take a little break from posting pictures (although some favorite shots of our ocean trip will be posted soon) and give everyone a little update. Hopefully it won’t bore you all to tears.

Antonio has his two bottom teeth! They are really cute. They came in only a few days apart from each other, and those were brutal days. I think he must be working on some more, because he’s been very needy and clingy. I’ve been wearing/holding him lots because he always wants to be up next to me (he’s sleeping on my lap right now). He’s also scooting all over the place, and quickly. I’ve been fishing lots of new foreign objects out of his mouth since he’s gained this ability to be mobile. It’s fun to see him getting around, but definitely keeps me more on my toes!

Kyrie is just having fun being a cute little 2-year-old, with tantrums in between. Her sweet moments make up for all the challenging ones. She’s talking so clearly and seeming so grown-up to me. I can’t believe how quickly she’s grown, even after every grandmother told me that they grow up way too quickly.

We’re doing fine in Spokane, enjoying the company of family and friends. Lately I’ve been feeling a bit out of place, anxious to have a home of our own again. I guess I feel homesick, but I’m not sure what home I’m missing. It’s not Monroe (though I do miss Hollie and the Amos kids terribly), and it’s not the house we packed up and left in May—it’s a home we’ve never lived in yet, but I want to find out what it is, where it is, and start making memories of our family in it. I’m really appreciative of the hospitality of family members, but there is only so much hospitality we can expect a family to extend, even if they are our loving relatives. I hate feeling like I’m imposing. I want to take a turn to open up my doors to my family and friends, cook them a meal, and serve them. When I think of what I’d like most about living in Spokane, it’s having the opportunity to have people over. We’re somewhat homeless here, and that makes me feel we have nothing to offer others, but that they’re always only giving to us. I want to change that. I want to be able to give to them. Okay, I should stop before this turns into a book. Suffice it to say, I will be thankful when this season of our life is over and we get settled again. I love being spontaneous to a degree, but I think Kyrie and Antonio suffer a bit from it.

Dinner is about to be served, so that about wraps it up for us.

Yep, more pictures.Posted by Rachel on June 17th, 2008

Here’s my regular contribution to the ol’ blog. A healthy dose of cuteness, in photos.

Here’s Antonio sleeping in a rather cute position.

And here he is, simply looking cute in the Moby.

Here’s Kyrie walking through the woods in north Idaho.

She looks cute and small standing on a big stump.

After the hike, we went to the lake where the kids had a great time wading and/or swimming.

Kyrie and David tried to keep their clothes dry as they walked into the water.

Eventually I remembered that I had packed a swimsuit for Kyrie.

Antonio and Grandpa hung out together for a while.

Esther plays “Panther”Posted by Rick on May 29th, 2008

I’ve probably said this a million times, but Rachel’s family is freakishly musical. Her sister Rebekah plays viola and used to play flute. Isaiah can play everything well (really), but he has the musical drive of a potato. Rachel, of course, is a violinist. Matthew is a ridiculously good drummer (you can see him play here). Her brother Nathan just started playing guitar (though I recall him playing Toccata in Fugue D at the fair on a random piano when he was like 8—a song taught to him by his then 12-year-old brother, Andrew). And then there’s Esther, who is like a little Rachel in personality, and the gem of our hearts.

Esther started playing piano a couple of months ago, and after about ten lessons came up with this song which she named “Panther.”

They’ve got it all figured out…Posted by Rick on May 23rd, 2008

On traditional roles:

Noelle: Girls go shopping.
Kyrie: Yeah, girls go shopping!
Noelle: Boys go shopping too.
Kyrie: No, boys go to work.

Kyrie & NoellePosted by Rachel on May 22nd, 2008

Grandpa updatePosted by Rick on May 11th, 2008

FYI, my grandpa has started to get a bit better from dialysis thrice weekly. He’s still not the same, but he’s been making some progress with physical therapy. He was able to dress himself a bit, but his muscles are still very weak.