Spring Fever

Happy Birthday to my SIL. He gave himself this motor home for his birthday.

They have big plans to tour the country in style when he is out of the military. It's a fancy house on wheels, with a hearth, hardwood floors and a comfy master bedroom. Roll on, Sean and JoAnne!

At home, we are enjoying hanging our with our many visitors. Cody is in his favorite spot, next to his Master and Commander.

The Easter Bunny dropped this good egg on our porch...Rachel love. 

My 82 year old mom also flew in for a 2 week visit. Doesn't she look great? She's a natural beauty and I hope I got some of those genes.


There is nothing like good times at the table with those we love. Here, our friend Marek, a Czech missionary and teacher,  tells a story about his visit to exotic Dubai.



He came all the way from Prague to make us crepes for breakfast.
Delectable.  What a guy. Oh, and he was also doing a bit of paper work for the US government to maintain his residency status. 

Mom and I visited DC on a failed quest to see cherry blossoms. On an unrelated side trip to the White House, Mom decided it was appropriate that the residents of this house were kept behind bars. #political humor #no offense #just laugh

Grandma and Uncle Sam. My mom is a patriot and loves her country deeply.

We found some cherry blossoms under this arch at the botanical garden in Richmond. Beauty springing up everywhere. 

Spring and baseball go together. My grandson is playing second base, for his first season ever. Put down the joystick and get your game on, grandson o' mine. 

First time at bat here. One for the memory books...



Mom and Dad, Nana and Great Grandma relishing this big moment. Aidan, not so much. His team lost.

The farm is beautiful, changing every single day. The willow is green and flowing.

The daffodils are popping up.

The tulips, too, one by one, with the sunniest spots popping first.

My favorite junky planter is bursting forth.

My cabbages and lettuces and onions are growing with abandon.

Little tulips are emerging from the grass next to the pond.

And the pond itself is coming to life with hundreds of baby fishes and dozens of turtles. Apparently someone has been laying eggs all winter long.


There are three turtles snuggled on the bank right above the reflection in the water of the center tree. 

And we have baby frogs here and there.

A true boy's paradise for Aidan and his buddies. They have hours of play every weekend,  in and around the pond and woods.

All of this wonder, while Papa makes pancakes for breakfast. Don't you love a Spring morning?
Spring is finally here. Life is good.

So thankful to our God for these fresh, sweet, alive days, bursting with new beginnings.

Zecheriah 10:1  Ask rain from the Lord in the season of the spring rain, from the Lord who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field. 

My Genius SIL

In the early Spring, my military son-in-law started a business. He will be out of the Navy in a year or so, and is preparing for life on the "outside". That means a new source of income. In his free time, he designed an I-pad app for public speaking, called Podium Pro. He entered a contest for new business start-ups in our area, called Hatch. Hatch gathered the energies of successful business people to coach the most promising new business ideas. My SIL placed second among 73 finalists. He was awarded office space to work in for the summer, along with several other finalists. He also got housing for his Coder--that's the person who actually writes the program in computer binary language.

Customer FeedbackVideo TutorialBlog – Give Better Talks- Sneak Peek of Podium Cue- Follow us on Twitter- FacebookPodiumPro LitePodiumPro Full VersionBehind The Scenes

breaking news: My SIL got written up today at Techcrunch.com...so proud of him:
click here to read

Below, you can see the work space and one of the teams furiously at work. I love all the writing on the the glass. Lots of brainstorming going on here.

 

T
These guys created a phone tracking program. They made a zombie tag game, but the program has a lot of real-life military, police, and social work potential.  

The door of this team's office.
Zombies, werewolfs, vampires...I just don't get it. Not quite the right demographic, I guess.

This is my SIL's coder, Paul, who is from Mumbai, India. He's one smart man. 

Here is my SIL's back, with his logo t-shirt sporting a microphone. The other guys across from him have developed an app for sharing music-making. It takes the place of a studio.

My SIL very seriously engrossed in preparing his presentation for that night. Podium Pro replaces powerpoint, evernote, and all other methods of note-keeping for public speaking. You can put your whole message on your Ipad, including your slides and videos, and it splits the screen to show what your audience sees, and keeps the speaker's notes coordinated. It also gives a preview of what is coming next in the talk, and timer to stay within the allotted time slot. It also allows you to record yourself speaking, and allows your audience to twitter you as you speak to respond directly to their questions. It's a ground-breaking tool. 

Later in the evening, they met with the area business leaders to give their presentation. 

The room filled up with an expectant audience of coaches and supporters, who had something to eat before the presentations began.

We were in the audience too. Notice my husband on the chair, and Sean behind him. 

The recording crew. 

Here they are: the Podium Pro guys. Nice logo. 

Here they are with the founder of Hatch, and the Hatch logo on the screen. 

Sean's fan club, daughter, wife and FIL. 

Okay, that's all the pictures I took. Once the presentations started, I put my camera away. I will say my SIL did a phenomenal job describing his new app. If you are interested in more information, click here: Podium Pro.
I am just intrigued by the opportunities that exist for the energetic and disciplined innovator. It's a whole new world, and I am proud of my SIL for finding his place in it. 

Four Years

Still missing  you.

Always.

Feel you sometimes.

Dream of you too.

I see signs

reminders of your nearness. 

I used to say

come back, come back.

No miracle here 

but the

miracle of hope.  

Long to hold you,

a mother's wish,

to be near you, 

my strong and tender son,

wrapped in those long generous arms. 

As I wrapped  you at birth. 

Hearing the husky laughter in your chest 

in my ear.

The thoughtful way

you asked me how I am. 

Mama,  you say. 

Smile, listen, joke, encourage. 

Your ability to love each of us

as if we were the only one. 

The energy

vibrancy

insight with life.

World  wise.

You knew.

How so young did you know so old?

Aching for my beautiful wise son

 to help me along the way

on this mystery road.

What would you be telling me now 

to strengthen me? 

Love. 

So full of love. 

Your very best legacy.

Living for the living. 

You would want that. 

This world lost its illusions and charms

but love never fails. 

It is always the hunger

Always the food.

Always gives strength for the journey. 

My life is about waiting now. 

Waiting for reunion day.

God is giving the strength

day by day

to live in a world without you

knowing I will be in a world with you

on that day.

And we live deeper now

where the pain and poignancy meet hope. 

You started all of that. 

My Amazing Son-in-law

Sean and Me

This wonderful guy, my SIL for 16+ years, is actually beyond amazing. He is so amazing I can't even tell you how amazing he is because it's not allowed. Let's just say there is not an American alive who wouldn't be proud and impressed by his service to his country.
Everyone who knows him is kind of in awe, and we, his family, simply adore him.
But now his back has been injured and he needs our prayers...so please remember him for God's healing touch and a speedy recovery.


Isaiah 6:8
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

The Really Big News

No matter what else is going on in our lives right now...

Nothing quite matches up to the importance of this one...

We have a grandchild who is behind the wheel of a moving vehicle...

...with permit in hand.

We are all taking turns coaching him, and he WILL BE an excellent, safe driver when we are done.

Guaranteed.

Furthermore, (and he agrees), there will be no texting while driving!

Halloween 1981

I love this picture.

I love the joy on my face as I readied my children for trick-or-treating. I remember their excitement to get ready, and little Joey standing so still so I could finish drawing on his whiskers. My daughters and our neighbor watching so intently. I love that I hand-sewed their costumes. This was before China made all the inexpensive handmade costumes we enjoy now. In those days, it was either a cheap plastic mask or a rare home-sewn costume. I love the proud way they wore them, my 2 princesses and a leopard, and how they played in them long after Halloween was over. How I loved being a mother. So much work but loads of fulfillment in it.

I miss those days.

If you're a tired mother of little ones, I hope you are reminded to enjoy this precious moment. They grow up and this is gone forever.

Mourning Another Birthday

Joseph Neal Johnson 8/17/79-5/22/08

I miss you, beautiful son.

Miss your presence here with us.

Miss your warmth and humor, your enthusiasm for life, your insight and interested mind.

I miss getting hugged by you. Tall tender hugs. No one hugs me like that anymore.

I loved being your mother. I felt so proud of you. I loved your vibrance--that red hair and those deep brown eyes and the radiant, ever-ready smile.

I miss the closeness we all felt with you, and the way you enjoyed being with us.

I miss traveling with you, meeting up at the airport someplace, and exploring the world through your lively commentary and alert eyes.

I miss my cultural guide, and your efforts to keep me properly informed.

You, my son with an opinion on everything, also listened.

I loved our talks.

Playing music with your dad, or talking investment schemes. Laughing with your sisters and brother-in-laws. Entertaining your beloved nieces and nephews. Surfing, eating, traveling with Rachel. Rushing at life with Kevin and JR and Theo and Josh and so many others. And music.

Your life was rich with the sound of melodies

rising up.

Your voice --a song.

Cut short.

I can hardly wait to open the door one day and find you standing there.

Radiant and alive.

I miss you so, beautiful son.

For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16

Two Years Ago

A devastated family commits a precious son to God's care...

This brokenhearted mama scatters his precious ashes in the water, and watches as they mingle with the flowers...

Friends paddle us into shore, so near us in our agony...

thank you for being there for us still.

Goodbye, Beautiful and Beloved Joey.

Our wonderful son, brother, uncle, nephew, friend...

We love you so very deeply and miss you every moment.

We will never see this world the same again without you in it.

Aloha Oe...until we meet again.

Joseph Neal Johnson

8/17/79 ~5/22/08

in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began

Titus 1:2